I won’t lie. When I initially saw the original DS (known as DS fat in some circles) at E3 2004, I wasn’t super impressed with the little device. Granted, the device on the E3 show floor was not the model they finally ended up releasing, but that’s besides the point. With the release of the DS Lite, I was won over with the quality of games and the complete overhaul of the hardware. Our little buddy has over 100 million units sold since it was introduced, and is also the highest selling handheld platform of its generation. Nintendo has decided to go back to the drawing board with the DS, and has thus introduced the Nintendo DSi. The real question to the DSi is… should you part ways with your DS Lite and your $169.99 to get your hands on the newer version?

The original Game Boy saw its share of hardware redesigns, and the Game Boy Advance had many as well. Not all of the upgrades of the original Game Boy and GBA were worth it, but usually one of them was. For instance, the Game Boy SP was an amazing update to the handheld, while the GameBoy micro didn’t really make a whole lot of sense. The DSi falls in the middle of the grouping of hardware redesigns. Lets explain why.

Ok, so lets get stats and things out of the way before we start talking about the pros and cons of the system:

CPUs: The main CPU is an ARM9 processor clocked at 133 MHz
RAM: 16 MB of RAM (four times as much as previous models)
Storage: 256 MB of internal flash memory (extra storage listed below)
Wireless: 802.11 internal wireless connectivity
Added: Two integrated cameras (on on the flip up screen, the other on the inside of the DS), SD/SDHC card expansion slot (up to 32 gigs), DS screens enlarged by 0.25”,
Removed: GBA slot

Those are the stats in black and white for you. The DSi is slightly thinner than the DS Lite at around 2.0mm, but it’s such a slight change, you don’t really notice it unless you’re putting both handhelds up for an up close look. Unlike the DS Lite compared to the DS Fat, the overhaul is not nearly as much.

The biggest aspect to the upgrade in this reviewer’s opinion is the DSi Shop. Using the Wi-FI support that is in the DSi, you can connect to a wireless store and buy games right to your internal memory or to an SD card via your SD card slot. Lucky for us SD card holders, you can use a boat load of different SD cards with the DSi, but you can easily expect branded Nintendo SD cards in the near future. While currently only having a handful of downloadable items in the DSi shop, the idea of having this portable downloading store is an amazing idea. Developers can now take a risk on a DS game, without having to invest on spending money on cartridges, and all that other jazz it takes to release a full on DS game. I expect this store to explode similar in nature to the iPhone app store did a few months back.

It’s after you get past the DSi Shop and its greatness, where you begin to see the downsides to this newly redesigned DS. Easily the most noticeable part to the redesign are the DSi’s cameras which are located on the inside hinge and on the outside the flip up screen. While the cameras work, they’re not of the highest quality. Coming in at a whopping 0.3 megs, these cameras are pretty much useless. They are not a high quality camera, but you can find better cameras in low end phones out there which make you wonder why Nintendo went with QVGA quality for both of its cameras on the DSi. While the cameras do their job for games like Wario Ware: Snapped, you’re not going to do much with them outside of games that you might play.

You’re not going to see much in terms of speed or enhancements on the internal hardware at all either. While the CPU and RAM have been upgraded, it’s hard to notice much of a difference. I played New Super Mario Bros on both systems, and they both played exactly the same..
The removal of the GBA slot, is in my mind, a complete deal breaker when it comes to the DSi. It makes it so that you can’t play GBA games, use any of the GBA slot add-ons for the DS, and makes it so that you can use homebrew/flash card setups on the DSi. Nintendo is clearly trying to get people to use the DSi Shop, but I really don’t like the removal of the GBA slot even when the GBA is many years old. It’s preference really on the removal, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Final Verdict:

In this reviewer’s opinion, it’s not worth it right now. While the DSi Shop is great, there isn’t much there right now to actually buy, which renders it useless. The cameras and the other upgrades don’t really have that “wow” factor that the DS lite had when it was released, which also play against the system. In time, the DSi will most likely receive a price cut, and the modding community will crack the system wide open so you can use homebrew via the SD card slot for your advantage, but who knows how long that will take. If you’re going to buy a DS Lite or DSi, stick with the DS Lite for now. You’ll get more features that you’ll use, and it will be at a cheaper price.

Final Fantasy VI came out yesterday and I couldn’t be more excited for my DS. I’ve been playing Hotel Dusk for the past two or three weeks and Diddy Kong Racing all last week, but now that this title is out, my DS’ GBA port is forfeit. I’ve managed to go the entire life of my LITE without sullying the slot with an archaic Advance game. Oh, but no more. I played 7 hours yesterday and was late for class today.

Six is the best of the Fantasies, overlooked as the last child before the revered VII just too early to make the PSX bus. For shame to be a FF Fan and have never played the best in the series. Go out. Buy it now. If you’ve played it before or especially not. I know I haven’t been making much sense, but you get the gist. Now, I have to go find Terra. She just turned into an esper and flew off.

-Arlo

I’m not a Nintendo whore. I just enjoy being right. New continuity after this! I promise!

I’m sure you’ve heard about the Wii price point rumors by now. It’s still not official as Nintendo has announced we will know The Truth by September, but financial projections Nintendo made to their investors put the Revol– ahem… Wii in at a max of $250. I was really scared for a while there that the high PS3 price point would tempt the Big N to drop their machine at a solid 300. So good news. Here’s to hoping for $200

I know, I know… not much going on in the universe right now. Plus, I’m tired. Worky worky.

-Arlo

P.S. I passed “Symphony of Destruction (Hard)” on Race’s Guitar Hero profile for her. She’s a liar!

I should really watch my language. If there are any kids reading us, this is a good time to let you know that it’s a cruel, harsh world out there….and that there is no Santa Claus. Sorry.

So I was just checking out our domain’s stats, and over the past few days, we’ve been averaging about 800-900 hits a day, which is about 200 more than our usual, which is really very cool. Anyway, while I was checking out these stats, I figured I’d see what search phrases have made people stumble upon our humble abode. I’m telling you people find us in some strange ways, and I just thought I’d share. Here are some of the highlights:

-trauma center hentai
-what happens when you get too high
-i m da juggernaut
-oblivion nude pubes
-oblivion nipple hack
-nintendo bitch
-attractive girl get paid
-big weiners
-bro hoes
-ill believe that when my shit turns purple and tastes like rainbow sherbert

“Oblivion nude pubes.” I shit you not. You people are sick. SICK, I say!

~Race