TOKYO--At a press conference today in Japan, Nintendo announced the official Japanese launch date and pricing for the Nintendo DS. The machine will be priced at 15,000 yen ($137)--about 50 percent more than the 9,800 yen ($89) Game Boy Advance--on December 2. Nintendo's unexpected announcement came only hours before Sony opened its press conference, which caused many to speculate that the surprise timing was a calculated maneuver.

　　The announcement also revealed an updated specifications chart for the DS, which has now disclosed a few new points about the system. The Pictochat text and drawing software that was shown at E3 will come preinstalled in the DS hardware, which means that you can communicate with other nearby DS owners without the need for any cartridge. The handheld will feature a virtual surround sound system as well, and what’s more, the machine lets you choose between six different languages.

　　Nintendo DS Specifications

　　Size / Weight (when folded)

　　Height: 84.7mm

　　Width: 148.7mm

　　Thickness: 28.9mm

　　Weight: 275g (including battery & stylus)

　　Display

　　Top Screen:

　　3 inch color TFT with backlight

　　256x192 pixel resolution, .24mm dot pitch

　　260,000 color display

　　Bottom Screen:

　　3 inch color TFT with backlight

　　256x192 pixel resolution, .24mm dot pitch

　　260,000 color display

　　Transparent analog resistive touch panel

　　Main controls

　　Directional pad, A/B/X/Y buttons, L/R buttons, Start/Select buttons

　　Touch panel

　　Internal microphone (voice recognition possible with software)

　　Input/Output

　　DS cartridge slot

　　GBA cartridge slot

　　Stereo headphone jack

　　Microphone jack

　　Wireless capabilities

　　IEEE802.11 and Nintendo propriety protocol 2 format

　　Radiowave distance: 10 - 30 meters depending on environment

　　Multiplayer game possible with one cartridge

　　Voice chatting with the internal microphone while playing over Internet is possible

　　CPU ARM9 and ARM7 (With new graphic engine)

　　Sound Internal stereo speaker (virtual surround sound possible with software)

　　Other features

　　Internal Clock w/alarm

　　Touch-panel calibration

　　PictoChat preinstalled (Text and graphic drawing application that can be used to communicate with up to 16 users via wireless capability)

　　Configurable settings

　　Startup mode switching

　　Language: Japanese, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian

　　Screen selectable when playing GBA games (top or bottom screen)

　　User Information display

　　Power and Battery

　　Internal Lithium battery (Runs approximately 6-10 hours on full recharge, depending on application)

　　Full recharge time: 4 hours

　　Power management systems, such as sleep mode, included

　　Comes with AC adapter