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[Scrow]

Are there any tech heads that knows details of the DS media? So far all I know is:

For its compact cards, the unit uses newly developed semiconductor memory, which allows for lower cost, shorter manufacturing time and memory capacity of more than one gigabit of information.

I remember reading something about a company that was providing this technology for Nintendo, but I've forgotten who they were and the details of the cards.

 

[Chittagong]

Search "Nintendo DS media format".

 

[Scoobert]

http://www.matrixsemi.com/company/investors.html

 

[Suikoguy]

Be carefull, nintendo's use of 'bit' is back!

1 gigabit = 128 megabyte

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Wonder how long it'll be until we see flashable carts for the DS.

 

[Suikoguy]

Wonder how long it'll be until we see flashable carts for the DS.

If its just regular tech like I think, probably not long. It may just be a process of modifying a sdcard. It certainly has some possiblities for the homegrown community.
Probably a year at most.

 

[Scrow]

http://www.matrixsemi.com/company/investors.html

heh, they're doing well. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft as investors. Thanks btw.

edit:

3-D architecture illustrating multiple, active memory arrays on a silicon substrate.

Illustration: 3-D versus 2-D

3-D IC Engineering

Matrix’s patented 3-D technology fundamentally changes the cost structure that governs IC design by providing an unprecedented, practical and high-volume approach to building multi-layered, three-dimensional integrated circuits. Using standard, proven semiconductor materials and process technology to build circuitry in multiple, active memory layers within a silicon die, Matrix achieves cost and density advantages that surpass existing technologies.

The memory chip industry is continuously in search of better solutions. For over forty years, industry innovation has largely focused on shrinking process geometries to reach higher densities, lower costs, and increased performance. Matrix has demonstrated a new approach.

In conventional ICs, all active circuitry rests on the silicon substrate, with additional layers of insulators and interconnects used only for wiring and mechanical strength. In contrast, Matrix’s unique 3-D architecture deposits multiple layers of active memory elements on a standard silicon substrate (or silicon surface) so that active circuitry is no longer confined to the silicon base, but extends vertically as well. This novel approach enables Matrix to build chips with a much smaller die area for a given density than existing technologies, optimizing use of expensive silicon real estate and dramatically increasing manufacturing yields. This fundamental innovation enables Matrix to introduce the lowest-cost-per-bit memory in the market.

By using standard, proven semiconductor materials and process technology, Matrix leverages the vast knowledge and billions of dollars invested in the study of silicon and IC development. Using silicon reduces the complexity, costs, and risks associated with introducing new materials to development cycles and ensures high volume production with proven quality and reliability. Furthermore, Matrix is able to sustain its cost and density advantages with future generations of 3-D technology by scaling with advancements in industry.
Matrix has developed an extensive and growing Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio. The advent of 3-D IC design relaxes many present-day constraints, effectively accelerating Moore’s Law and pointing towards a fundamentally new way of thinking about the future of semiconductor design.

 

[Chittagong]

http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=15455

 

[TheGreenGiant]

does anyone have a price on the cards? All this talk about them being cheap to produce - how cheap can it go? And is it writable so you can do your saves?

 

[Scrow]

does anyone have a price on the cards? All this talk about them being cheap to produce - how cheap can it go? And is it writable so you can do your saves?

http://ds.ign.com/articles/550/550120p1.html

No More Passwords
Good news for gamers: every DS cartridge will have save RAM.

September 21, 2004 - One of the most frustrating issues in Game Boy Advance gaming is about to be a thing of the past.

Last week, it was revealed to developers at a Nintendo DS developer conference that Nintendo will no longer give publishers the option. All DS cartridges, regardless of size, will feature save RAM. Essentially, every game released for the system will have some sort of memory save built-in.

To ship GBA games as cheaply as possible, publishers frequently don't include SRAM chips in the game cartridges; it's the number one cost cutting measure in Game Boy development. This forces developers to work around the fact that they cannot save any in-game data, most resorting to user-entered codes or passwords to continue a game in progress.

The size of the save RAM in Nintendo DS games will be equivalent to what's already available on the Game Boy Advance: 4 kilobits (half a kilobyte) for starters, with sizes all the way up to 512 kilobits (64 kilobytes) and beyond made available to games that require it. Naturally, the larger the storage capacity, the more expensive the cartridge's manufacturing price.

Keep in mind that it's up to the developers to utilize the SRAM properly, but at the very least, password saves will likely never be an issue on the Nintendo DS.
-- Craig Harris

 

[TheGreenGiant]

No More Passwords
Good news for gamers: every DS cartridge will have save RAM.

that's good to hear - I really shoudl catch up with what's happening with the DS. Not using passwords is great. Having to jot stuff down is annoying (although.. if you can store to pictochat.... mmmmm)