Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo, and first released in 2004. The console features a clamshell design, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touch-sensitive screen. The DS can stand for "Dual Screen" or "Developers System," from Nintendo's belief that the system "gives game creators brand new tools which will lead to more innovative games for the world's players." The Nintendo DS is replacing the GameBoy series, and competing with PlayStation's portable console, the PSP. It also shows many aspects of convergence, as I will go on to demonstate in this case study.



The Nintendo DS features stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound located on either side of the upper display screen. This is a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the Game Boy only offered the use of headphones or external speakers. A built-in microphone is located below the left side of the bottom screen. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including speech recognition (Nintendogs), chatting while playing online in some games (Wifi Talou Yakuman DS during gameplay; Metroid Prime: Hunters in lobby), and for minigames that require the player to blow or shout into the microphone (Feel the Magic: XY/XX, Wario Ware: Touched, etc).

Communication is a big part of the Nintendo DS. The PictoChat program, which is permanently stored on the unit, allows users to communicate with other Nintendo DS users within a small range over the wireless network by text, handwriting, or drawings, using the DS's touch screen and stylus for input, or a small visual keyboard on the screen. This gives the impression that it is much like a mobile phone, simplified in the way that it can only work within a small radius, but modernised in the sense that coloured text and drawings can be sent, for free.

The DS's main menu also features an alarm clock and the ability to set preferences for boot priority (booting to games when inserted, or always booting to the main menu), Game Boy Advance game screen usage, and user information (name, date of birth, favourite colour, time, etc.) This ties in with the recurring theme in new media technologies of personalisation, as these kinds of features which makes the hand held game consol personal to you were not available in earlier additions. Consumers also have the chance to buy the Nintendo DS is special limited edition colours and patterns, or buy it in a colour to suit your personality, for example the Fiery Red or Pearly Pink.

For some Nintendo games, it is possible to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS users using only one game card. The maximum distance for this to be effective is about 60 feet. There is also a multiplayer Wi-Fi feature. At certain hotspots, or Wi-Fi enabled areas, you can hook up and play with DS owners around the world. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is an online service run by Nintendo to facilitate free Internet play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games through a wireless internet connection.

DS Download Play is an adaptation of the Game Boy Advance's popular "single cartridge multiplayer" feature, adapted to support the system's wireless link capabilities; players without the game search for and download content, while players with the game broadcast it. Some games also use this feature to transmit a playable demo of the game to players who do not own a copy. The downloaded data is available as long as the DS broadcasting the game is turned on.

Also, in November 2004, Nintendo announced plans to make download kiosks available to certain retail stores and other public places that would transmit a signal for a Nintendo DS in the area to download a demo of a game using the DS Download Play feature. As of 2006, there are now download kiosks placed in select EB Games, GameStop, Game Crazy, Toys R Us, and Target stores. The downloaded demos are not permanent, and will be deleted when the system is shut down. However, this gives a taster of what the customer could be buying into, persuading them to buy the full versions of these demo games if they enjoy them. It also helps to spread word of mouth with new games, creating more 'underground' publicity.

Extra features of the Nintendo DS include a USB-flash-disk-sized accessory, which plugs into a PC's USB port and creates a miniature hotspot, allowing up to five Nintendo DS units to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computer Internet connection. It also offers an MP3 player for an extra €30, showing the aspects of convergence in the Nintendo DS.

The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch" in almost all countries, with the US slogan being "Touching is good." The Nintendo DS is currently seen by many analysts to be in the same market as Sony's PlayStation Portable, although representatives from both companies have said that each system targets a different audience.

The Nintendo DS has also made an effort to appeal to the more niche market groups, for example older people who are persuaded that certain ‘mind games’ will help prolong their memories, and girls, with more female inspired games such as ‘Nintendogs’, using girls in their advertising and specific pink consoles.