Nintendo DS Specs Sheet? - "Approximate Translations" Inside

[Miggy-AMN]

http://www3.emu-zone.org/images/1272193-3lELEkra1O.jpg

Main Processor ARM946E-S
Subprocessor: ARM7TDMI

Memory
Main Memory: 4 Mbyte (Debugger use:
ARM9/ARM7 for use together - 32Kb (16kbX2)
ARM7 specialty use interior work RAM: 64Kbyte
VRAM: 656

LCD
Screen size (dimensions)
Number of colors?

2D graphic Engine (A,B)
Background: 4 screens max.
Objects: 128 max.

3D graphic engine
(not sure on this first one)

Polygons: 120K/s
Pixels: 30M/s

Sound: 16ch (max 8ch of PSG (which is... what?)
Microphone Input

Wireless communication: IEEE802.11 base protocol

Input devices
Touch panel
crosskey, A, B, R, L, Start, Select (X, Y to be determined(? not sure))

Power stuff - sleep mode, etc......

Don't hold me to any of this translated information, or even the PDF screenshot. Got it from the forum that I linked to at the end. I doubt the PDF is fake but the translation isn't official or anything. Have fun speculating.

Source: http://66.98.212.235/showthread.php?s=&threadid=106388

[sidcrazy]

Fantastic read, thanks Code Link!

[Freak of Kane]

Actually, IGN have confirmed this:

"This document is assumed to be from the Japanese development docs, and reveals many of the features of the upcoming handheld. We have confirmed with North American development sources that the features listed in the document are entirely legitimate."
From http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/497/497843p1.html

[blablamax]

Wow!!! GCA reproted on the full specs.

I really dissapointed about the 3D abillities .. I hope in E3 I will be surprised becuase as it seems now, the 3D is very basic..

[Monkeylord]

Considering the screens are only 3" each, I'm not sure a higher polycount is necessary... how much detail would you be able to make out? 120,000 poly should be more than enough to provide impressive detail. Besides, you never see the wireframe only the textures, so decent texturing will make up for any detail loss due to a lower polycount. This is one of the many tricks developers use to get high quality from low power.

--~

[Kirbimirsha]

When does this document date from? I'm dissapointed aswell about the 3d technology n was waiting for more...... but if the document is old then ninty might have upgraded their technology by now.......
Plus it says that the features in the "nitro" are not finalised so i guess we should just wait for the time being.......
That touch sensative screen n the wireless stuff sounds really cool though..........................i want more!!!!!
1 up for ninty !

[blablamax]

Mmm .. I want to believe you right Monkeylord .. we just have to wait two more month and see :) aren't we?

any way NOA stated that the document is true soo I believe Nintendo will stay +/- with these specs till the release...of course we will understand what they means only after E3 :)

[Wh|tE gUy]

Nintendo would be crazy to release the DS without it having comparable specs to the PSP

[Shoxx]

And could the "DS" become the Nintendo Nitro? That's what this document seems to think.

[Monkeylord]

No. Nintendo confirmed that "Nitro" is the codename.

[blablamax]

Mmm ... doesn't it strange to have a development codename and "market" codename ?!

[ty-fighter]

I'm really curious to find out about any sort of compatability with GBA, particularily GBA/GC connectivity. There are a couple games like Crystal Chronicles that have me itching for a second sp to have around, but if I purchase a DS for the same purpose, it would make me feel a little bit better about shelling out the cash.

[Matt]

Heh... protected PDF's can be leaked by taking screenshot.

[Messiah]

Good post Code Link. Very interesting

[Sabur]

Yes, very interesting. This just brings up more questions... but only about 9 weeks away for E3

[blablamax]

According to IGN sources the DS will use both cartidges and optical discs: "One conflicting statement from some of our sources state that the system will not just be cartridge-based as announced, but also optical disc based using GameCube-sized discs for game media"


Interesting .... will developers have the option to choose what kind of storage media they wanna use for their games? why not to use only Discs? it will make the hardware much lighter, dont you agree?

More than that:

"The hardware abilities puts the system somewhere near the Nintendo 64 in strength, and to prove the 3D abilities to developers it's been reported that Nintendo has created a demo of Mario 64 running on the system, much like the Yoshi Story demo built for the Game Boy Advance."

to read the full artice http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/498/498550p1.html

[rogue_gamecube]

Ugh, discs are cheap and flimsy. Give me a good cart any day. While I figure Ninty will extend the life of the GC by making either the NDS or GBE use the same discs, the optical format won't be here for much longer. A good decade, if that. And the idea of a handheld using discs adds a lot of wait, you have to have a motor to spin the thing, which REALLY drains away the life of the batteries. This is a bad problem for the PSP design, I had one of their mini-disc players and the motor wines away a lot. Couple an LCD screen into the mix, and I guarantee the battery lifetime of the PSP will be half that of the NDS. I am SO buying an NDS this fall... :D

[Miggy-AMN]

http://www.tokyopia.com/deluxe/ds-e.jpg

Now in english. :)

[Spartacus]

I read somewhere that the DS is a lot stronger then it sound on paper.... I'm not sure what that means.


(I love Kim too. I was the only person I know that liked her)

[Lovebird]

but when it comes down to it, what do the specs matter? the majority of gamers dont give a crap, so as long as it plays well, they don't care.

[Cube-tacular]

Yea, I concur. The PS2 is 128 bits, GC is 64 bits and the Xbox is 32 bits but look at the amzing graphics that the Xbox and GC put out!

[Lovebird]

uhhhhhhhhhhh...................:confused: what the hell are you talking about?

[Cube-tacular]

actually, let me go a hunting for this info first.

Ok found it- its in question form.

How many bits is GameCube?
--------------------------
::64-bit. It is still technologically more powerful than the PlayStation
2, which runs at 128 bits, but less powerful than XBOX, which is 32-
bits. BITS DON'T COUNT. EVER. (at least if you aren't a tech head; to
them, it counts, but for the sake of it all, it doesn't count)

[Miggy-AMN]

Yes please. Otherwise you sound stupid.

[Cube-tacular]

well I just posted the info, its a question that was being asked about how bits the cube has and so forth

[Lovebird]

*still completely and utterly confused* :confused: what the hell?

[Miggy-AMN]

No one works with "bits" anymore, but just for the sake of telling you, I will.

All three next-gen consoles have 128 bits. :)

[Cube-tacular]

its all about the technology and the graphics. ATI and Ninty probably did something....dunno what though

[Shoxx]

Yeah, I was gonna say, code_Link... I don't think that the GC is 64 bit, and I really don't think that the Xbox is 32 bit. All of the current generation consoles are 128 bits.

[Cube-tacular]

nope they are not. They are the bits that I have specified, the thing is, they can reach the 128 bit level.

[Shoxx]

I'd like to find out where you got that information, because I can tell you right now, it's false. End of discussion. Now let's get this thread back on topic.

[Spartacus]

I heard that GC is 32, Xbox might be 32 as well (or 64), and PS2 is 128.

[Shoxx]

They are all 128 bit systems. Where are you guys getting that false information? If it is a 32-bit system, how would it be able to push the power that it does? We wouldn't see pretty games like Metroid Prime if it was a 32 bit. Same with Halo. There's no way possible. Now can we please get back on topic?

[Advance]

You guys don't even know what a "Bit" is. Shut up.

[Shoxx]

Were you referring to me, or them?

[bountyhunter]

I wouldn't say we wouldn't see pretty 32 bit games. Intel's pentium 4 is 32 bit. So is the Athlon XP. And look what games play on those systems.

[Cube-tacular]

Actually, I am right, GC=64 bit, Xbox=32 and PS2=128 bit. They aren't all the same, they each have different graphically hardware backing them up. Xbox-nVidia, GC- ATI, Sony- there own crap.


BIT-Short for binary digit, the smallest unit of information on a machine

[blablamax]

If I dont mistake you all mistaken. All this console genration is 32 bit while the N64 was the first and the last console with 64 bits. It has nothing to graphic, though, but the way the processor work or something.

But I really not sure how it works....or If I right..


Any way back to the topic:

Originally posted by PatrickMugan
but when it comes down to it, what do the specs matter? the majority of gamers dont give a crap, so as long as it plays well, they don't care.

Agree. It's all depands on what developer will do with these specs, ans as we all knows, developers and designers know to do great things.

[Spartacus]

Internal data precision : 32-bit Integer & 64-bit floating-point
External bus : 1.3GB/second peak bandwidth (32-bit address space, 64-bit data bus 162 MHz clock)
Nintendo.com (http://www.nintendo.com/techspecgcn)


PWNED +1

[Lovebird]

so anyway, back to the ds....what does all that technical mumbo jumbo mean?

[Cooolcorey]

Hold on, I'm gonna clarify something. Back in the old days bits referred to the pixel bit depth of the games. The NES was 8 bit and it only supported a certain amount of colors, the SNES was 16 bit and supported more colors (among other things, but that's beside the point), but now its referring to the amount of bits the processor can process per cycle.

Ok, now we can return to the discussion.

[bountyhunter]

So wouldn't that make all the processors of today 32bit......there's no way in hell our current consoles are 128bit, that must be referring to the colors.

[ty-fighter]

Aaaaaghboringaaaagh.......bits mattered in the days of the NES, Genesis, and SNES, and even the PS1, but there are way too many other things to take into account for a system's graphical performance today. If that GC 32 bit , xBox 64, and PS2 128 thing is true (and I am by no means saying that it is), it just proves the point. Xbox is ahead of the game graphically, with Gamecube close behind and the PS2 taking up the rear. Bits have nothing to do with it for the layperson. AAAAAGhboringahhhhhh......!!!

[Brian Langlois]

It doesn't matter how many bits anything has as long as the games kick butt.

Back on topic, did anyone notice under sound specs the words "Microphone Input." Does that mean that there is some VRS technology built in? If so, that's just another cool thing for Nintendo to flaunt. It would be sweet.

[blablamax]

Wow!!! interesting... Maybe it for Online gameplay or for the Wireless Lan..... than we can chat while plaing ... nice ....

[rogue_gamecube]

With the latest rumour, and your mention of the microphone input (didn't know that, even better ^_^), we're looking at the NDS having a limited, but FREE, wireless LAN. The latest rumour did mention that the touchscreen could be there for instant msg'ing, amoung other things, but the microphone input is obvious. Can you say NDS live? I sure can! I CAN'T WAIT!! Damnity damnity damnity damnity damnity damnity....I wantses it......

[Nintendo]

If they made a NDS Live though, wouldnt it be kinda stupid to use mic's when your all standing in a limited range? They would have to have an actual online, or something on it that could connect into a network or something, kind of like those cell phones.

[rogue_gamecube]

Hence the partnering that Ninty has been doing with Motorola. It's funny how so many things fall into place when you read between the fine lines... I'd probably type an exhorborant amount to argue something or other, but I've still got to finish this program thingy. AWAY......*vanishes*

[Brian Langlois]

I kind of thought the microphone could be for some voice recognition games rather than communications. They could make some cool games that respond to the user's voice adding even more interactivity to the unit.

[Spartacus]

If you like reading between the fine lines, will would love this article (that is if you haven't read it yet). N-sider.com (http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=258)

[Nintendo]

I wasn't aware of the fact they have been partnering with Motorolla. Well, then by looking at this the pieces to point towards the fact that there will be some kind of online play with this thing... That's going to be awesome, an online handheld...