With schools open again, class boredom will have to be combated. Ever thought how? Well, just think of the Gameboy. Sure there is the PSP, which is the latest innovation and here is a quick glimpse at Nintendo’s latest creation.
With the Gameboy, Nintendo revolutionized handheld gaming and conquered the portable world. It actually happened with the launch of the DS/DS Lite itself, and now with DSi, they made an intriguing evolution.
Holding the DSi is a pleasant experience for sure. It’s twelve times thinner and wider than the DS Lite, in fact what makes it more attractive is its grippy matte finish. All these tiny details make you feel more comfortable. After hours of play, the DS Lite surely becomes little inconvenient. This is not the case with DSi. You can feel the difference of comfort while playing with it during long lectures.
Though the buttons most probably appear same to the naked eye, they’re coated with a new texture. The D-Pad and XYAB buttons are less mushy than the DS Lite. The start and select buttons are bigger and easier to press, and the L and R shoulders click with all the obviousness that you would want in a button.
The biggest upgrade, however is that the console now boasts an ARM9E CPU clocked at 133 MHz (in place of the original ARM9/66MHz) and has a 16 MB RAM. The biggest downgrade is the missing GBA slot.
Apart from a new body, the DSi’s interface has been redesigned for better. Navigation occurs through a single row of icons. Moving between programs is fairly snappy, and most icons are big enough on the new touch screen allowing for stylus-less navigation. In other words, you can use your fingers most of the time.
The first time you load the DSi, it snaps a shot of your face. Your face then fills the entire top screen whenever you’re in the main menu screen. From the main screen, you can take a picture at any time by pressing the L or R shoulder buttons. You can toggle the camera that you’d like to use, too. From the built in programs, the power button acts as a home button, bringing you back to the main screen with a soft reset. (It’s useful, until you realize that this poorly-placed button can be hit easily mid-game, resetting the system without saving.)
The biggest disadvantage however is the Opera browser. Kids will have foray with internet porn. And the experience will be far more traumatizing when they loose their virginity.
WarioWare: Snapped! Its like any other typical WarioWare game (collection of frantically paced mini games) but you can use the DSi’s camera for motion control. When things work, its fun to reposition your head to catch a dropping hat, or grab coins before the buzzer runs out. But it also stresses the limitations of the DSi’s camera. Often, in a variety of lighting situations, you simply can not get the camera/game to recognize faces/hands. And in these cases, the game is nothing more than contortionist’s torture as you try to line yourself up with the DSi’s camera and a lighting source.
Brain Age Express: Math is essential. The math sections of Brain Age 1 and Brain Age 2 are broken out here in the game. It’s a good deal if you are looking to improve your math. There are also mini-games inside this that make you act and make faces for the DSi’s camera.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with either of these games, but these are essentially mini games within a system that’s already founded on mini games. The DSi could make DS gaming into something frighteningly granular. Then again, $2-$5 DSiWare quality already looks to outpace the games you get on the iPhone for the same amount.
Why You’d Want to Upgrade
• You want access to DSiWare (downloadable mini games/apps)
• The DS Lite feels too narrow for your hands
• You’re a screen real estate individual
• Nintendo will release full games that have DSi-specific functionality
• You like new things
Why You’d Want to Stick with the DS Lite
• The DS Lite is $130 ($40 cheaper than the DSi)
• It accepts old R4 cards and other ROM loaders
• Longer battery life (19 hour max vs. 14 hour max)
• You’re racist and only want to play on a white console
By: Bhaven Kapadia
