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[radioheadrule83]

PRICE / LAUNCH DETAILS

NDS launches in Europe on March 11, with 15 games including Mario 64 DS, Rayman DS and Wario Ware Touched!

The system is retailing for £99 on the UK mainland, and €149.99 in the rest of the EU


FEATURES

Nintendo DS is a new kind of handheld video game system from Nintendo. Part of what seperates it from other handheld devices is its featureset, which includes 2 back-lit LCD screens from which the Nintendo DS logo takes as inspiration. One of the screens is touch sensitive, so the system comes with a stylus which fits neatly into the back of the system. Even the provided wrist strap can be used as a control method. Nintendo DS also has a built in microphone, and all of the buttons necessary for more traditional gameplay. That's not all. The system has 802.11 compliant wireless networking hardware - not only meaning its easy to play multiplayer games with your friends, but also provides the possibility of playing online games on the move in the near future.

As you boot up you are greeted by the Nintendo DS' animated logo and a warning prompt about Health & Safety. One tap of the touch screen and you're at the systems built in menu. If you're starting the system for the first time, you get to name your system and set the correct time & date. The latter variables are used for the built in clock and calendar functions. You can set an alarm and simply close the lid, which puts the system into sleep mode until you wake the next day. The name you enter for the system is used in a piece of built in software called PictoChat. What's that? It's a built in chat client for sending messages and pictures to other Nintendo DS systems. You can draw with the stylus, or type using the on screen keyboard. Currently, it only works within physical range of other DS'.

RELEASE DATES

System Hardware - 11 March 2005
Project Rub - 11 March 2005
Rayman DS - 11 March 2005
The Urbz: Sims in the City - 11 March 2005
Robots - 11 March 2005
Sprung: The Dating Game - 11 March 2005
Zoo Keeper - 11 March 2005
Mr. DRILLER: Drill Spirits - 11 March 2005
Tiger Woods PGA Tour - 11 March 2005
Super Mario 64 DS - 11 March 2005
Pokémon Dash - 11 March 2005
Ping Pals - 11 March 2005
Asphalt: Urban GT - 11 March 2005
Polarium - 11 March 2005
Wario Ware: Touched! - 11 March 2005
Need for Speed Underground 2 - 29 April 2005
Cocoto Kart Racer - April 2005
Space Invaders Revolution - April 2005
Yoshi Touch & Go - 6 May 2005
Ultimate Brain Games - May 2005
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - May 2005
Madagascar - June 2005
Ultimate Card Games - June 2005
Pac-Pix - Q2 2005
Mario Kart DS - TBA
Metroid Prime: Hunters - TBA


Key launch titles

Mario 64 DS is a port of the Nintendo 64 classic, Mario 64. Mario, Luigi and Wario have entered the castle in search of Princess Peach. They've been an awfully long time, so the Lakitu bros pay Yoshi a little visit, waking him from his slumber and sending you on your quest. Soon you'll unlock Mario, Luigi and Wario as playable characters and enjoy collecting an extra 30 stars in addendum to the original's 120. Not only that, but you can seek out and capture rabbits who hop around the castle grounds to unlock new stylus-driven minigames. There are three control methods to choose from. Improved graphics and improved sound will make what many consider to be the best platformer ever, a must buy.

Rayman DS is a port of Michel Ancel's Rayman 2 which appeared on many systems from Playstation and N64 to Dreamcast. It's a highly regarded platform title that comes with a different take on touch control than Mario 64. You position the stick where you want it, set the size, then run, jump and twirl away to your hearts content.

180 completely new minigames, all tailored to the Nintendo DS' touch screen and even the microphone. If you've never played Wario Ware before, maybe you should hot foot it into a local games store near you and try out the playable DS demo. You might like it! In fact, you probably will.


FUTURE SOFTWARE

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles DS, Final Fantasy III, Mario Kart, a new 2d Mario platformer, a stunning Castlevania title, Metroid Prime: Hunters. If you want to know whats coming out for Nintendo DS and from whom, I highly recommend you check out Jarrod's Nintendo DS and PSP release list thread.


AWESOME ADVERTS

ftp://www.jeux-france.com/Nintendo_DS/Publicite_Nintendo_DS.wmv

http://media.nintendo-europe.com/compel/video/fcFYz8S2RwikeEdVSi4J9Ce5yw4WHgDZ.mov

and finally, PICS!

 

[teh_pwn]

:lol

 

[Defensor]

:lol :lol

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

I just got my hands on my DS .. and this thing is AWESOME by all means ...




Thank you Nintendo ...


oh .. and how can I unlock mini-games in Mario ?

 

[u_neek]

/\By catching rabbits..

awesome thread btw..

 

[Soulbrighter]

I just got my hands on my DS .. and this thing is AWESOME by all means ...




Thank you Nintendo ...


oh .. and how can I unlock mini-games in Mario ?

catching the rabbits you'll find around the castle

 

[Great King Bowser]

Heh, Radiohead got the privilige of starting our thread. :lol

Great pics.

 

[jdforge]

Nice thread - But will it ever reach the gigantic proportions of this one ....

http://forum.gamesradar.com/viewtopic.php?t=46443


Seems like the PAL gamers are pretty hyped for Nintendo DS.

 

[Amir0x]

A Good Effort!

*rubs chin*

 

[123rl]

Nice thread - But will it ever reach the gigantic proportions of this one ....

http://forum.gamesradar.com/viewtopic.php?t=46443


Seems like the PAL gamers are pretty hyped for Nintendo DS.

It's getting a lot of push here in the UK. Promos in every games shop, demo pods in all the nationwide stores, and preorders started weeks ago (before the price was even confirmed) Even the stores who hate Nintendo are pushing the DS as the best thing ever :lol It's amazing, I don't think even the PS2 had this kind of presence in game stores before launch

 

[Che]

It's getting a lot of push here in the UK. Promos in every games shop, demo pods in all the nationwide stores, and preorders started weeks ago (before the price was even confirmed) Even the stores who hate Nintendo are pushing the DS as the best thing ever :lol It's amazing, I don't think even the PS2 had this kind of presence in game stores before launch

Strange. That's not the NOE will all know and hate. I just hope they don't abandon DS after a good marketing campaign like they did with GC.

 

[123rl]

It's definitely not like typical NoE but promo posters/cardboard cutouts etc have been in shops for weeks now. I'd like to say maybe they learnt their lesson but I wouldn't believe myself :lol

I'd be surprised if this kind of promotion lasts more than 6 months but I think sales are going to be really good. People are doing preorders just from playing the Wario Ware demo without even knowing anything about launch day games or prices :lol . The UK price is really good considering people expected it to be about £140.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Why anyone in a PAL region would actually wait for the release of a portable is beyond me. :lol

 

[123rl]

Warranties, dead pixels, EU customs charges, postage insurance, most people in the EU don't even know what importing is etc etc

 

[shibbs]

Goddamn im so tempted to buy one at the launch..

 

[Deleted member 1235]

got mine, it rocks! fancy little fucker. awesome.

 

[shibbs]

Which should i get? (if ill get one)

Mario 64 or Wario ware touched? Or both? ;/

 

[Louis]

I think i'm going to pre-order it next week , i'd rather get a PSP but since there aren't any PSP EU launch details i'm gonna buy it later .

 

[jdforge]

Why anyone in a PAL region would actually wait for the release of a portable is beyond me. :lol

Apparently they don't .....


First post and scroll down

http://forum.gamesradar.com/viewtopic.php?t=46443

 

[bigNman]

I want a DS but I will wait until Nintendo confirms online wifi for some games. Namely Mario Kart, Advance Wars and Metroid.

 

[Bristow]

Which should i get? (if ill get one)

Mario 64 or Wario ware touched? Or both? ;/

Both if you can.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Mignight has passed. Less than 2 weeks to go.
More games. More DS owners. More fun for me.

 

[cja]

Two more games look like they're going to make the launch, Spider-Man 2 and Retro Atari Classics.

Four (Polarium, Pokemon Dash, Retro Atari Classics, Rayman DS) of the sixteen launch games are being released in Europe before America!

 

[Drakken]

:lol

Awesome pictures. At first I was like, "What the heck? Bush with the DS?" Then, I saw Gates...

 

[sammy]

hey Euro-guys,

can we get some confirmation on the 'DS transmiting for Pictochat when in sleep' you know.. that 'wake from sleep when someone else is in pictochat' thing.

just put your DS in pictochat, close it, and see if it blinks rapidly.

 

[king zell]

the are pushing the DS real hard in UK..

give me the white sexy beast .. white DS ROCKS O.O

great thread btw radioheadrule83

 

[Great King Bowser]

I haven't seen any commercials aired in the UK. Not even MTV.

Have they started yet?

 

[radioheadrule83]

hey Euro-guys,

can we get some confirmation on the 'DS transmiting for Pictochat when in sleep' you know.. that 'wake from sleep when someone else is in pictochat' thing.

just put your DS in pictochat, close it, and see if it blinks rapidly.

The light is blinking, which indicates wireless activity right?

But when I open it again, it asks "resume connection?" -- implying the connection wasn't open.

I'm seeing a buddy with a Euro DS tonight I'll try it out.

I haven't seen any commercials aired in the UK. Not even MTV.

Have they started yet?

Supposedly they were meant to start March 1. The PR only released today though, it might be from the beginning of next week, or over the weekend.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

good work on the pics man!

:lol :lol

 

[thomaser]

I run a toystore in Norway, and we got our DS demopod today. Apparently, we're the only store in the country to get one in a month or so. The rest will have to wait until sometime after launch, except for a few lucky ones who will be allowed to borrow one for a week or so before passing it on to another store. We got ours only because I've spent most of the year asking for one, and because we're just about the only Nintendo-exclusive store left here.

We got posters today, too. That's what most stores are getting. Some, like us, also got dummy-boxes for half of the games earlier this week. To say that I envy stores in the UK or in other, bigger European markets is a vast understatement. The Scandinavian distributor, especially the Norwegian branch, has no understanding of the term "hype". I usually make the posters we use myself.

Next week, on launch-day, we'll get a free magazine designed to hype up the DS. A bit late, you say? Well, it was supposed to be in stores in mid February, but got postponed because it's edited, written and made by only one person, who is also the marketing-manager, and therefore has too little time for everything. Oh, well. It's not as bad as the last number of the mag, which was the "Christmas"-magazine, supposed to be available in October, to inform customers about the Christmas-games. That mag was sent out in January.

But, hey! We got our DS pod today!

 

[heidern]

Nintendo really could make a killing here. It's strange, but it isn't even a premium price. In the US it broke new ground at $149 instead of the standard $99 that was accepted as the standard for a portable. Here the GBA came at £89 so £99 for a DS with extra stuff built in is an absolute steal.

 

[MrPing1000]

Well i have my DS and mario already. Will be picking up warior and mayb project rub.

Also does any1 know if mr driller = the japanese or usa version in terms of content?

 

[GaimeGuy]

Well, The US was always Nintendo's strongest handheld market. Europe is Sony-land. I think that MIGHT explain why NA is getting the shaft with the DS and Europe is getting such a huge push (or it could be that NoA sucks. )

 

[Sagitario]

:lol @ pics! Good work!

 

[u_neek]

My freakin' fucking GOD!

Why are EU DS boxes so fucking thick?`Thanks for screwing us again Nintendo!

 

[Gessle]

Some retailers here in Spain (Fnac and other small shops) have started selling the console and games today... well, al least until Nintendo told them not to do so , and wait until the official launch date. Anyway, I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of DS's at stores tomorrow or thursday

 

[masud]

So how long till the bitching starts? I say three weeks.

 

[Trojan X]

got mine, it rocks! fancy little fucker. awesome.

LOL!!! Now THAT cracked me up.

 

[Temujin]

Some (huuuuge) pics of the DS factory and warehouse can be found here.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Wow, the domestic release has sort of snuck up on me. Only just realised DS is released this Friday. Gonna pick up some games on Friday then, more than likely Wario, Project Rub and if Polarium is indeed 20 quid that as well.

 

[KyotoMecca]

Um... I think you're forgetting the most important part of the Euro DS Launch.

Where Iwata's Euro launch speech can also be found.

 

[Jonnyram]

Um... I think you're forgetting the most important part of the Euro DS Launch.

:lol Our proxy server at work blocks your site.

 

[neo2046]

Awesome :lol

 

[koam]

Why hasn't this been photoshopped to death yet?

 

[GDGF]

:lol :lol

Awesome pics.

 

[Paladin69]

How much of a head start will DS have on PSP in Europe?

 

[cja]

My DS has been despatched from simplygames.com . Amazon orders should be going out today as well.

How much of a head start will DS have on PSP in Europe?

Need to know when Sony are launching PSP to work that one out!