Go Play AV: Portable Audio, Video, Media and Game Players

Life in Tech has an interesting opinion piece about why they believe the Nintendo DS has out sold the Sony PSP despite all predictions to the contrary:

When I was looking for a portable gaming system the Nintendo DS was out of the question; It was a kid’s toy and nothing more. Sony’s PSP was much cooler with its larger screen, better graphics capabilities, music/video capabilities and decidedly more mature games (Grand Theft Auto, baby!).

Like many, I saw the DS touch screen as a gimmick. The same could be said for the dual screens. Nor did its cheap-looking plastic compare to the sleekness of the PSP.

Eventually, from the pressure of my girlfriend to play Mario Kart DS, I decided to give it a go. She was having so much fun with hers, after all. For a slick $149 I purchased the DS Mario Kart pack.

Now, nearly nine months later, I’ve found that I never (I mean never) play my PSP. The DS became my handheld of choice. I asked myself how this could be possible, citing all the reasons above and I’ve formed a simple conclusion: the DS is a better value, period.

Read complete article: How the DS beat the PSP (and how the Wii will do the same against the PS3) - Life in Tech

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, portable entertainment, portable gaming, sony PSP, sony

Nintendo says of the DS:

With impressive 3D rendered graphics, Nintendo DS delivers cutting-edge portable games for fans of any genre. Plus, you can play all your favorite Game Boy Advance games in a single-player mode.
With Nintendo DS, dual screens and touch-screen technology allow you to interact with games like never before. Wireless communication allows you to experience real-time multiplayer gameplay, while built-in PictoChat software gives you the power to draw, write and send messages wirelessly. Nintendo DS revolutionizes the way games are played.

Visit the Nintendo DS web page

Over at [H]Console, they’ve provided a detailed review of the differences between the DS and the DS Lite. Thanks guys. Champions.

Reviews:
cNet on DS
cNet on DS Lite
PC World on DS Lite
Digital Trends on DS Lite
TrustedReviews on DS Lite (9/10) - 19 June 2006
Pocket Lint on DS Lite- 14 July 2006
(more…)

Kotaku reports that Nintendo are offering free repairs for DS Lites with broken hinges:

Nintendo, while still standing behind their claims that DS Lite hinge cracks are a minor problem, is now offering to repair DS Lite’s with the problem free of charge.

Yesterday a reader sent us word that when he called Nintendo’s customer service he was told they would repair his cracked DS Lite hinge free of charge. The customer service rep told the reader that the repair “came up on her screen” as being a free.

Read complete article: Nintendo Capitulates, Offers Free Repairs for Cracked DS Lites - Kotaku

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds lite, portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming

Engadget at other sites are reporting on a Japanese site with detailed steps on overclocking (if you don’t know what it means, you shouldn’t be doing it) a DS Lite:

If you’ve gotten just a little too good at your Nintendo DS games and are looking for more of a challenge — and also looking to void your warranty — now there’s a way to hack your console for making everything run almost twice as fast. A Japanese modder has just posted step-by-step directions (in Japanese, unfortunately) for re-wiring a DS Lite to perform at a claimed 1.7x speed, complete with a toggle switch in case you decide that turbo mode isn’t appropriate for all occasions. It looks like you have to be pretty handy with a soldering iron to tackle this particular project, so if you’ve got the skillz and about four hours to waste on tinkering around with your DS’s sensitive circuitry, then accelerated performance — and funny-sounding audio — will be your reward.

Read complete article: How-to overclock your Nintendo DS

The detailed steps can be found at: Overclock your DS Lite. You may need to know a little Japanese

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, nintendo ds lite, portable game console, portable gaming, overclocking

GoNintendo report on news out of Nintendo that the DS was the biggest selling portable games console in the US in June, 2006:

In a triumph for innovation, the dual-screen Nintendo DS(TM) portable became America’s top-selling video game system of any type in June, according to independent sales numbers just released by the NPD Group. The introduction of the new DS Lite version, featuring a smaller profile and more brilliant display, boosted total sales to nearly 600,000 units, almost double that for any other game device, and alone represented more than a third of total industry system purchases for the month.

Nintendo was all but written off when the PSP hit the market. Likewise in the fixed console market. Now who’s having the last laugh? The DS and the Wii (which hasn’t even been released yet!) are dominating the mindshare, and in the case of the DS, that is being translated into market-share. The Wii will undoubtedly follow, and Nintendo wil finally be recognized as the number one games console maker.

Read complete article: Go Nintendo » Blog Archive » Nintendo News: Nintendo DS Becomes America’s Top-Selling Video Game System- What are you waiting for?

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo ds, nintendo ds lite, portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming

Ubergizmo tell us the Nintendo DS Lite came… and went, selling out in Japan on its first day.

The Nintendo DS Lite launch in Japan was a huge success – all units were sold out. Lines had formed outside several electronics stores before they opened, but not everybody managed to get their hands on one due to a limited supply. Production problems has forced Nintendo to churn out white colored DS Lites only for the moment, while March will see only 450,000 of these portable consoles produced.

Read complete article: Nintendo DS Lite sold out in Japan on opening day

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo DS, nintendo ds lite, portable game console

The Revolution Report reports that Nintendo have updated the Nintendo DS portable game player with a new Lite version:

“Nintendo President Satoru Iwata today announced Nintendo DS Lite, a slimmer version of the best-selling Nintendo DS™. Also featuring brighter screens, Nintendo DS Lite will launch in Japan in March. Nintendo DS Lite will be less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter. Nintendo DS has enjoyed extremely strong sales in Japan and around the world, selling more than 14.4 million units worldwide. The Japanese sell-through of the existing Nintendo DS hardware exceeded 5 million within 13 months, which made Nintendo DS the fastest-selling video game system there. Nintendo will announce more information about the availability of Nintendo DS Lite in North America and other territories in the future.”

Read complete article: Revolution Report - news - New DS Design: Lites Way for Nintendo Revolution?

Technorati Tags: nintendo, nintendo DS, portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming, nintendo ds lite

The MP3 Players report that in China you can buy an Iwod G10 (reckon Apple and iRiver might be ringing their lawyers?) which includes a NES games emulator:

Any old school NES fans here? If you wanna play NES games like GBA, I got something for you - Iwod G10 (not iRiver G10 ).

It is a portable media player with built-in NES emulator! You may load your favourite classic NES games into it. Besides the NES emulator, another highlighted feature is its big and clear LCD display.

Read complete article: Iwod G10 - PMP with NES Emulator | The MP3 Players

Technorati Tags: portable entertainment, portable game console, portable gaming, portable media player, NES emulator

MobileMag, after exploring CES 2006, have concluded that convergence is about to go to a whole new level:

At the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, one thing was clear - multi-functional gadgets are fast becoming the name of the game. Digital cameras with MP3 player functionality are passé. What the industry is about to witness is an emergence of ’super gadgets.’

Me? I’m hanging out for an iPod-phone-camera-pda-swiss-army-knife thingy, as I wrote for Apple Matters recently.

Read complete article: Multi-functional devices highlighted during recent CES 2006

Technorati Tags: portable audio, portable gaming, portable video, convergence

MobileMag report that the Nintendo DS has crossed the 10 million sales mark:

In Nintendo DS portable video game, Japan-based Nintendo Co. seems to have found a winner. According to an official version from the company, Nintendo DS portable video game player have hit the sales figure of a staggering 10 million units. That too within a short span of a little over one year since its launch in December, 2004. The icing on the cake is: it has found 4 million buyers in the United States which is world’s largest portable video game market

The little player that could.

Read complete article: Nintendo DS nets 10 million portable video game enthusiasts worldwide

Technorati Tags: nintendo DS, portable game console, portable gaming