Nintendo DS First Look
"You can touch me if you want. Down there."
New hardware is always fun. More than half of our lives spent as aficionados of gaming technology can't erode the fact that we love unwrapping new toys almost as much as we love playing with them. The carefully designed packaging builds the anticipation; the smell of a freshly manufactured piece of kit is as exciting as the smell of money to a gambler. The feel of a device in our hands for the first time, as all our expectations and misconceptions materialise or evaporate in the blink of an eyelid.
The Nintendo DS is a little bigger than you might expect.
Yes, we have our hands on them now, courtesy of a Nintendo event last night in London which handed out toys like confetti at a wedding but failed to inform us of an exact launch date or price point for the console. No matter; if you're a hardcore fan, you're probably already pondering a US import, and if not, you won't mind waiting.
We'll bring you detailed coverage of the console next week - how it works, how it plays, reviews of the games. For now, though, we'll say this; it's a little bigger than you might expect.
Okay, we'll qualify that. The Game Boy Advance SP has spoiled us. It's quite clearly the product of a long line of refinements to a basic concept, and it's the pinnacle of over a decade of the Game Boy. The Nintendo DS, on the other hand, is something new. It doesn't feel or look like an evolution of the Game Boy - it's a bit chunkier, perhaps a shade more modern, and distinctly not as fully evolved as the GBA SP was. It's first-generation hardware, but made by a master craftsman of handheld consoles, if you take our meaning. Flawed, but not with the kind of huge screaming flaws that Nintendo's handheld competitors make.
So, it's chunky, but not too chunky that it doesn't fit nicely into the pocket of your jeans; the game cartridges feel a little flimsy after the rugged GBA cartridges, but are actually very robust compared to the flash cards that you find in cameras and phones. These are minor flaws, and they pale in comparison to the things Nintendo has got right. The battery life is excellent - although we haven't had ours for long enough to really test this aspect (it says "First Look" up there for a reason), the screens are bright, vibrant and properly backlit, the D-pad is a joy to use, there's a proper headphone socket, and the speakers in the unit are surprisingly excellent.
As you might be guessing by now, this is the single best platform ever to play Game Boy Advance games on. They look far better on this screen than they've ever looked on a GBA SP or through a Game Boy Advance Player, and the size of the unit is just right for extended play without developing the cramp that those of us with large, ape-like hands often get from squashing our outsized digits around a GBA SP. You can choose whether you want to play them on the top or bottom screen, which is nice.
Of course, we're not here to talk about Game Boy Advance games, now are we?
The unique features of the Nintendo DS are threefold - you've got a touchscreen, you've got two screens, and you've got a microphone. We can't talk about the latter, because nothing we've got our hands on takes advantage of it right now. We can't talk much about either of the others, really, since we haven't had more than a couple of hours playtime, but if only slightly educated off the cuff comments tickle your fancy in places that don't make it feel uncomfortable, then here are some to be getting on with.
Firstly, we now understand why so many games use the second screen for a map and not a lot else. When you're controlling something like Mario 64 DS or Metroid Prime Hunters with the stylus or thumb-nub (which rapidly became forefinger-nub for us, as using it on your thumb is a rapid way to end up with the kind of hand-cramp that usually gets associated with frantic onanists), the second screen is largely obscured by your hand - using it for information critical to the action would just be awkward.
Secondly, the stylus input works remarkably well. Experience with playing FPS games on a laptop with a trackpad didn't exactly make us slaver in anticipation of Metroid Prime with a stylus, but it works a treat - pinpoint accuracy and intuitive movement are the order of the day. Even better are the mini-games like those found in Mario 64 DS, where the stylus is used in genuinely clever and innovative ways - and we're drooling at the prospect of Wario Ware DS already as a result.
The impressions we take away from our first few hours of messing around with the DS are mixed. On the one hand, it really does feel like a console which has the potential to play host to gameplay that we've never seen anywhere else. Playing with games that properly utilise the stylus and dual screen layout is a real pleasure, and if developers can get their heads around how to use them properly, the DS is going to be a fantastic little machine.
We also liked the setup of the system, which stores things like your name, date of birth, favourite colour (eh?) and a host of other information in its memory, and hopefully we'll see that used in some of the games as well. PictoChat, the built-in wireless messenger app, is also a hit around these parts - it works extremely well even with poor wireless signal, as does the multiplayer component of Metroid Prime: Hunters, so that's definitely one aspect of the system that Nintendo has got right.
On the other hand, the graphics on the system are going to be eclipsed by what the PSP is capable of. They're quite clear and crisp for the most part, around N64 quality, but lacking the trademark blur that games for that platform had, but certainly nowhere close to the near-PS2 quality we're expecting from PSP titles. We're also keenly aware that so far, we've only seen three pieces of software - PictoChat, which is great fun but isn't a game, Metroid Prime Hunters, which is only a demo, and Mario 64 DS, which is the only full game in our hands. A console lives or dies by the strength of its software line-up, and we simply can't gauge that just yet.
So there you go: Day One of the Nintendo DS, and we're feeling positive about the system overall, but with some reservations in our minds. Keep an eye out next week for our full-sized impressions of the console, its launch titles, and its prospects for the future. In the meanwhile, enjoy some hi-res shots of the Nintendo DS next to random items from our office - including the almost entirely useless revelation that the console is smaller than Sephiroth.
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Comments (98) Latest comment 7 years ago
Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!
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As good as Halo?
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Yeah, just look at it compared to that person in the last picture!
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Aw, crap.
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Don't worry, they're still playing DOA volleyball.
/considers posting that Turkish word again to get more traffic
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I can't believe you guys chipped it already!!
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Snigger.
: )
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Eh? What do you mean?
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I want a DS, just looks a little big. Might just wait for a second generation (they better bloody do this) PSP.
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Still, as far as I can see, the only thing this baby doesn't have is a slot for you to shag the arse off it. And I'm not even discounting the possiblility of THAT until I have one and see it for myself!
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Eh? What do you mean? "
sorry it says "mic" init, I thought it was a chip. Soz.
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Seconded.
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It's not, it's substantially bigger than the original GBA.
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I'd like to see some Ghost'n'Goblins and Metal Slugs...
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You can always spot a Mac user .
/salutes
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Shinji?
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/geek mode on
DS measures 148mm across
the original GBA measures 144mm across,
PSP measures 170mm across
/geek mode off
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/affectionate wave
Bless 'em.
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the original GBA measures 144mm across,
PSP measures 170mm across
I'd call 4mm substantial. ;p
No seriously, I'd be interested in seeing HxWxD of the GBA and the DS compared, because the DS feels a lot bigger. Not that I find that a problem, though, frankly. Not sure what the point of the comparison with the PSP is though as that's irrelevant.
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The EG guys were comparing the graphics of the DS to PSP so I thought I'd just throw that in there (compare and contrast as they say). I didn't mean that as a bad reflection on the PSP.
I'd be interested in seeing HxWxD of the GBA and the DS compared
I think the DS is just slightly bigger than the original GBA otto.
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FIGHT!!!!
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Shinji?
Mum?!!
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Not to some people.
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I know they say size doesn't matter, but I don't think they meant quite that small when they said it, otto. Still, good to see you're proud of what you've got. Fair play.
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I don't rate the aesthetics either. But regardless, I will get one when they are available here.
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Good features and nice personality but still ohh so ugly
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They are barely comparable - give the PSP a 1gb MS-DUO and the possibility that some starts writing to UMD ( you never know! ) and u have the next walkman
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Peej
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Bizarre that the thing is designed in such a way that you obscure the screen with your hand while using the stylus. Surely that takes away most of the point of having the second screen? Kinda makes me think they added the 'touch screen' idea later on, long after they'd already decided on the dual-screen thingy.
Anyway... looks alright. I shall wait to see the software.
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Peej
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http ://www.cube-europe.com/newsgfx/ndsrec/10.jpg
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LOL!!!
No wonder they got a big fella like Reggie (name-taking aside) to model it. In the hands of a giant the unit looks averagely sized!
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Christ, I beg to differ! I've obviously been spoiled by the SP, but look at the size of that thing! How am I going to sneak off to the bog for some uninterrupted gaming with one of those stashed in my jeans pocket, eh? I'm not. She's going to take one look at the 'stiff-legged' walk and bulging groin and think the worst.
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OTOH, it IS a fairly chunky piece of kit regardless. I would have taken a pic next to a GBA SP if, er, I could find my GBA SP. I was sure it was here a minute ago, dammit...
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/trips over DS
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DS, GBA, GBA SP together
Really, its not THAT big.
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Looks good though, I'm slowly coming round to the idea of getting one but I can keep my ants in my pants for a bit longer and wait till it's released here (unlike the rest of yous!)
Peej
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Still id hope Nintendo price it fairly (not that they have a good history on that one)
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The mind boggles.
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Do you have this problem while writing, Blerk? Your schoolwork must have been all over the page...
I think most people can handle the concept of holding a stylus/pen without covering what we're doing, right?
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Often, even if hardware is cheaper in the US, importing it brings the cost up to near enough the same as it is locally. But the DS is so much cheaper in the states that importing may even save you money. Place I've ordered from mark it as a $20 electronic toy, so you don't get import duties.
But I don't think the official price has been confirmed yet for the UK anyway so who knows, maybe Nintendo will see sense and release it at under £100.
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Or have Nintendo stuffed us completely? (are lefties the new Europe?)
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Also, Feel the Magic is...weird.
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I'm getting one.
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Is that a threat?
Please don't.
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I KNEW IT. From the very instance I saw the original DS images I knew the case design was pathetic. I voiced my disgust - at the old DS I might add - and was criticized for this 'outrageous' opinion. I used the final version myself yesterday and my original suspicions where confirmed.
Its a kids 'first computer' with a toilet seat. A pencil case. Whatever. The Virtual Boy looked more attractive and I cant believe that Nintendo accepted this case design. There have been many, many fantastic Nintendo creations but this thing is hideous.
I grant you that Metroid looks sweet as hell on it - most Nintendo games are fantastic quality, but there is no way I would be seen outdoors or anywhere else for that matter with one of these beasts.
Some gamers will argue that aesthetics and case design aren't important in the grand scheme of things but this is a handheld console - not something you will be hiding under your TV or in your bedroom.
Thank God for my SP and thank God the PSP is on the way. The guy who showed me the DS (his father brought it home from America) actually seemed to prefer my SP when I showed it to him and even asked how much they currently cost.
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"Throwing a hissy-fit at 2.19am on a Saturday night / Sunday morning about the percived design of some games machine." Is that supposed to be a sentence?
Whats wrong with me making such comments considering the subject of the article or the content of this website? Would you also care to explain what's wrong with commenting at 2.19 on a Sunday morning/ Sat night?
Maybe you should think before you post stranger? Remember that in order to 'Speak your brain', a brain is generally prerequisite.
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