How to unlock the hidden talents of your Nintendo DS

The DS does more than chewing up game cartridges and keeping your fingers busy on long journeys. It has more tricks hidden underneath its clamshell skin. Find out how to unlock them with our simple how-to.

Step 1: Chat skills and flip-book animation
Did you know your DS can chat with other consoles nearby? Flip it open, tap ‘Pictochat” and look for a chatroom full of other gamers. Of course, you’ll need to be in a place where people are likely to be chatting (shopping centres, airports and train stations are likely locations), but once you’ve found someone you can type messages or draw pictures to send them using Wi-Fi.

The Pictochat application can also be used to make short animations. Some users have created mini-films by generating drawings frame-by-frame, and then holding down the left and right shoulder buttons to spin through them at a rate of 7.5 frames per second.

Making animations is a time-consuming and tricky task, but it’s possible to create impressive mini-movies. Check out the work of Dennis Baraba, who uses the DS to create hand-drawn animations, here.

Step 2: Get on the web with your DS
Used straight out of the box, the Nintendo DS can only use its Wi-Fi for chat or gaming. That changes when you slot in Nintendo’s Web Browser cartridge. It lets the handheld console use its Wi-Fi to serve up proper web pages. They’re easy to navigate, thanks to the touchscreen, and makes the machine a lot more useful when you’re out and about.

Step 3: Play music with your DS
Grab the Nintendo MP3 Player, slot it into your DS and it’s ready to play MP3s! Just load up an SD card with files from your computer, then slot it into the card slot on the MP3 Player cartridge.

The MP3 Player will support cards up to 4GB in size, and lets owners play music through the console’s headphone socket or speakers.

Must-have accessories
Wi-Fi Router – To get online with the DS Lite you’ll need to be in a Wi-Fi hotspot, or have a wireless network set up at home. For the latter, you’ll need a Wi-Fi router. But don’t worry if you just want to chat with other DS owners, or play head to head games: the two consoles will simply work with each other, without the need for a router.

Get chatting about the latest games consoles over at the PriceRunner forum.

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