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Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable Game System
Update: Nintendo NCL has revealed more information on the dual processors and screens in its Japanese press release.
The primary processor is based on the ARM9 architecture, and the secondary processor is based on the ARM7 architecture. Which screens the two processors are coupled with is unknown. Clock speeds have not been revealed, but according to ARM's website, the ARM7 family is capable of speeds ranging from 75 to 133 MHz, while the ARM9 family clocks from 185 to 230 MHz. For reference, Nintendo and ARM's custom GBA CPU runs at 16.8 MHz. The DS likely features highly customized versions of the processors, however, so these clock speeds should be taken as mere speculation.
The Japanese article also revealed that both screens will be back lit for displays superior to that of the GBA SP.
After months of teasing, Nintendo Company Ltd. today revealed the true nature of its new hardware platform. The tentatively titled "Nintendo DS" is a portable gaming system whose main feature is a dual-screen setup. (The "DS" likely stands for "Dual Screen".) Nintendo hopes that this new layout will allow players to experience new types of gameplay. The company gives the example of a soccer game in which the whole field is shown on one screen while the other screen focuses on a single player. Apparently the system is not intended to be played by two people on a single unit; rather, a single player will be using both screens simultaneously.
There are currently no pictures and few details on the hardware, but Nintendo says the system features two 3-inch TFT LCD screens (each one the same size as that of the Game Boy Advance), separate processors for each display, and semiconductor (cartridge) game media that can be as large as 1 Gbit, considerably more data than is available in current GBA cartridges.
In Nintendo's announcement, NCL President Satoru Iwata made this remark about the new platform: "We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century."
The Nintendo DS is scheduled for worldwide launch by the end of 2004, and Nintendo says it is already working with third-parties to develop software for the machine.
Source: Bloomberg
Link: "Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable Game System"
The primary processor is based on the ARM9 architecture, and the secondary processor is based on the ARM7 architecture. Which screens the two processors are coupled with is unknown. Clock speeds have not been revealed, but according to ARM's website, the ARM7 family is capable of speeds ranging from 75 to 133 MHz, while the ARM9 family clocks from 185 to 230 MHz. For reference, Nintendo and ARM's custom GBA CPU runs at 16.8 MHz. The DS likely features highly customized versions of the processors, however, so these clock speeds should be taken as mere speculation.
The Japanese article also revealed that both screens will be back lit for displays superior to that of the GBA SP.
After months of teasing, Nintendo Company Ltd. today revealed the true nature of its new hardware platform. The tentatively titled "Nintendo DS" is a portable gaming system whose main feature is a dual-screen setup. (The "DS" likely stands for "Dual Screen".) Nintendo hopes that this new layout will allow players to experience new types of gameplay. The company gives the example of a soccer game in which the whole field is shown on one screen while the other screen focuses on a single player. Apparently the system is not intended to be played by two people on a single unit; rather, a single player will be using both screens simultaneously.
There are currently no pictures and few details on the hardware, but Nintendo says the system features two 3-inch TFT LCD screens (each one the same size as that of the Game Boy Advance), separate processors for each display, and semiconductor (cartridge) game media that can be as large as 1 Gbit, considerably more data than is available in current GBA cartridges.
In Nintendo's announcement, NCL President Satoru Iwata made this remark about the new platform: "We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century."
The Nintendo DS is scheduled for worldwide launch by the end of 2004, and Nintendo says it is already working with third-parties to develop software for the machine.
Source: Bloomberg
Link: "Nintendo Announces Dual-Screened Portable Game System"
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