Everything Nintendo: The Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
First released in North America in 2004, the Nintendo DS is a portable console developed by famed Japanese company, Nintendo. It was designed to be a flip top device, similar to the Gameboy Advance SP, with dual LCD screen. Moreover, it also has a built in microphone and wireless connectivity feature that allow interaction among multiple players within a short range of each other.
Since then, the Nintendo DS has evolved from the plain old Nintendo DS to its latest release which is capable of playing 3D games and video, Nintendo 3DS. However, the original Nintendo DS has been discontinued in favor of the Nintendo DSi, which is primarily a redesign of the original. Aside from the Nintendo DSi, there is also the Nintendo DS Lite, Nintendo DSi XL and the latest, Nintendo 3DS available from their portable game console range.
Nintendo DS Lite
The Nintendo DS Lite is the lightest and more compact while the Nintendo DSi XL is the heaviest and bulkiest among the lot. In terms of the LCD display, the Nintendo DS Lite closely resembles that of the original Nintendo DS with 256×192 pixel resolution and 18-bit color display. The difference lies in the minute difference in the screen size which is 3-inches for the original DS while it’s 3.12-inches for the Nintendo DS Lite. The Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL also utilize 256×192 pixel resolution and 18-bit color display. The difference in their screens is somewhat significant, with the Nintendo DSi having 3.25-inch dual LCD screen and the Nintendo DSi XL having 4.20-inches. However, with the latest Nintendo 3DS, it has a 3.53-inch autostereoscopic top LCD display that allows for the user to view an image in 3D without the need for 3D glasses while the lower LCD screen measures 3.02-inches. Moreover, the 800×240 pixel resolution, 32-bit color display, 400×240 WQVGA and 320×240 QVGA allows for a clearer and vibrant display.
The latest Nintendo 3DS possess one front facing and 2 rear 0.3-megapixel cameras as opposed to one front and rear 0.3-megapixel cameras on the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL and none for the original and the Nintendo DS Lite. The physical control buttons on all consoles prior to the Nintendo 3DS have been constant. It contains the D-pad or the directional pad, push buttons (X, Y, A, B), volume and power slider/buttons and the touch screen that allows users to interact with in-game options like chatting and menu selection. All consoles also support Wi-Fi connection and contain a stylus and built in microphone however, Nintendo 3DS has an additional infrared port feature.
The original Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite only has internal memory of 256 KB NAND flash memory but supports both DS and Gameboy Advance for its games. However, the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL do not support Gameboy Advance games anymore although it has a 256 MB internal NAND flash memory and its expandable SD card lets the user play music and games. The Nintendo 3DS also does not support Gameboy Advance games but
Nintendo 3DS
has a sufficient 2 GB NAND flash memory, on top of the 2 GB SD card included. This high-tech console supports augmented reality games and also allows you to take 3D photos and videos.
Nintendo has really raised the bar for portable gaming consoles. No wonder it’s the over-all second best selling video game console, next only to PlayStation 2.
