It’s funny to think back over 2004 and realize how quickly the Nintendo DS materialized. It happened so fast that many people didn’t think Nintendo could launch by the end of the year. They ended up executing that launch very successfully, in two regions almost simultaneously, and actually exceeded initial shipment forecasts.

I first played the Nintendo DS at E3 2004, where we broke the story that the system’s official title, at least at that time, was in fact “Nintendo DS”…that it wasn’t just a tentative project name. Nintendo eventually solidified the name for good, even though some people are still confused about what the “DS” stands for (thanks in no small part to Reggie Fils-Aime, who refers to the handheld, unofficially, as the “Developer’s System”).

Of course, the “DS” stands for “Dual Screens”, and Nintendo’s decision to revolve the system’s design around this most unusual feature may be debated for years to come. It’s the kind of thing that seems entirely superfluous on paper…and even with a dozen titles on the market as of this writing, many people still see the second screen as a gimmick. Maybe it is; that ultimately depends on the ingenuity of software developers, especially Nintendo itself.

The system’s other major feature is its touch screen, which is already proving to be a promising new method of input and a great challenge for developers to implement in a natural, meaningful way. The touch screen is quite sensitive and accurate, though limited to one point of input at a time. Software can be programmed to handle a finger/thumb instead of stylus input by accepting a less exact touch point, for games in which you would normally play with the face buttons and may not want to pause and pull out the stylus. Questions of durability seem to be inflated, for the most part. The touch screen seems quite resistant to scratching as long as a soft, rounded input device is used; make sure your stylus is clean and has no nicks in the plastic. The DS also has a built-in microphone, but it is hardly used in any currently available software, so I was not able to test it thoroughly.

With no external ports specifically designed for cabled multiplayer, the DS depends heavily on the strength of its wireless capabilities. Thankfully, its wireless feature seems to be quite robust. The range depends on local interference (from other electronics, for example), but generally you can connect one or two rooms away with no problem. The three-bar signal strength indicator looks like it will be used in most software with wireless features, and in my testing, most features will work with even one bar showing. Unfortunately, the “wake up” feature initially planned is not included in the final system. One pleasant side-effect of the DS’s increased RAM is that it can wirelessly download games that are, proportionally, more complex than what was possible on the GBA. It is quite amazing to play a beautiful 3D game like Super Mario 64 DS and realize that it is running with no game card in the system. Since a single game card can send data to up to fifteen other DS systems nearby, entirely new game experiences are possible. Nintendo’s upcoming music game Jam with the Band (a.k.a. Band Bros. in Japan) is a good example of what can be done with just one game card and multiple DS systems.

The DS design falters a bit when it comes to face buttons. The presence of four main face buttons is certainly welcome; the GBA was woefully short on buttons for many types of games. But the buttons themselves are smaller and have less tactile response than the GBA SP buttons, and they are placed so close to the edge of the system that some people may find it uncomfortable to hold the system. The shoulder buttons share the same problem; they are not long enough to be used comfortably by people with large hands. The stylus as well is rather short, though easily replaced with one of the many products already offered for PDAs. On the upside, the D-pad is large and well contoured, and it is exactly the same size as the group of face buttons, which opens up a lot of new control options for left-handed players, especially in conjunction with the centered touch screen.

One feature the DS doesn’t have, but should, is some kind of analog joystick. Gamers have come to expect two joysticks for 3D games, but the DS doesn’t even have one. As some launch titles have proven, the touch screen is an awkward substitute at best, even with the included “thumb-pad”. More than a generation ago, Nintendo proved to the world that you need intuitive analog control to be immersed in a 3D world. The DS takes a step backwards in that regard.

In terms of weight, which is important since you often must hold the system with one hand and use the stylus with the other, the DS is lighter than it looks. Most ergonomic problems with holding the system come more from its shape than its weight; the system is so thin, yet large, that the best way to play stylus games may be to set the system down on a table near the edge, with one hand hanging off the edge to use face buttons. Not exactly an ideal setup, especially when playing on the road or trying to relax at home.

The DS has several handy built-in features, such as a clock, calendar, name entry for multiplayer games, and a sleep function for all DS titles that is activated by simply folding up the unit. Then of course, there’s PictoChat. This chat/drawing utility is mildly amusing with even one other user; in larger groups, it becomes enormously entertaining. The program is simple and easy to learn, but it allows creative and/or talented players to do all kinds of crazy things, thanks to multiple keyboard sets and a few basic drawing tools. The only real drawback is that you can’t draw in color. For a “freebie”, PictoChat is an excellent feature that can be used and enjoyed by anyone who owns a DS.

Another secondary feature of the DS is its ability to play GBA games. They look fantastic on the DS’s brighter screens (you can choose whether to play top or bottom, but the bottom screen isn’t quite as sharp). There are some problems with the backward/sideward-compatibility, though. The DS does not support any GBA multiplayer features and it won’t even play original Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. That could be a big deal to Pokemon fans, among others. Additionally, the DS is not as comfortable to hold as the GBA SP for long periods of time. So while GBA functionality is nice, and the games do look excellent on the newer system, the DS is not a perfect replacement for the GBA SP.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the improved sound features of the DS. Its built-in stereo speakers are a dramatic improvement over the muddy, monophonic buzzers that have been used in Nintendo’s handhelds for the past fifteen years. The speakers are impressively loud at maximum volume, though sound quality suffers at the higher settings. Even with much better speakers, the DS is still capable of generating better sound than it can broadcast, so you can plug into the built-in (thank goodness!) headphone jack for the best possible sound.

Overall, the DS is a very nice system that is, for the most part, well designed. There are enough nagging little things to make me hope Nintendo will eventually release an improved version, as they did with the GBA, but unlike that system, the DS has no fundamental (e.g., screen/lighting) flaws that require a major overhaul. At a launch price of $150, the DS breaks the $100 ceiling that Nintendo has usually stuck to for its handheld systems. But the DS is a different kind of system, with a more diverse feature set designed to lure in older users and more creative developers. Plus, you get more out of the box than usual: PictoChat is a fine program, and the Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo is a showcase for the system’s graphical and wireless abilities. Whether the price is right for you depends on the games on the shelves; the system itself does a lot for what it costs. But with stiff competition looming from Sony’s PSP, a price drop for the DS may happen sooner than normal. Regardless, the Nintendo DS maintains Nintendo’s handheld philosophy of modest performance gains, durable craftsmanship, and a focus on multiplayer features.