Deep within the recesses of the DS Fanboy labs, the SD version of the GBA Movie Player has been enduring poking, prodding and occasional squeezing for quite some time now, up until the point where failure to post a review would be deemed by many as inappropriate and downright offensive. Doubly so considering that said labs don't actually exist. Compelled by the logo prominently emblazoned all across this site, we mainly tested the device on the Nintendo DS and the DS Lite and were pleased to find that the device performs surprisingly well.
There is a caveat, however, one that should loom over your online purchase like an owl slowly circling a confused mouse, waiting for the opportune moment to swoop down and devour a furry feast. Once you look up and become aware of the bird of prey, you'll be better equipped to determine whether or not the Movie Player is worth your money. Ignoring it will only lead to disappointment which, going by this ill-conceived allegory, means you will get eaten by an owl. A big one.
Essentially, the problem with the GBA Movie player isn't a problem with the GBA Movie player at all. It's that thing it plugs into. As a media playing device, the DS is a bit crap.
Those folks over at 4 color rebellion have posted an informative guide on how to spot cheap DS cart knockoffs. While the DS homebrew community is actually quite strong, its growth has invariably created easier and more efficient methods for those...ah...morally flexible among us to reap the rewards.
Take a gander at the article, and be sure that if you're purchasing DS games via eBay or some such method, be very careful from whom you buy. No DS game has really reached "cult-hit rarity" status yet (Phoenix Wright is getting another shipment soon, say sources), but if you're not looking, some one-legged buccaneer might plunder your booty in exchange for a shoddy fake.
In a complicated process which no doubt involved dark alchemy and at least one blood sacrifice, a clever member of the homebrew community has managed to get the DS and the PSP talking to each other wirelessly. The hot topic under disussion between them is nothing other than Tic-tac-toe, that ancient game born in the absence of our wonderful handheld devices.
After loading the homebrew application, users can engage in an epic battle of noughts and crosses, one of them using a DS and the other using a PSP. Very impressive indeed! Will this usher in a new utopia of cross-platform homebrew games, or is it just another Romeo & Juliet yarn in the making?
[Thanks Probot!]
[Update: Check out some discussion on this development over here. Thanks GameCop!]
The website for Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! has launched, and in following with Nintendo's goals for the game, features a lot of different types of people, young and old, having at it with DS in hand and commenting on their own performance. The website also showcases a comprehensive how-to on playing the game, taking the viewer through the motions and undoubtedly causing their mouth to salivate with the wish to taste the succulent delicacies the game will soon have to offer. Do yourself a favor and go check the site out to tide you over these next few days until you can get your hands on your own copy (unless you were one of the lucky in attendance at GDC).
Following our coverage of proudly displaying your MPH Hunter's License, a reader writes us to tell of how to include all that desirable information into your personalized Google homepage. Clicking the link will add Hunter Sakurina's license for display, yet should you click the edit button directly above the presented License and input the GSPID of the Hunter you wish displayed (which can again be found here), you can add anyone you wish. Also, this isn't limited to just one Hunter either as you can pretty much add as many as you'd like.
A faithful reader writes us to tell of the process of embedding your Hunter's License information on your personal webspace, much like those with a Gamertag on the Xbo360 have been able to do since the console launched in November. Scrolling down after the jump will display proof of such as you'll be able to see Shorties' Hunter's License displayed. You'll first want to gain your GSPID, which can be easily accomplished by going through the brisk tutorial found here.
Fresh on the heels of a partial launch delay comes word of a brand new version of the DS Lite. Accompanying the previously announced Enamel Navy, Crystal White and Ice Blue models but aiming for the financially constrained gamer, the Destitute Cardboard DS Lite is expected to retail for under $5. Speaking candidly about the announcement, Nintendo bigwig Satoru Iwata stated that it was a natural progression in innovation for the company and stuff.
"It's a natural progression in innovation for the company and stuff. Obviously, to keep the costs low we had to remove some of the system's more extravagant features like buttons and the ability to play games, but we feel that we made a choice that accurately reflects today's industry."
When questioned on whether the Destitute Cardboard model would retain the DS' trademark touch screen, Mr. Iwata noted that "You can definitely touch the screen to your heart's content." That's certainly very reassuring and not sinister at all. Check out the link for more stunning images.
If you're not one for watching electronic devices being disturbingly dissected, you'd best not watch this video. It depicts an obviously excited man (you can practically feel the exclamation marks hurtling at you) calmly disassembling a standard silver DS into its various parts. Then, he disassembles those parts and, if there's anything left, disassembles that too (even the touch screen!). I found it rather frightening and squirmed in my seat for the full 13-minute operation.
I'm now seriously considering using this knowledge in order to completely take apart Blake's DS as an amusing prank. Of course, given that the entire video is in Spanish, I'll no doubt completely fail to reassemble it... as a slightly less amusing prank.
For those who still don't have broadband access, there is a hack allowing DS gamers to access Nintendo's wi-fi network via a dial-up connection. From the tutorial: "This tutorial is to help you get connected to Nintendo Wifi with a dial-up connection. Even though lots of people think that wifi with dial-up would lag and cause the people with high speed internet to go slow, but that is not true. At normal dial-up speed (56kb) it will go just about as fast as high speed internet; the only thing that will happen if you have a really slow dial-up connection or if you're downloading on the internet at the same time you will just see the other characters of the other people you are connected to go slow ot bounce and the other people will just see your character go slow or bounce on their screen."
One of our readers thought it might be a classy idea to share his recent exploits in the world of DS filmmaking with us.
"I was trying to make some screen captures of the Ds game "Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! [sic], but the best way of doing so, would be to capture the whole thing on camera. The problem started when I needed to capture the video from above the DS. It had to be close enough so the camera could capture the video, I had to be able to see the DS and be able to play while taping."
While this is hardly a dilemma for those of us with three or more hands, a solution had to be discovered or, in this case, intricately constructed. Grabbing some nearby tinker toys, he set to work on an incredible engineering marvel that would ultimately serve his video-capturing purposes. The end result is a rather colorful, but seemingly effective camera stand...thing. It even allows the camera a certain degree of movement, an absolutely vital feature when it comes to those majestic and sweeping overhead shots.
You can view the final video (and ridiculous display of music-and-rhythm action) after you follow the link.
Who knew that slapping a new coat of paint on the DS could turn out to be such an intricate and time consuming process? Actually, we knew. We knew because we've been staring at inajamaica's Flickr set dedicated to the revitalization of a boring 'ole silver DS. The collection of photos shows a painstaking, step-by-step process that involves the complete disassembly of a DS (sure to excite our resident tech porn fans) and making sure that only the outer shell is exposed to the unrelenting blast of paint. If you've been thinking of doing something similar yourself but were afraid to take the plunge, consider this a method of learning through example.
We've seen plenty of skins, stickers and redesigns for the DS, but it seems that this strategy of aesthetic alteration could lead to much more colorful and creative results. We're dying to see how it turns out in the end. Any artists out there willing to paint their next masterpiece on a DS canvas?
Here's the how-to in getting your eReader to fit into your Nintendo DS. The standard GBA eReader will not fit into the Nintendo DS due to how the linkport connector is arranged. So if you dare, proceed for our compiled instructions and head over to the how-to site for additional pictures. And remember, doing this will void your DS warranty.
Short on bells? Portable Gaming Currency has got you covered, and they'll get you back to digital purchasing lickity split. It'll cost you though as bells can be traded for dollars through their online PayPal store. From the site: "There are two ways to obtain currency through us. The first is to click the Store link on the menu and the second is to bid on an auction on ebay. At this time we only accept Paypal as a method of payment but will be accepting credit cards soon."
The site currently only trades Animal Crossing currency and the going rate is 100,000 bells per U.S. dollar purchased in increments of 1 million. Any readers willing to fork out a Hamilton for a million bells?
A reader writes: "While swimming through your undoubted sea of DS information, have you ever come across any official or homebrew information relating to outputting the video of the two DS screens to, say, a TV or two?"
Rumor has it that Nintendo did make a few DSs capable of outputting to TV, "around 10" says one internet commenter. Any readers know of a workable solution?
Those folks over at 4 color rebellion have posted an informative guide on how to spot cheap DS cart knockoffs. While the DS homebrew community is actually quite strong, its growth has invariably created easier and more efficient methods for those...ah...morally flexible among us to reap the rewards.
The website for Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! has launched, and in following with Nintendo's goals for the game, features a lot of different types of people, young and old, having at it with DS in hand and commenting on their own performance. The website also showcases a comprehensive how-to on playing the game, taking the viewer through the motions and undoubtedly causing their mouth to salivate with the wish to taste the succulent delicacies the game will soon have to offer. Do yourself a favor and go check the site out to tide you over these next few days until you can get your hands on your own copy (unless you were one of the lucky in attendance at GDC).
Following our coverage of proudly displaying your MPH Hunter's License, a reader writes us to tell of how to include all that desirable information into your personalized Google homepage. Clicking the link will add Hunter Sakurina's license for display, yet should you click the edit button directly above the presented License and input the GSPID of the Hunter you wish displayed (which can again be found here), you can add anyone you wish. Also, this isn't limited to just one Hunter either as you can pretty much add as many as you'd like.
A faithful reader writes us to tell of the process of embedding your Hunter's License information on your personal webspace, much like those with a Gamertag on the Xbo360 have been able to do since the console launched in November. Scrolling down after the jump will display proof of such as you'll be able to see Shorties' Hunter's License displayed. You'll first want to gain your GSPID, which can be easily accomplished by going through the brisk tutorial found here.
For those who still don't have broadband access, there is a hack allowing DS gamers to access Nintendo's wi-fi network via a dial-up connection. From the tutorial: "This tutorial is to help you get connected to Nintendo Wifi with a dial-up connection. Even though lots of people think that wifi with dial-up would lag and cause the people with high speed internet to go slow, but that is not true. At normal dial-up speed (56kb) it will go just about as fast as high speed internet; the only thing that will happen if you have a really slow dial-up connection or if you're downloading on the internet at the same time you will just see the other characters of the other people you are connected to go slow ot bounce and the other people will just see your character go slow or bounce on their screen."
One of our readers thought it might be a classy idea to share his recent exploits in the world of DS filmmaking with us.
Who knew that slapping a new coat of paint on the DS could turn out to be such an intricate and time consuming process? Actually, we knew. We knew because we've been staring at inajamaica's Flickr set dedicated to the revitalization of a boring 'ole silver DS. The collection of photos shows a painstaking, step-by-step process that involves the complete disassembly of a DS (sure to excite our resident tech porn fans) and making sure that only the outer shell is exposed to the unrelenting blast of paint. If you've been thinking of doing something similar yourself but were afraid to take the plunge, consider this a method of learning through example.
Here's the how-to in getting your eReader to fit into your Nintendo DS. The standard GBA eReader will not fit into the Nintendo DS due to how the linkport connector is arranged. So if you dare, proceed for our compiled instructions and head over to the how-to site for additional pictures. And remember, doing this will void your DS warranty.
Short on bells? Portable Gaming Currency has got you covered, and they'll get you back to digital purchasing lickity split. It'll cost you though as bells can be traded for dollars through their online PayPal store. From the site: "There are two ways to obtain currency through us. The first is to click the Store link on the menu and the second is to bid on an auction on ebay. At this time we only accept Paypal as a method of payment but will be accepting credit cards soon."
