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"This will not be a problem; superb redesign" on by Eexpert
Pros: Very slick, bright screen, free wi-fi connection, backward compatibility with GBA games, reliability, touch screen, additional TV and online capability, etc.
Cons: Bulky? Absolutely not! Pricey? No!
Summary: For those who think the Nintendo DS is too big, heavy, and bulky. You better look at this! I am sure there won't be any more redesigns for the DS. This is by far the best console redesign I've ever seen! Yet, this would be perfect if it had a larger screen(top one) and an analog stick for easier control. But that doesn't matter, this is still a DS. The DS gaming library is greater and better than the PSP's. Don't argue that this is a childish console. The DS is meant to be targeted at all audiences including non-gamers. This is both innovative and original.
Updated
The DS is for a different market than the Sony PSP. It is at the right pricing for a real portable gaming console unlike the PSP. Would you expect the DS to have optional movie and music playability? Again, the DS games are more original and arguably better than the PSP's. -
"Great system, not much better than old one" on by shadowcolt22
Pros: Great games, small form factor, Excellenct screens, great battery life
Cons: GBA Games stick out, buttons not as good as original ds
Summary: I recently traded in my ds for a $70 credit for a ds lite. So basicly I got my DS lite for $60 and no longer have the original. I'm not sure it was worth it. The DS Lite does look a lot better, and is more pocketable, but the face buttons are not as good as the old ones. Fighting games, or games where you hold one button down and press another with that same thumb don't work as well (running in mario games). The D-pad and face buttons are less accurate and seems slower, especially in street fighter type games. The D-pad is smaller on the lite, and harder to control for me. If you have small hands this shouldn't be a problem. Still, the ds lite makes games like metroid hunters alot easier thanks to the fact that you can hold it with one hand for hours on end (unlike it's heavier counterpart). And the R and L buttons on the DS lite seem to be of higher quality and are supperior to the old DS's. The last con of the DS lite is a big one for me. GBA games stick out. I use a supercard sd flash cart with flashme on my DS so that I can play music, movies, pictures, and homebrew games. With this in, it really kills the look of the ds lite, and takes away the fact that the ds lite is less wide than the regular one. Still the battery life is better than the originals. I would suggest the DS or DS lite over any other portable system (PSP), but would only suggest trading your old ds for the ds lite if you don't like 2d fighters, or gba games. I'm not even sure about the gba part because soon they will come out with a flashcart that fits flush with the ds lite. (Flashcarts allow you to play backups of gba or ds games too) you don't have to carry all your games a round and your gba games won't stick out. If you get a ds lite with a microsd flashcart, 2 1gb microsd cards, and max media launcher, you would have the ultimate gaming and multimedia setup. With those things you can play mp3 music on those bumpin external speakers, gba, ds, and homebrew games and emulators (oldschool genesis, snes, and nes games), and movies and pictures on your ds lite without anything sticking out. People say that the psp has more features than the DS, with these things it certainly doesn't. The DS is even getting a web browser next month.
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"Quit thinking and just go get one" on by thadly_j
Pros: Better games and gaming selection available, games available for almost every market, lighter weight than the previous DS.
Cons: Attracts fingerprints, no movie, internet, or MP3 capability.
Summary: I don't know where Sony fanboys can get off beating this marvel of electronic genious down. Nintendo has even come out and said that they are not trying to compete with sony or Micro$oft, so do they even truly have a right to beat it down? Not when Nintendo is targeting a completely different market.
This system boasts a plethora of nice features.
1) An extremely brighter and more readable screen.
2) A massive pre-existing library of GBA and DS games. (However the GBA games do not work with Multiplayer on the DS)
3) Long Battery life
4) I already mentioned a massive library of games, but the games being enjoyable to play is also a bonus. Having owned both a PSP and a DS, the DS is definitely the way to go for enjoyable gameplay selection, unless you truly need a multimedia device.
5) No analog stick (Having owned the PSP, I found the analog stick to be useless, if not painful to use. Analog sticks should be left for a platformer, not a handheld.)
6) Although we have yet to see it, The president of Nintendo, Saturo Iwata, has made statements that the DS will be compatible with the Next Gen Nintendo Console known as the "Wii", making future game demos available for in home download to the DS through the Wii Connect-24 service.
7) Sleek new looks lowered weight.
The only negative points I know of are:
1) No multimedia capabilities (MP3 or movie)
2) I know it has no internet browsing capabilities, but who honestly would actually use it. That is not what it was made for.
I could have gone a totally different direction with this review like all the Sony fanboys do in here, but I chose not to. If I have something bad to say about the PSP of the PS3, I'll go to their respective review page. I wish others would follow that example. -
"I have been a gamer for a while and......" on by oldergamer
Pros: light, portable, decent graphics, great battery and fun games
Cons: limited multimedia uses at this time
Summary: I have been a gamer for a while and this gaming system has impressed me. I started gaming when atari was still popular and slowly worked my way up in systems since then. In the light of portable gaming my first portable hand held game was Sega's game gear.......which now rests in peace. (Although mine still works.) The DS is light and portable and although the graphics are not as good as PSP, the game play is great for all ages. But gaming is not all about graphics...it is also how long does something entertain...... with the long battery life entertainment can last up to 6 hours straight and still have enough power to play it the same lenght of time the next day. We buy these systems to play games, not to watch DVD's, use them for MP3s or even search the web......I have several things at home that performs these tasks. So why do I need them here? I am 29 and have a seven year old daugther and both of us can enjoy this DS Lite for a long time to come.
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"Revolutionary-Educational-Fun! !!" on by SanDiegoNico
Pros: Compact unit, unique gameplay, backwards compatible
Cons: Lacks protective case with purchase
Summary: Let me first state that I am a 35 year old professional. I have played video games since their infancy with Pong and the Atari 2600. I know games, new and old.
I have not been too partial to handheld video game hardware. My logic always has been that if I have time to play video games it will not be when I am running around town. It will be when I am at home. And if I am at home why would I want to sit in a corner squinting at a 2 and a half inch screen playing games with inferior graphics while my xbox 360 and home-theater surround sound and 52" plasma televevision beckons? Well, Nintendo did something interesting. I was already familiar with the DS and had no interest in it. At all! Then they released the DS lite and it's sleak new shape and design reminded me of their earlier liquid crystal display games of the early eighties under the subheading of "Game and Watch". The new DS lite is eerily remeniscent of those original flip open games and it took me back. Add to that a new, high tech sheen that rivals the sharp looks of an IPOD and I was suddenly intrigued. No longer was the DS a clunky, flip-open rehash. It immediatley had become a piece of sophisticated high technology. So kudos to Nintendo for reinventing the wheel. I have to assume it will open the doors to many others as well, and going by first week sales, I am correct.
But enough with my first impressions. Now that I have had the system for a week, let me tell you what makes this product so significant, in my opinion.
With this little handheld Nintendo has revolutionized the way games can be played. Granted many of these creative methods are far from being all new and completely original. Touch screens have been utilized in many business applications from menu systems to bar-riding trivia games. And voice recognition was concieved as far back as the creation of science fiction. However utilizing these devices into a portable gaming system is what makes it revolutionary. While being loyal to it's gaming roots Nintedo has extended it's arms out to a broader public with simple games that continue to challenge you beyond the 30 seconds it takes you to learn them. It truely is a toy for all ages. And for someone like me, I love being able to go back and revisit all those old classic SNES games and still have the ability to play games like Brain Age or ElectroPlankton. Add Wi-Fi compatability to that and it's extremely user friendly interface, along with great hardware installed features like Pictochat and wireless downloading and you have a portable system that I have no problem recommending to anyone. ANYONE. Old and young. East coast/west coast. This system promotes fun and interactivity. It helps me envison a time when children of the future will be utilizing touch screen notebooks to upload class assignments and do their homework on like devices and then taking a break and sending their friends a text message or breaking out a game of Mario Kart. This may sound like I am going off on a tangent, but the point is, that if this little portable game system can trigger that kind of imagination, just on it's premise alone, then that has got to say something. As it is, it is an amazing, simple, fun piece of technology that has redefined what portable gaming means to me.
If there is a downside to the DS lite it is the fact that it does not come packaged with any kind of protective case. But this is no fault of the hardware itself, but it must be noted. I could sit here and tell you how it doesn't do this and that (ie
lay movies, wireless internet, etc) but for the price of $129.00 I think it is a stellar deal and besides I don't need a gadget that does EVERYTHING. I have found, by experience that portable hardware that tries to do too much ends up suffering in one department or another, if not all.(PSP, anyone?)
I am sold on the Nintendo DS lite and I think everyone else would be as well if they spent a week with it. C-NET seems to almost discourage any "10" ratings, and I understand their logic, but considering what we're talking about here, when it comes to portable hand-held gaming, to me, it doesn't get any better. Go get one. Please.
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