Nintendo redesigns DS handheld console !

Nintendo's DS handheld console will indeed be called the 'Nintendo DS' when it ships later this year, the Japanese company confirmed today.[br][br]It also revealed the unit's final design - a sleeker, more elegant look than the more old-style shape shown at the E3 show earlier this year.[br][br]At that time, Nintendo maintained that the DS name - simply standing for 'dual screen' - was just a codename, no more. But the name has stuck, and with World+Dog happy with and continuing to use the 'Nintendo DS' moniker, the console maker has decided to use it on the final version.[br][br]"Nintendo DS, originally chosen as the code name, has been selected as the official product name," it said today. "The Nintendo DS name evokes the idea of a portable system with dual screens, providing the rationale for the final name."[br][br]The DS is set to ship in the US and Japan by the end of the year, with the console's European debut scheduled for Q1 2005. We have heard 4 and 11 November for the US and Japanese release dates, respectively.[br][br]Sony's rival handheld, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), is set to appear in Japan in Q4 2004, and North America and Europe in Q1 2005.[br][br]Nintendo has already said the handheld will be powered by twin ARM-based processors running at 67MHz and 33MHz, respectively. It will contain 128MB of RAM. The two displays - the lower of which is touch-sensitive - operate at 256 x 192, a little better than the GBA's 240 x 160 panel. The DS will possess decent 2D capabilities, but it also has a 3D graphics system which, the spec. claims, is capable of drawing 120,000 polygons per second, representing a fill-rate of 30 million pixels per second.[br][br]The unit will support wireless Internet access and multi-player gaming across an 802.11b WLAN.