Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS is a hand-held video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. DS stands for Dual Screen, as the Nintendo DS features two screens, one of them a touchscreen. Most DS games use a combination of buttons and the touchscreen to control the game. Users can touch the screen with their fingers or with the included stylus. The DS also features a clamshell or folding form factor. The older version of the console is referred to as the Nintendo DS, while the newer and more compact version is called the Nintendo DS Lite.

The Nintendo DSi was announced during a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday, October 2, 2008. The new console included a larger screen than the DS as well as a camera.MSNBC: Nintendo adds camera, music playback to DS (October 2, 2008)

Got a DS and several friends but no games? No problem! The Nintendo DS features built-in software that does not require a game to function, just another person with a DS. Using Pictochat, for example, players can chat with other DS owners in the immediate vicinity via a WiFi connection, sending text and doodles drawn with the stylus to each other. Another feature is Download Play, which allows players to download data from another DS wirelessly so that both players can play together using only one game cartridge.