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The Nintendo DS (sometimes abbreviated NDS or more commonly DS) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, U.S., and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touchscreen. The Nintendo DS also features a built-in microphone and supports wireless IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standards,[4] allowing players to interact with each other within short range (10–30 m, depending on conditions) or online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, which launched later in the console's lifespan. This was the first Nintendo console to be released in North America prior to Japan.
The system's code name was Nitro,[5] and this can be seen in the model codes that appear on the unit. The console's name officially refers to "Developers' System", in reference to the new game design the system was meant to inspire, and "Dual Screen", the system's most obvious and distinct feature.[6]
On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a redesign of the Nintendo DS, in Japan. It was later released in North America, Europe, and Australia in June 2006. The DS Lite is a slimmer and lighter version of the Nintendo DS and has brighter screens. Nintendo of America refers to the older model as the "original style" Nintendo DS.[7]
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[edit] Development and launch
- See also: Nintendo DS launches
On November 13, 2003, Nintendo announced that it would be creating a new console for release in 2004.[8] Nintendo said that it would not be the successor to either the Nintendo GameCube or the Game Boy Advance,[8] but rather it would be considered a "third pillar" alongside the two consoles.[9] On January 20, 2004, the console was announced under the codename "Nintendo DS".[10] Nintendo released very few details at that time, only saying that the console would have two separate 3 in. TFT LCD display panels, separate processors, and up to 1 gigabit of semiconductor memory.[10][11] Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said "We have developed Nintendo DS based upon a completely different concept from existing game devices in order to provide players with a unique entertainment experience for the 21st century."[10] In March, the codename was changed to "Nitro" and a document containing most of the console's technical specifications was leaked.[12] In May, the codename was changed back to "Nintendo DS" (DS standing for Dual Screen)[6] and the console was shown in prototype form at E3. All of the features of the console were released by Nintendo at E3.[13] On July 28, 2004, Nintendo revealed a new design, one that was described as "sleeker and more elegant" than the one shown at E3. Also, the codename "Nintendo DS" became the official name of the console that day.[14]
The Nintendo DS bears a striking resemblance to Nintendo's first handheld, the Game & Watch, specifically the multi-screen versions such as Donkey Kong.
On September 20, 2004, Nintendo announced that the Nintendo DS would be released in North America on November 21, 2004 for US$149.99.[15] It was set to release on December 2, 2004 in Japan and in the first quarter of 2005 in Europe and Australia. The console was released in North America with a midnight launch event at Universal CityWalk EB Games in Los Angeles, California. The console was launched quietly in Japan compared to the North America launch; one source cites the cold weather as the reason.[16] In January 2005, the Australia release date of February 24, 2005 and the Europe release date of March 11, 2005 were announced.[17][18] Regarding the European launch, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said:
Europe is an extremely important market for Nintendo, and we are pleased we can offer such a short period of time between the US and European launch. We believe that the Nintendo DS will change the way people play video games and our mission remains to expand the game play experience. Nintendo DS caters for the needs of all gamers whether for more dedicated gamers who want the real challenge they expect, or the more casual gamers who want quick, pick up and play fun.[19]
[edit] Hardware
[edit] Input and output
The lower display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a touchscreen, designed to accept input from the included stylus, the user's fingers, or a curved plastic tab attached to the optional wrist strap. The touchscreen allows users to interact with in-game elements more directly than by pressing buttons; for example, in the included chatting software, PictoChat, the stylus is used to write messages or draw.
Traditional controls are located on either side of the touchscreen. To the left is a D-pad, with a narrow Power button above it, and to the right are the A, B, X, and Y buttons, with narrow Select and Start buttons above them. Shoulder buttons L and R are located on the upper corners of the lower half of the system. The overall button layout is similar to the controller of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super Famicom in Japan).
The Nintendo DS features stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound (depending on the software) located on either side of the upper display screen. This is a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the Game Boy line of systems has only supported stereo sound through the use of headphones or external speakers.
A built-in microphone is located below the left side of the bottom screen. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including speech recognition (Nintendogs, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!), chatting online between and during gameplay sessions (Pokémon Diamond and Pearl), and minigames that require the player to blow or shout into the microphone (Feel the Magic: XY/XX, WarioWare: Touched!, Mario Party DS).
[edit] Technical specifications
- Mass: 275 grams (9.7 ounces).
- Physical dimensions: 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9 mm (5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 inches).
- Screens: Two separate 3-inch TFT LCD, resolution of 256 x 192 pixels, dimensions of 62 x 46 mm and 77 mm diagonal, and a dot pitch of 0.24 mm. The gap between the screens is approximately 21 mm, equivalent to about 92 "hidden" lines. The lowermost display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a resistive touchscreen, which registers pressure from one point on the screen at a time, averaging multiple points of contact if necessary.
- CPUs: Two ARM processors, an ARM946E-S main CPU and ARM7TDMI co-processor at clock speeds of 67 MHz and 33 MHz respectively.
- RAM: 4 MB of Mobile RAM
- Voltage: 1.65 volts required
- Storage: 256 kB of Serial Flash Memory
- Wireless: 802.11 + Nintendo Original Protocol
- Wi-Fi: Built-in 802.11 Wireless Network Connection (802.11b/g compatible)
The system's 3D hardware performs transform and lighting, texture-coordinate transformation, texture mapping, alpha blending, anti-aliasing, cel shading, and z-buffering. However, it uses point (nearest neighbor) texture filtering, leading to some titles having a blocky appearance. The system is theoretically capable of rendering about 120,000 triangles per second at 60 frames per second, which is comparable to the Nintendo 64.[citation needed] Unlike most 3D hardware, it has a set limit on the number of triangles it can render as part of a single scene; the maximum amount is about 6144 vertices, or 2048 triangles per frame. The 3D hardware is designed to render to a single screen at a time, so rendering 3D to both screens is difficult and decreases performance significantly. The DS is generally more limited by its polygon budget than by its pixel fill rate. There are also 512 kilobytes of texture memory per screen, and the maximum texture size is 1024x1024 pixels.
The system has 656 kilobytes of video memory[20] and two 2D engines (one per screen). These are similar to (but more powerful than) the Game Boy Advance's single 2D engine. However the cores are divided into the main core and sub core. Only the main core is capable of vertex 3D rendering.
The Nintendo DS has compatibility with Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11. The unit also supports a special wireless format created by Nintendo and secured using RSA security signing (used by the wireless drawing and chatting program PictoChat for the DS). Wi-Fi is used for accessing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, where users can use the internet or compete with other users playing the same Wi-Fi compatible game.
[edit] Media specifications
Nintendo DS games use a proprietary solid state ROM "game card" format resembling the memory cards used in other portable electronic devices such as digital cameras. It currently supports cards up to 2 gigabit (2048 Mb or 256 MB) in size,[21] which is four times the amount of memory that the largest Nintendo 64 cartridge was able to store (512 Mb or 64 MB). The cards always have a small amount of flash memory or an EEPROM to save user data such as game progress or high scores. The game cards are 33.0 mm × 35.0 mm × 3.8 mm (approximately half the width and half as thick as Game Boy Advance cartridges) and weigh around 3.5 g (1/8 ounce).
Based on an IGN blog by the developer of MechAssault: Phantom War, larger (such as 128 MB) cards have a slower data transfer rate than the more common smaller (such as 64 MB) cards. However the specific rates were not mentioned.[22]
The system's code-name was Nitro, resulting in the letters "NTR" appearing in the serial number written on the back of game cards and the system itself. NTR-XXX indicates the model numbers found on the original style Nintendo DS and its accessories.
[edit] Firmware
Nintendo's own custom firmware boots the system. A health and safety warning is displayed first, then the main menu is loaded. The main menu presents the player with four main options to select: play a DS game, use PictoChat, initiate DS Download Play, or play a Game Boy Advance Game.
The firmware also features an alarm clock, several options for customization (such as boot priority for when games are inserted and GBA screen preference), and the ability to input user information (such as name, birthday, favorite color, etc.)
[edit] Battery life
The Nintendo DS contains a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 850 mAH.[citation needed] On a full four-hour charge, the factory 850 mAH[citation needed] battery lasts about 10 hours.[23] Battery life is affected by multiple factors including speaker volume, use of one or both screens, back lighting, and use of wireless connectivity. The biggest effect on battery life is caused by using the backlight, which can be turned off in the main menu screen, or in selected games (such as Super Mario 64 DS). The battery is designed to be removed only when it expires.
To sustain battery life in the midst of a game, users can close the Nintendo DS system, putting the DS in sleep mode that also pauses the game that is being played. However, closing the lid while playing a Game Boy Advance game will not put the Nintendo DS into sleep mode; the game will continue to run normally, including the back light.[citation needed] Certain DS games (such as Animal Crossing: Wild World) also will not pause but the backlight, screens, and speakers will turn off. When saving the game in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Zoo Tycoon DS, and SimCity DS, the DS will not go into sleep mode.
[edit] Features
[edit] Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is a free online game service run by Nintendo. Players with a compatible Nintendo DS game can connect to the service via a Wi-Fi network using a Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector or a wireless router. The service was launched in North America on November 14, 2005 with the release of Mario Kart DS. Various online games, and a web browser (see below) are now available.
[edit] Download Play
With select titles, such as Mario Party DS and Mario Kart DS it is possible for users to play multiplayer games with other Nintendo DS systems using only one game card. Players must have their systems within wireless range (up to approximately 100 feet) of each other and the guest system to download the necessary data from the host system.
Some Nintendo DS retailers features DS Download Stations that allow users to download demos of upcoming and currently available DS games. However, due to memory limitations the downloads are erased once the system is powered off. The Download Station is made up of 1 to 8 standard retail DS units, with a standard DS card containing the demo data.
[edit] PictoChat
PictoChat allows users to communicate with other Nintendo DS users within local wireless range. Users can enter text (via a small on screen keyboard), handwrite messages or draw pictures (via the stylus and touchscreen). There are four chatrooms (A, B, C, D) in which people can go to chat. Up to sixteen people can connect in any one room.
[edit] Compatibility
The Nintendo DS is compatible with Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges. The smaller Nintendo DS game cards fit into Slot 1 on the top of the system, while Game Boy Advance games fit into Slot 2 on the bottom of the system. The Nintendo DS is not compatible with games for the Game Boy Color and the original Game Boy, due to a slightly different form factor and the absence of the processor used in these systems.
The handheld does not have a port for the Game Boy Advance Link Cable, so multiplayer or GameCube-Game Boy Advance link-up modes are not available in Game Boy Advance titles.
The Nintendo DS only uses one screen when playing Game Boy Advance games. The user can configure the system to use either the top or bottom screen by default. The games are displayed within a black border on the screen, due to the slightly different screen resolution between the two systems (256 × 192px (approx. .05 megapixels) for the Nintendo DS, and 240 × 160px (approx. .04 megapixels) for the Game Boy Advance).
Nintendo DS games inserted into Slot 1 are able to detect the presence of specific Game Boy Advance games in Slot 2. In many such games, either stated in the game during gameplay or mostly explained in the games' instruction manuals, extra content can be unlocked or added by starting the Nintendo DS game with the appropriate Game Boy Advance game inserted. Some of the content can stay permanent, even when the GBA game has been removed after content has been added. An example of this can be seen in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, which allow the user to send his or her Pokémon from a Game Boy Advance Pokémon title to the DS title. Also add some small temporarily additions, or minor changes to game like giving it either extended gameplay, hidden levels, hidden exclusive items or hidden boss, which are available only when the GBA game is inserted and is unavailable when GBA Game is removed. An example to this addition is the DS game Mega Man ZX with either Mega Man Zero 3 and/or Mega Man Zero 4, this allows you to fight main bosses from the past titles.
Additionally, Slot 2 can be used to house expansion paks, such as the Rumble Pak and the Nintendo DS Memory Expansion Pak, which supplies 8 MB of extra RAM for the Nintendo DS Browser.[citation needed]
[edit] Regional division
The Nintendo DS is region free in the sense that any console will run a Nintendo DS game purchased anywhere in the world. However, the Chinese version games can only be played on the Chinese iQue DS, whose larger firmware chip contains the required Chinese character glyph images. Although Nintendo DS of other regions cannot play the Chinese games, iQue DS can play games of other regions. Also, as with Game Boy games, some games that require both players to have a Nintendo DS game card for multiplayer play will not necessarily work together if the games are from different regions (e.g. a Japanese Nintendo DS game may not work with a North American Nintendo DS game, though some titles, such as Mario Kart DS, are mutually compatible). With the addition of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, certain games can be played over the Internet with users of a different region game.
Some Wi-Fi enabled games (e.g. Mario Kart DS) allow the selection of opponents by region. The options are "Continent" and "Worldwide", as well as two non-location specific settings. This allows the player to limit competitors to only those opponents based in the same geographical area. It is unknown whether this is based on the region code of the console in use, the region of the game card, or geolocation of the IP address.
[edit] Accessories
Although the secondary port on the Nintendo DS does accept and support Game Boy Advance cartridges (but not Game Boy, and Game Boy Color cartridges), Nintendo has emphasized that its main intention for its inclusion was to allow a wide variety of accessories to be released for the system, the Game Boy Advance compatibility titles being a logical extension.
Nintendo announced at E3 2005 that it would launch "headset accessories" for voice over IP (VoIP) enabled games.
[edit] Rumble Pak
The Rumble Pak was the first official expansion slot accessory. In the form of a Game Boy Advance cartridge, the Rumble Pak vibrates to reflect the action in compatible games, such as when the player bumps into an obstacle or loses a life. It was released in North America and Japan in 2005, as a separate accessory and bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball.[24]
In Europe, the rumble pack is available with the game Actionloop. It is also possible to buy the rumble pack straight from Nintendo.
[edit] Nintendo DS Headset
The Nintendo DS Headset is the official headset for the Nintendo DS. It plugs into the headset port (which is a combination of a standard 3.5 mm headphone connector and a proprietary microphone connector) on the bottom of the system. It features one earphone and a microphone, and is compatible with all games that use the internal microphone. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2006.[25] The headset was released in North America on April 22, 2007, alongside Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, two games that have built-in voice chat.
[edit] Opera Internet browser
On February 15, 2006, Nintendo announced a version of the cross-platform web browser Opera for the DS system.[26] The browser can use one screen as an overview, a zoomed portion of which appears on the other screen, or both screens together to present a single tall view of the page.[27] The browser went on sale in Japan and Europe in 2006,[28][29] and in the U.S. on June 4, 2007.[30]
[edit] Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector
This accessory plugs into a PC's USB port and creates a wireless access point, allowing up to five Nintendo DS units to access the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service through the host computer's Internet connection. The operating systems fully supported by the Wi-Fi USB Connector's software are Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista.
[edit] Nintendo MP3 Player
The Nintendo MP3 Player (a modified version of the device known as the Play-Yan in Japan) was released on December 8, 2006 by Nintendo of Europe at a retail price of £29.99/€30. The add-on uses removable SD cards to store MP3 audio files, and can be used in any device that features support for Game Boy Advance cartridges. However, due to this, it is limited in terms of its user-interface and functionality, as it does not support using both screens of the DS simultaneously, nor does it make use of its touch-screen capability.
[edit] Slide controller
The "slide controller" comes packaged with the game Slide Adventure: Mag Kid, which was released on August 2, 2007. The slide controller plugs into the GBA game slot of the DS, and is placed below the DS, on a firm surface. The DS can then be moved around to control a game, as the slide controller will pick up the motions, just as when a player would click a button. The official name for this peripheral is currently unknown.[31]
[edit] Hacking and homebrew
Since the release of the Nintendo DS, a great deal of hacking has occurred involving the DS's fully rewritable firmware, Wi-Fi connection, game cards that allow SD storage, and software use. Nintendo DS emulators are also in early stages of development, but only a few commercial games are playable on most thus far.[citation needed]
There are a number of cards which either have built-in flash memory, or a slot which can accept an SD, CompactFlash, or MicroSD cards. These cards allow the user to play music, movies and load homebrew and commercial games.
In South Korea, many video game consumers exploit game software copies of video game consoles, including the Nintendo DS. In 2007, 500,000 copies of DS games were sold, while the sales of the DS hardware units was 800,000.[32]
[edit] Marketing and sales
 | This article or section may contain an inappropriate mixture of prose and timeline. |
| Date | Japan | Americas | Other | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-12-31[33] | 1.45 | 1.36 | 0.03 | 2.84 |
| 2005-03-31[34] | 2.12 | 2.19 | 0.95 | 5.27 |
| 2005-06-30[35] | 6.65 | |||
| 2005-09-30[36] | 3.63 | 2.87 | 2.34 | 8.83 |
| 2005-12-31[37] | 5.70 | 4.63 | 4.10 | 14.43 |
| 2006-03-31[38] | 6.91 | 5.11 | 4.71 | 16.73 |
| 2006-06-30[39] | 9.24 | 5.90 | 6.13 | 21.27 |
| 2006-09-30[40] | 11.52 | 7.51 | 7.79 | 26.82 |
| 2006-12-31[41] | 14.43 | 10.18 | 11.00 | 35.61 |
| 2007-03-31[42] | 16.02 | 11.74 | 12.52 | 40.29 |
| 2007-06-30[43] | 18.11 | 14.14 | 15.03 | 47.27 |
| 2007-09-30[44] | 19.71 | 16.06 | 17.88 | 53.64 |
| 2007-12-31[2] | 21.66 | 20.18 | 22.94 | 64.79 |
The system's promotional slogans revolve around the word "Touch" in almost all countries, with the US slogan being "Touching is good." The Nintendo DS is currently seen by many analysts to be in the same market as Sony's PlayStation Portable, although representatives from both companies have said that each system targets a different audience.[citation needed] At the time of its release in the United States, the Nintendo DS retailed for US$149.99. The price dropped to US$129.99 on August 21, 2005, one day before the anticipated North American releases of Nintendogs and Advance Wars: Dual Strike. At one point, Time magazine awarded the DS with a Gadget of the Week award.[45] Nine official colors of the Nintendo DS were available through standard retailers. Titanium (silver and black) were available worldwide, Electric Blue was exclusive to North and Latin America. There was also a red version of the DS which was bundled with the game Mario Kart DS. Graphite Black, Pure White, Turquoise Blue and Candy Pink were available in Japan. Mystic Pink and Cosmic Blue were available in Australia and New Zealand. Japan's Candy Pink and Australia's Cosmic Blue were also available in Europe and North America through a Nintendogs bundle, although the colors are just referred to as pink and blue. However, these colors were only available for the original style Nintendo DS; a different and more-limited set of colors have been used for the Nintendo DS Lite.
On October 3, 2006 Nintendo announced a 20.5% raise in net profit forecast partially attributed to strong DS sales.[46] The company also raised its estimated DS sales forecast by 18%.[46]
On July 25, 2007 Nintendo announced in its first quarter financial report that it had increased DS hardware shipments from 22 million to 26 million.[47] Nintendo also raised its DS software sales projection from 130 million units to 140 million.[47] On October 26, 2007, Nintendo announced an increase in DS hardware shipments to 28 million and software to 165 million.[citation needed]
As of September 26, 2007, the Nintendo DS has sold over 50 million units and is the fastest-selling handheld game console of all time.[48] On October 30, 2007, Chart-Track reported DS sales of over 4 million in the United Kingdom.[49][50] In November 2007, Media Create reported DS sales of 20 million in Japan.[51][52]
During the week of November 18 to November 24, Nintendo of America set a new Nintendo sales record by selling over 653,000 DS units in one week, breaking the previous record held by the Game Boy Advance, which sold 600,000 units.[53]
On November 27, 2007, Nintendo announced that the DS has set a new weekly hardware sales record in the UK, with over 191,000 units sold, according to Chart-Track; breaking the previous record held by the PSP, which sold 185,000 units in its first week of availability in the UK.[54]
As of December 27, 2007, the DS has sold over 1 million units in South Korea, according to Nintendo of Korea.[55][56]
As of January 1, 2008, the Nintendo DS has sold 17.65 million units in the United States according to NPD Group[57][58][59] and 21,105,472 in Japan according to Enterbrain.[60][61]
On January 24, 2008, Nintendo Europe has revealed the DS has sold over 20 million units in Europe.[62]
On January 30, 2008, Nintendo Australia announced the DS has sold over 1 million units in Australia. [63]
[edit] Special editions and promotional packages
 | It has been suggested that Special versions of the Nintendo DS be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
Many special editions and promotional packages have been available for the Nintendo DS, starting with the first Nintendo DS bundle of a Metroid Prime Hunters demo version, which was included in the first line-up of US shipments. Other adjustments have been made to the DS / DS Lite including color and laser engravings made for promotional events. For example, during the release of Mario Kart DS in North America, a "Red Hot DS Bundle" was available, which was a red colored Nintendo DS, with the game Mario Kart DS packaged along with it.
The first Nintendo DS Lite promotional package was released in a very limited run as a promotional item at the world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End on May 23, 2007. This package included a DS console with pirate graphics on the case, and the game pack of the same name. The first Nintendo DS Lite retail bundle became available in North America on August 21, 2007; it included Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day!, a DS Lite carrying case, and an exclusive color DS Lite. The DS Lite has a crimson top outer casing, and the rest of the DS is matte black.[64]
[edit] Nintendo DS Lite
The Nintendo DS Lite is a slimmer, more lightweight redesign of the original Nintendo DS model. It was announced on January 26, 2006, more than a month before its first territorial launch in Japan on March 2, 2006.[65]
The features and capabilities are the same as the original style DS, but the DS Lite has four levels of LCD screen brightness. However, the four levels do not include a level where the backlight is off, thus making the system more vulnerable to glare. The sound seems to be fuller and richer, yet the battery life is longer. Unlike the casing of the original style DS, the DS Lite has a shiny glossy semi-transparent outside casing. The LED battery and charging light indicators have been moved to the upper right-hand corner of the unit, making it viewable regardless of whether the system is open or closed. The "start" and "select" buttons have been moved to the lower right-hand side of the touchscreen, the microphone has been moved to the direct center of the opened device, and the A, B, X, Y, and D-Pad seem to have been designed to match the Wii and Game Boy Micro.[66] The power button above the D-pad was removed and replaced with a switch placed on the right side of the unit, in order to avoid accidental shut-off.[verification needed] Another improvement is the longer and thicker stylus, significantly reducing the amount of hand cramps as its users use it extensively throughout game play; the stylus holster was moved from the top of the unit to the right side. Although a loop for a wrist strap was retained on the top of the unit, the DS Lite does not ship with a wrist strap. Along with the other advancements, the Game Boy port of the DS Lite is shorter than the original style DS's port. When inserted, the Game Boy Advance cartridge protrudes out approximately 1 cm from under the unit. Also, the charger connector is smaller, so a different charger must be used. Although the connector is similar in form factor to the Game Boy Micro, their AC adapters are not cross compatible.
[edit] Software development
To be accepted into Nintendo's official developer support program, companies must have a game development team and adequate experience in certain areas. Additional information is available from the Nintendo Software Development Support Group.
Alternatively, anyone can use publicly available knowledge from sites such as NDSTech,[67] and tools to create their own programs. There are two development routes. One requires a method for running Nintendo DS programs from the Game Boy Advance port. At least five methods are available for this option: PassMe, PassMe2, WiFiMe, FlashMe, and NoPass. The second option is to use second-generation flashcards, which are simply either writable DS game cards or DS game cards with Micro-SD slots.
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