A suspected leak from Nintendo's Japanese headquarters has blown the hardware structure and specs of the Nintendo DS wide open, with the mysterious handheld now known to possess respectable technical power. Judge for yourself:

CPU Core Main Processor: ARM946E-S (67 MHz) Cache: 8 kilobytes instructions, 4 kilobytes data TCM: 32 kilobytes instructions, 16 kilobytes data Sub Processor: ARM7TDMI (33 MHz) Memory Main Memory: 4 megabytes (8 megabytes in the debugger) ARM9/ARM7 Shared: 38 kilobytes (16 kilobytes x 2) ARM7 Internal Work RAM: 64 kilobytes VRAM: 656 kilobytes LCD Screen Size: 256 x 192, RGB pixels x 2 screens Number of Colors: 262,144 (18-bit color) 2D Graphics Engine (A, B) Backgrounds: Up to 4 layers Objects: Up to 128 sprites 3D Graphics Engine Coordinate Conversion Ability: Up to 4 million vertices/second Polygon Drawing Ability: Up to 120,000 polygons/second Pixel Drawing Ability: Up to 30 million pixels/second Sound 16-channel ADPCM/PCM (Up to 8 channels of PSG can be established) Microphone Input Wireless Communication Original protocol based on IEEE802.11 Input Device Touch-panel Digital-pad, A, B, R, L, Start, Select (X and Y under consideration) Power Management Sleep mode capable (timer set) Power management capability for 2D engine, rendering engine, geometry engine, and LCD. Though they appear legitimate, Nintendo refused to comment on the specs, saying that we'll need to wait until E3 for more information on the DS. The name "Nitro" has been identified as a codename and will probably not be used for the final product.

Aside from the existence of the unit's touch panel, nothing is known about this particular input mode in relation to its placement or size on the DS. The additions of X and Y buttons are apparently under consideration by Nintendo, with the confirmed buttons mirroring the GBA's current array.

Interestingly, the unit's subprocessor will reportedly deal with Game Boy Advance compatibility, an odd decision considering Nintendo's emphasis on the DS as "not another Game Boy." The DS's 2D specs are similar to the GBA, but its 3D abilities are far beyond Nintendo's current handheld. The wireless communication specs are rumored to allow for up to 16 players to connect, but we'll have the official word this May when Nintendo unveils the DS at E3.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in 1UP.