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80-472: The events vary slightly per platform, but include Half-pipe , Footbag , Surfing (starring Rippin' Rick), Roller skating , BMX , and Flying disc . Several members of the development team moved on to other projects. Chuck Sommerville, the designer of the half-pipe game in California Games , later developed the game Chip's Challenge , while Ken Nicholson , the designer of the footbag game,

160-501: A grain auger . Colorado farmer Doug Waugh created the Pipe Dragon used in both the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics . One current method of half-pipe cutting is by use of a Zaugg Pipe Monster, which uses five snow-cutting edges to create an elliptical shape that is purportedly safer and allows the rider to gain more speed. In winter sports, a 6.7 m (22 ft) halfpipe is called a superpipe . The tallest snow superpipe in

240-539: A "steady place on a table in the living room", so that it might be shared by multiple household members. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was a free online game service run by Nintendo. Players with a compatible Nintendo DS game could connect to the service via a Wi-Fi network using a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector or a wireless router . The service was launched in North America, Australia, Japan & Europe throughout November 2005. An online compatible Nintendo DS game

320-470: A 2×6×8" lumber ( actual 38 × 140 × 184 mm) framework sheathed in plywood finished with sheets of masonite or Skatelite. Also, a metal frame finished in wood or metal is sometimes used. Most commercial and contest ramps are surfaced by attaching sheets of some form of masonite to a frame. Many private ramps are surfaced in the same manner but may use plywood instead of masonite as surface material. Some ramps are constructed by spot-welding sheet metal to

400-491: A Wii and up to five Nintendo DS units to access the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computer's Internet connection. When tried under Linux and Mac , it acts as a regular wireless adapter, connecting to wireless networks, an LED blinks when there is data being transferred. There is also a hacked driver for Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 to make it function the same way. The Wi-Fi USB Connector

480-491: A blocky appearance. Unlike most 3D hardware, it has a set limit on the number of triangles it can render as part of a single scene; the maximum amount is about 6144 vertices, or 2048 triangles per frame. The 3D hardware is designed to render to a single screen at a time, so rendering 3D to both screens is difficult and decreases performance significantly. The DS is generally more limited by its polygon budget than its pixel fill rate. There are also 512 kilobytes of texture memory, and

560-478: A built-in microphone , and support for wireless connectivity . Both screens are encompassed within a clamshell design similar to the Game Boy Advance SP . The Nintendo DS also features the ability for multiple DS consoles to directly interact with each other over Wi-Fi within a short range without the need to connect to an existing wireless network. Alternatively, they could interact online using

640-509: A channel to allow skaters to commence a ride without dropping in and perform tricks over the gap. Extensions are permanent or temporary additions to the height of one section of the ramp that can make riding more challenging. Creating a spine ramp is another variation of the half-pipe. A spine ramp is basically two quarter pipes connected at the vertical edge. Half-pipes in snow were originally done in large part by hand or with heavy machinery. Pipes were cut into snow using an apparatus similar to

720-683: A different audience. Time magazine awarded the DS a Gadget of the Week award. At the time of its release in the United States, the Nintendo DS retailed for US$ 149.99 . The price dropped to US$ 129.99 on August 21, 2005, one day before the releases of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike . Nine official colors of the Nintendo DS were available through standard retailers. Titanium-colored units were available worldwide, Electric Blue

800-597: A few DS games that used the GBA slot. On November 21, 2009, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi XL , a larger version of the DSi. All Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units, making it the best-selling Nintendo system , the best-selling handheld game console, and the second-best-selling video game console of all time, overall, only about a million units behind Sony's PlayStation 2 . The Nintendo DS

880-401: A few days, the press had gotten word about Tom's creation and contacted him directly. Tom then went on to create Rampage, Inc. and began selling blueprints for his half-pipe design. About five months later, Skateboarder magazine featured both Tom Stewart and Rampage. The character of a half-pipe depends on the relationship between four attributes: most importantly, the transition radius and

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960-590: A flat transition, also known as a tranny . Originally half-pipes were half sections of a large diameter pipe. Since the 1980s, half-pipes contain an extended flat bottom between the quarter-pipes. The original style half-pipes are no longer built. Flat ground provides time to regain balance after landing and more time to prepare for the next trick. Half-pipe applications include leisure recreation, skills development, competitive training, amateur and professional competition, demonstrations, and as an adjunct to other types of skills training. A skilled athlete can perform in

1040-399: A greater overall size, than the original DSi. It is the fourth DS model, the first to be available as a pure size variation. It features larger screens with wider view angles, improved battery life, and a greater overall size than the original DSi. While the original DSi was specifically designed for individual use, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata suggested that DSi XL buyers give the console

1120-455: A half-pipe for an extended period of time by pumping to attain extreme speeds with relatively little effort. Large (high amplitude ) half-pipes make possible many of the aerial tricks in BMX, skating and skateboarding . For winter sports such as freestyle skiing and snowboarding , a half-pipe can be dug out of the ground or snow perhaps combined with snow buildup. The plane of the transition

1200-415: A height of 8.04 meters (26ft, 3in) above a 22-ft superpipe. Nintendo DS The Nintendo DS is a 32-bit foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo , released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tandem (the bottom one being a touchscreen ),

1280-426: A microphone, and is compatible with all games that use the internal microphone. It was released alongside Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in North America, and Australia. On February 15, 2006, Nintendo announced a version of the cross-platform web browser Opera for the DS system. The browser can use one screen as an overview, a zoomed portion of which appears on the other screen, or both screens together to present

1360-417: A sales record for a handheld console. The European release of the DS, like the U.S., was originally packaged with a Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo. The European game cases are additionally about 1/4 inch thicker than their North American counterparts and transparent rather than solid black. Inside the case, there is room for one Game Boy Advance game pak and a DS card with the instructions on

1440-564: A single tall view of the page. The browser went on sale in Japan and Europe in 2006, and in North America on June 4, 2007. Browser operation requires that an included memory expansion pak is inserted into the GBA slot. The DSi has an internet browser available for download from the Nintendo DSi shop for free. This USB-flash-disk-sized accessory plugs into a PC's USB port and creates a miniature hotspot / wireless access point , allowing

1520-573: A sleeker appearance, larger stylus, longer lasting battery, and brighter screens. Nintendo considered a larger model of the Nintendo DS Lite for release, but decided against it as sales of the original redesign were still strong. It was the final DS to have backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance games. As of March 31, 2014, shipments of the DS Lite had reached 93.86 million units worldwide, according to Nintendo. The Nintendo DSi

1600-453: A small slot on the controller. It also features a hand strap. The game works with both the DS Lite and the original Nintendo DS as it comes with an adapter for the original DS. The Guitar Grip also works with its sequels, Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades , Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits , and Band Hero . The Nintendo DS Lite is the first redesign of the Nintendo DS. While retaining the original model's basic characteristics, it features

1680-410: A special cartridge and RAM extension, browse the internet. Nintendo claims the battery lasts a maximum of 10 hours under ideal conditions on a full four-hour charge. Battery life is affected by multiple factors including speaker volume, use of one or both screens, use of wireless connectivity, and use of backlight, which can be turned on or off in selected games such as Super Mario 64 DS . The battery

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1760-422: A unique entertainment experience for the 21st century." He also expressed optimism that the DS would help put Nintendo back at the forefront of innovation and move away from the conservative image that had been used to describe the company in years past. In March 2004, a document containing most of the console's technical specifications was leaked, also revealing its internal development name, "Nitro". In May 2004,

1840-519: Is generally limited to emphasize style and flow. In the early 1970s, swimming pools were used by skateboarders in a manner similar to surfing ocean waves. In 1975, some teenagers from Encinitas, California , and other northern San Diego County communities began using 7.3-meter-diameter (24 ft) water pipes in the central Arizona desert associated with the Central Arizona Project , a federal public works project to divert water from

1920-449: Is increased with the steepness, but the feeling of dropping in from the coping is preserved. The standard design in the construction of ramps is to use a constant radius in transitions: Most of the ramps are built with a quarter circle of constant radius for easy construction, and this method is tried and true. But some of the best ramps are not constant radius but a roughly elliptical with somewhat less final vert (vertical). The design

2000-482: Is not compatible with any accessory that uses it. The Rumble Pak was the first official expansion slot accessory. In the form of a Game Boy Advance cartridge, the Rumble Pak vibrates to reflect the action in compatible games, such as when the player bumps into an obstacle or loses a life. It was released in North America and Japan in 2005 bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball . In Europe, it was first available with

2080-481: Is oriented downhill at a slight grade to allow riders to use gravity to develop speed and facilitate drainage of melt. In the absence of snow, dug out half-pipes can be used by dirt-boarders, motorcyclists, and mountain bikers . Performance in a half-pipe has been rapidly increasing over recent years. The current limit performed by a top-level athlete for a rotational trick in a half-pipe is 1440 degrees (four full 360 degree rotations). In top level competitions, rotation

2160-453: Is supposed to allow for easy big air with return still on the curve and less danger of landing on the flat ("bottoming out"). A cycloid profile will theoretically give the fastest half-pipe if friction is neglected. It is then called a brachistochrone curve . Such a curve in its pure form has infinitely short verts and is π times as wide as it is high. Frame and support for skateboard, BMX, and vert skating half-pipes frequently consist of

2240-482: Is the second redesign of the Nintendo DS. It is based on the unreleased larger DS Lite model. While similar to the previous DS redesign, new features include two inner and outer 0.3 megapixel digital cameras, a larger 3.25 inch display, internal and external content storage, compatibility with WPA wireless encryption, and connectivity to the Nintendo DSi Shop. The Nintendo DSi XL features larger screens, and

2320-432: Is user-replaceable using only a Phillips-head screwdriver. After about 500 charges the battery life starts to decrease. Users can close the Nintendo DS system to trigger its 'sleep' mode, which pauses the game being played and saves battery life by turning off the screens, speakers, and wireless communications; however, closing the system while playing a Game Boy Advance game will not put the Nintendo DS into sleep mode, and

2400-656: The Wii U 's Virtual Console, with the first game, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! , being released in Japan on June 3, 2014. The Nintendo DS design resembles that of the multi-screen games from the Game & Watch line, such as Donkey Kong and Zelda , which was also made by Nintendo. The lower display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a resistive touchscreen designed to accept input from

2480-488: The manufacturer suggested retail price for the Nintendo DS was dropped to US$ 129.99. Both launches proved to be successful, but Nintendo chose to release the DS in North America prior to Japan, a first for a hardware launch from the Kyoto -based company. This choice was made to get the DS out for the largest shopping day of the year in the U.S. (the day after Thanksgiving, also known as " Black Friday "). Perhaps partly due to

California Games - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-474: The "Games" series collectively as number 89 on its "Top 100 Games of All Time". The magazine stated that though the games had great graphics for their time, their most defining qualities were their competitive multiplayer modes and "level of control that has yet to be equaled". In 2004, the Atari Lynx version of California Games was inducted into GameSpot 's list of the greatest games of all time. The game

2640-588: The Colorado River to the city of Phoenix. Tom Stewart, one of these young California skateboarders, looked for a more convenient location to have a similar skateboarding experience. Stewart consulted with his brother Mike, an architect, on how to build a ramp that resembled the Arizona pipes. With his brother's plans in hand, Tom built a wood frame half-pipe in the front yard of his house in Encinitas. In

2720-510: The DS and Wii consoles) were discontinued worldwide on May 20, 2014. With Download Play, it is possible for users to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS systems, and later Nintendo 3DS systems, using only one game card. Players must have their systems within wireless range (up to approximately 65 feet) of each other for the guest system to download the necessary data from the host system. Only certain games supported this feature and usually played with much more limited features than

2800-501: The DS simultaneously, nor does it make use of its touch-screen capability. It is not compatible with the DSi, due to the lack of the GBA slot, but the DSi includes a music player via SD card. Although it stated on the box that it is only compatible with the Game Boy Micro , Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite , it is also compatible with the Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Advance . The Guitar grip controller comes packaged with

2880-497: The Nintendo DS introduced touchscreen controls and wireless online gaming to a wide audience. According to Damien McFerran of Nintendo Life , the "DS was the first encounter many people had with touch-based tech, and it left an indelible impression." The DS established a large casual gaming market, attracting large non- gamer audiences and establishing touchscreens as the standard controls for future portable gaming devices. According to Jeremy Parish, writing for Polygon ,

2960-456: The Nintendo DS laid the foundations for touchscreen mobile gaming on smartphones . He stated that the DS "had basically primed the entire world for" the iPhone , released in January 2007, and that the DS paved the way for iPhone gaming mobile apps . However, the success of the iPhone "effectively caused the DS market to implode" by the early 2010s, according to Parish. The DS also enlarged

3040-661: The Nintendo DS would be released in North America on November 21, 2004, for US$ 149.99. It was set to release on December 2, 2004, in Japan for JP¥15,000; on February 24, 2005, in Australia for A$ 199.95; and on March 11, 2005, in Europe for €149.99 (£99.99 in the United Kingdom). The console was released in North America with a midnight launch event at Universal CityWalk EB Games in Los Angeles, California . The console

3120-500: The Wii's Virtual Console service in Europe on April 11, 2008, and in North America on July 6, 2009. Half-pipe A half-pipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding , skateboarding , skiing , freestyle BMX , skating , and scooter riding. The structure resembles a cross-section of a swimming pool, essentially two concave ramps (or quarter-pipes), topped by copings and decks, facing each other across

3200-518: The block were ultimately produced, airing in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! . The game was released for mobile phones in the Java format, and current rights holders System 3 CEO Mark Cale has stated that the game will be available in future as both a retail product and an online product for the PlayStation 3 , Wii and Nintendo DS . The Commodore 64 version was released for

3280-438: The colors are just referred to as pink and blue; however, these colors were available only for the original style Nintendo DS; a different and more-limited set of colors were used for the Nintendo DS Lite. As of March 31, 2016, all Nintendo DS models combined have sold 154.02 million units, making it the best-selling handheld game console to date, and the second best-selling video game console of all time. The success of

California Games - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-428: The company's future, making a statement which can be translated from Japanese as, "If the DS succeeds, we will rise to heaven, but if it fails we will sink to hell." President Iwata referred to Nintendo DS as "Nintendo's first hardware launch in support of the basic strategy 'Gaming Population Expansion ' " because the touch-based device "allows users to play intuitively". On September 20, 2004, Nintendo announced that

3440-409: The console to be closed, such as Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck . Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS does accept and support Game Boy Advance cartridges (but not Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges), Nintendo emphasized that the main intention for its inclusion was to allow a wide variety of accessories to be released for the system. Due to the lack of a second port on the Nintendo DSi, it

3520-470: The console was announced under the codename "Nintendo DS". Nintendo released only a few details at that time, saying that the console would have two separate, 3-inch TFT LCD display panels, separate processors, and up to 1 gigabit (128 MB) of semiconductor memory. Current Nintendo president at the time, Satoru Iwata , said, "We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with

3600-427: The console was shown in prototype form at E3 2004 , still under the name "Nintendo DS", which Reggie Fils-Aimé announced would change for launch. On July 28, 2004, Nintendo revealed a new design that was described as "sleeker and more elegant" than the one shown at E3 and announced Nintendo DS as the device's official name. Following lukewarm GameCube sales, Hiroshi Yamauchi stressed the importance of its success to

3680-531: The defective system. The first option allowed the owner to have a new DS in 3–5 business days. Multiple games were released alongside the DS during its North American launch on November 21, 2004. At launch there was one pack-in demo, in addition to the built-in PictoChat program: Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (published by Nintendo and is a demo for Metroid Prime Hunters , a game released in March 2006). At

3760-425: The first, the owner of the defective DS in question would provide a valid credit card number and, afterward, Nintendo would ship a new DS system to the owner with shipping supplies to return the defective system. In the second, the owner of the defective DS in question would have shipped their system to Nintendo for inspection. After inspection, Nintendo technicians would have either shipped a replacement system or fixed

3840-408: The frame, resulting in a fastener-free surface. Recent developments in technology have produced various versions of improved masonite substances such as Skatelite, RampArmor, and HARD-Nox. These ramp surfaces are far more expensive than traditional materials. Channels, extensions, and roll-ins are the basic ways to customize a ramp. Sometimes a section of the platform is cut away to form a roll-in and

3920-400: The game Actionloop , and later Metroid Prime Pinball . The Rumble Pak was also released separately in those regions. The Nintendo DS Headset is the official headset for the Nintendo DS. It plugs into the headset port (which is a combination of a standard 3.5 mm (1/8 in) headphone connector and a proprietary microphone connector) on the bottom of the system. It features one earphone and

4000-423: The game Guitar Hero: On Tour and is plugged into the GBA game slot. It features four colored buttons like the ones found on regular Guitar Hero guitar controllers for the stationary consoles, though it lacks the fifth orange button found on the guitar controllers. The DS Guitar Hero controller comes with a small "pick-stylus" (which is shaped like a guitar pick, as the name suggests) that can be put away into

4080-464: The game will continue to run normally. Certain DS games (such as Animal Crossing: Wild World ) will also not pause, but the backlight, screens, and speakers will turn off. Additionally, when saving the game in certain games the DS will not go into sleep mode. Some games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass , use the closing motion needed to enter sleep mode as an unorthodox way of solving puzzles, or include gameplay sequences that require

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4160-486: The game, calling it fun. Compute! called California Games "both inventive and charming". In a capsule review for STart , Clayton Walnum said California Games "isn't a bad package, especially since it comes free with the Lynx". He found the BMX and surfing events great fun but deemed the skateboarding event frustrating and said the foot-bag event is pleasant but quickly wears thin. In 1996, Next Generation listed

4240-421: The height, and less so, the degree of flat bottom and width. Extra width allows for longer slides and grinds. The flat bottom, while valued for recovery time, serves no purpose if it is longer than it needs to be. Thus, it is the ratio between height and transition radius that determines the personality of a given ramp, because the ratio determines the angle of the lip. On half-pipes which are less than vertical,

4320-521: The height, typically between 50% and 75% of the radius, profoundly affects the ride up to and from the lip, and the speed at which tricks must be executed. Ramps near or below 0.91 m (3 ft) of height sometimes fall below 50% of the height of their radius. Technical skaters use them for advanced flip tricks and spin maneuvers. Smaller transitions that maintain the steepness of their larger counterparts are commonly found in pools made for skating and in custom mini ramps. The difficulty of technical tricks

4400-429: The included stylus , the user's fingers, or a curved plastic tab attached to the optional wrist strap. The touchscreen lets users interact with in-game elements more directly than by pressing buttons; for example, in the included chatting software, PictoChat, the stylus is used to write messages or draw. The handheld features four lettered buttons (X, Y, A, B), a directional pad, and Start, Select, and Power buttons. On

4480-653: The left side of the case. The DS launched in Australia and New Zealand on February 24, 2005. It retailed in Australia for AU$ 199 and in New Zealand for NZ$ 249. Like the North American launch, it includes the Metroid Prime Hunters - First Hunt demo. The first week of sales for the system broke Australian launch sales records for a console, with 19,191 units sold by the 27th. " iQue DS ",

4560-485: The market for female gamers . According to Nintendo in 2006, 44% of DS owners were female, with the majority of Nintendogs owners being female. The success of the DS paved the way for its successor, the Nintendo 3DS , a handheld gaming console with a similar dual-screen setup that can display images on the top screen in stereoscopic 3D. On January 29, 2014, Nintendo announced that Nintendo DS games would be added to

4640-484: The maximum texture size is 1024 × 1024 pixels. The system has 656 kilobytes of video memory and two 2D engines (one per screen). These are similar to (but more powerful than) the Game Boy Advance 's single 2D engine. The Nintendo DS has compatibility with Wi-Fi . Wi-Fi is used for accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection , compete with other users playing the same Wi-Fi compatible game, PictoChat or with

4720-579: The now-defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. Its main competitor was Sony 's PlayStation Portable during the seventh generation of video game consoles . Prior to its release, the Nintendo DS was marketed as an experimental "third pillar" in Nintendo's console lineup, meant to complement the Game Boy Advance family and GameCube . However, backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance titles and strong sales ultimately established it as

4800-610: The official name of the Chinese Nintendo DS, was released in China on June 15, 2005. The price of the iQue DS was 980 RMB (roughly US$ 130) as of April 2006. This version of the DS includes updated firmware to block out the use of the PassMe device, along with the new Red DS. Chinese launch games were Zhi Gan Yi Bi ( Polarium ) (Nintendo/iQue) and Momo Waliou Zhizao ( WarioWare: Touched! ) (Nintendo/iQue). The iQue name

4880-1089: The player to blow or shout into it. 62 mm × 46 mm (2.4 in × 1.8 in), 77 mm (3.0 in) diagonal, 0.24 mm dot pitch , 18-bit depth (262,144 colors), 21 mm gap between screens (≈92 lines) The system's 3D hardware consists of rendering engine and geometry engine which perform transform and lighting , Transparency Auto Sorting, Transparency Effects, Texture Matrix Effects, 2D Billboards, Texture Streaming, texture-coordinate transformation, perspective-correct texture mapping , per-pixel Alpha Test, per-primitive alpha blending , texture blending, Gouraud Shading, cel shading , z-buffering , W-Buffering, 1bit Stencil Buffer, per-vertex directional lighting and simulated point lighting, Depth Test, Stencil Test, Render to Texture, Lightmapping, Environment Mapping, Shadow Volumes, Shadow Mapping, Distance Fog, Edge Marking, Fade-In/Fade-Out, Edge-AA. Sprite special effects: scrolling, scaling, rotation, stretching, shear. However, it uses point ( nearest neighbor ) texture filtering , leading to some titles having

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4960-490: The press that a total of 6.65 million units had been sold worldwide. As is normal for electronics, some were reported as having problems with stuck pixels in either of the two screens. Although return policies for LCD displays vary between manufacturers and regions, in North America, Nintendo chose to replace a system with faulty pixels only if the owner claimed that it interfered with their gaming experience. There were two exchange programs in place for North America. In

5040-569: The publication deadline. California Games was a commercial blockbuster. With more than 300,000 copies sold in the first nine months, it was the most-successful Epyx game, outselling each of the four previous and two subsequent titles in the company's "Games" series. CEO Dave Morse said that it was the first Epyx game to appeal equally to boys and girls during playtesting . The game topped 500,000 units sold by 1989, at which time Video Games & Computer Entertainment reported that sales were "still mounting". Computer Gaming World recommended

5120-488: The release date, the DS met unexpectedly high demand in the United States, selling 1 million units by December 21, 2004. By the end of December, the total number shipped worldwide was 2.8 million, about 800,000 more than Nintendo's original forecast. At least 1.2 million of them were sold in the U.S. Some industry reporters referred to it as "the Tickle Me Elmo of 2004". In June 2005, Nintendo informed

5200-422: The same day as merchants had already sold their allotment. Initially, Nintendo planned to deliver one million units combined at the North American and Japanese launches; when it saw the preorder numbers, it brought another factory online to ramp up production. Nintendo originally slated 300,000 units for the U.S. debut; 550,000 were shipped, and just over 500,000 of those sold through in the first week. Later in 2005,

5280-514: The software) located on either side of the upper display screen. This was a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the Game Boy line of systems had only supported stereo sound through 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 , chatting online between and during gameplay sessions, and minigames that require

5360-538: The successor to the Game Boy series . On March 2, 2006, Nintendo launched the Nintendo DS Lite , a slimmer and lighter redesign of the original Nintendo DS with brighter screens and a longer lasting battery. On November 1, 2008, Nintendo released the Nintendo DSi , another redesign with several hardware improvements and new features, although it lost backward compatibility for Game Boy Advance titles and

5440-529: The time of the "Electric Blue" DS launch in June 2005, Nintendo bundled the system with Super Mario 64 DS . In Japan, the games were released at the same time as the system's first release (December 2, 2004). In the launch period, The Prince of Tennis 2005 -Crystal Drive- ( Konami ) and Puyo Puyo Fever ( Sega ) were released. The DS was released in Europe on March 11, 2005, for € 149. A small supply of units

5520-603: The top of the device are two shoulder buttons, a game card slot, a stylus holder and a power cable input. The bottom features the Game Boy Advance game card slot. The overall button layout resembles that of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System controller. When using backward compatibility mode on the DS, buttons X and Y and the touchscreen are not used as the Game Boy Advance line of systems do not feature these controls. It also has stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound (depending on

5600-557: The world (as of 2021 ) is located near Laax , Switzerland. With a height of 6.90 m (22.6 ft), this halfpipe has held the world record since the 2014–2015 season, and regularly hosts the LAAX Open. The current world record for highest jump in a half-pipe is held by freestyle skier Joffrey Pollet-Villard . He set the record at the FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships in 2015 , when he achieved

5680-590: Was available prior to this in a package with a promotional "VIP" T-shirt, Metroid Prime Hunters - First Hunt , a WarioWare: Touched! demo and a pre-release version of Super Mario 64 DS , through the Nintendo Stars Catalogue ; the bundle was priced at £ 129.99 for the UK and € 189.99 for the rest of Europe, plus 1,000 of Nintendo's "star" loyalty points (to cover postage). On 23 January 2006, 1 million DS units had been sold in Europe, setting

5760-606: Was discontinued from retail stores. The Nintendo MP3 Player (a modified version of the device known as the Play-Yan in Japan) was released on December 8, 2006, by Nintendo of Europe at a retail price of £29.99/€30. The add-on uses removable SD cards to store MP3 audio files, and can be used in any device that features support for Game Boy Advance cartridges; however, due to this, it is limited in terms of its user-interface and functionality, as it does not support using both screens of

5840-399: Was eventually ported to Amiga , Apple II GS , Atari 2600 , Atari ST , MS-DOS , Genesis , Amstrad CPC , ZX Spectrum , Nintendo Entertainment System , MSX and Master System . The Atari Lynx version was the pack-in game for the system when it was launched in June 1989. An Atari XE version was planned and contracted out by Atari Corp. to Epyx in 1988 but no code was delivered by

5920-469: Was exclusive to North and Latin America. There was also a red version which was bundled with the game Mario Kart DS . Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue, and Candy Pink were available in Japan. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue were available in Australia and New Zealand. Japan's Candy Pink and Australia's Cosmic Blue were also available in Europe and North America through a Nintendogs bundle, although

6000-485: Was first used for a device that was based on Nintendo 64 hardware in 2003, after China banned sales of home video games in that region years prior. The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch" in almost all countries, with the North American slogan being "Touching is good." The Nintendo DS was seen by many analysts to be in the same market as Sony 's PlayStation Portable , although representatives from both companies stated that each system targeted

6080-517: Was followed in 1990 by California Games II , but the sequel failed to match the original's success. A California Games television series was considered in the late 1980s as part of the Super Mario Bros. Power Hour , a one-hour animation block of Nintendo focused video game adaptations. Concept art was produced for the project by DIC Animation City . Only the Mario and Zelda segments for

6160-401: Was launched quietly in Japan compared to the North America launch; one source cited the cold weather as the reason. The Nintendo DS was launched in North America for US$ 149.99 on November 21, 2004; in Japan for JP¥15,000 on December 2 in the color "Titanium". Well over three million preorders were taken in North America and Japan; preorders at online stores were launched on November 3 and ended

6240-423: Was released on the same day for each region. Additional Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection games and a dedicated Nintendo DS web browser were released afterwards. Nintendo later believed that the online platform's success directly propelled the commercial success of the entire Nintendo DS platform. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection served as part of the basis of what would become the Wii. Most functions (for games on both

6320-504: Was succeeded by the Nintendo 3DS in February 2011. Development on the Nintendo DS began around mid-2002, following an original idea from former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi about a dual-screened console. On November 13, 2003, Nintendo announced that it would be releasing a new game product in 2004. The company did not provide many details, but stated it would not succeed the Game Boy Advance or GameCube . On January 20, 2004,

6400-696: Was the inventor of the technology used in Microsoft's DirectX . Kevin Norman, the designer of the BMX game, went on to found the educational science software company Norman & Globus, makers of the ElectroWiz series of products. The sound design for the original version of California Games was done by Chris Grigg, member of the band Negativland . Originally written for the Apple II and Commodore 64 , it

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