Review: Nintendo DS

Computerworld - On Nov. 21, Nintendo released its new handheld gaming device, the Nintendo DS. Supplies were limited, but I was able to get my hands on one. Here are my initial thoughts.

The DS in the name stands for Dual Screen, and this is the most significant feature to set the unit apart from other handheld gaming devices. When you flip open the clamshell case, you'll find one screen in the lid and another on the base. The base's screen is touch-sensitive, similar to that of a PDA. More on this later.

Physically the DS is as wide as the original Game Boy Advance, which adds to the bulk but also, in my experience, to the comfort. While Nintendo's Game Boy SP had a slick, compact design, I tended to feel a bit cramped when playing a game on it. The device was so narrow that my shoulders hunched, leading to stiffness in the neck. Early indications suggest that the DS is a much more ergonomic design (though this will no doubt vary from person to person). At first the DS feels a bit top-heavy, but after a few moments you get used to it.

A Nintendo handheld finally gets some new buttons: On the face of the DS are a typical "D pad" as well as four buttons, rather than the two of the earlier Game Boy models. Start, Select and two shoulder buttons round out the traditional input options.

But then there's that nifty touch screen. Included with the device is a demo of Metroid Prime: Hunters. You can control your character in this game by drawing on the touch screen, while the main action happens on the top screen (the one in the lid). For you PC gamers, this works like "mouselook" in FPS games.

Moving the (included) stylus around the touch screen changes your direction, and the face buttons control forward, back, and strafing left and right. Shooting is done via shoulder button. It all works really well, aside from the jump command, which is accomplished via a double tap of the stylus. I found myself jumping by mistake now and then. In other games, the touch screen is used to manipulate inventory and other menu-driven tasks.


Graphically, the DS is state of the art for handheld gaming, at least until the Sony PSP ships next year. Neither the N-Gage nor the Tapwave Zodiac can compare to the 3-D graphics on the DS, and they're far better than Game Boy Advance graphics. Another advance over earlier