Nintendo DSi review
Should you spend $169 for the Nintendo DSi? Or will your current DS or DS Lite still do the trick? (Even better: Maybe you can win one. Click here to enter our drawing.)
THE LOOK
The new handheld console is slightly smaller and lighter than the DS and DS Lite. It doesn’t come in a rainbow of colors (yet), just blue and black. The surface is matte, slightly grainy, not soft and smooth. That’s supposed to prevent fingerprints.
But it doesn’t look as sleek as, say, a white DS Lite with a glossy finish. The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is a bit larger (by a quarter inch) and much sharper, too. You’ll notice that improvement right away.
That brightness comes at a bit of a price. While the battery lasts between nine and 14 hours, it doesn’t give you as much playing time as the DS Lite, which has up to 19 hours of battery power. Your DSi battery will last through about 500 full charges.
BEYOND GAMES
If you need a handheld device that does more than play games, this could be a good buy for you. First, you can use it as an MP3 player by loading one of those tiny SD (Secure Digital) cards in a slot on the right side. You can play tons of your favorite music—up to 32 gigabytes worth. But only iTunes type music and nothing else.
The small speakers are crisper and clearer than before. But they’re not that powerful. So use your headphones for the best experience.
By finding a WiFi hotspot and downloading a free Web browser, you can surf online. Unfortunately, the speed is pretty slow. Plus, you can’t view videos or play online games, at least right now. But it sure is useful for checking e-mail and news.
THE CAMERAS
The DSi sports two 0.3 megapixel cameras. The one on the outside of the case lets the DSi act like a camera for outings, travel and candid snapshots. The second camera, visible when you open the device, is used more for funny apps and playing games. Sure, the camera is fun. But couldn’t Nintendo have added at least the standard 1.3 megapixels to one of the two? What they’ve given you in camera resolution is so ’90s.
The system comes with a couple of software apps that let you change your photo in kooky ways. By manipulating the picture with your stylus, you can make your face funny, like you’re viewing it in one of those fun-house mirrors. You can also make the photo into kaleidoscope. Then, you can share it with your friends who have DSis. Another neat aspect of the photos is the ability to upload them wirelessly to the Wii Photo Channel.
DSi SHOP
You’ll also use the camera in small, inexpensive games in the DSi Shop online, in particular during a $5 Wario game. These are like the WiiWare games you might have purchased already via your Wii. They download in a minute or two. You’ll hear some pleasant music and watch Mario and Princess Peach fill a glass of water while you wait. There’s a lot more storage space in the DSi for games, too, four times as much as the DS Lite, a very nice 16 megabytes.
The DSi comes with 1,000 free points, which you can use in the shop for two or three games that range from 200 to 800 points each. When you buy points, 100 points equal $1. No game is over $10.
THE GAMES IN THE SHOP
Right now, the games are O.K. or above average. Aqua is like Tetris with an underwater diver theme. But you don’t use the touch screen to play. It’s definitely sweet, but the instructions are kind of hard to find.
WarioWare: Snapped looks like the best so far. It makes use of the DSi camera. The problem here is that my face wasn’t recognized by the camera because my walls are white, the same color as my face. When I tried this against a green wall, it also failed. Hmmm.
NO GAME BOY GAMES
The one huge negative about the DSi is that there’s no slot for your Guitar Hero World Tour peripheral, which used the Game Boy slot. It also means you can’t play old Game Boy games. That means no Pokemon, a big loss for gamers.
Nintendo feels that the old games aren’t being played as much anymore. If you still want that option, you’ll have to hang on to your DS Lite or DS. My guess is that Nintendo will begin re-releasing the old Game Boy games as DSi Ware so they can make more money on them.
While the DSi has a lot of enjoyable bells and whistles, you might already have some of these in your MP3 player or cell phone. The Internet and online options for the DSi are the true selling points of this system.
Maybe by the holidays, there will be a greater variety of DSi Shop games that work better than they do now. Unless you’re the kind of person who needs the newest thing right now — or unless you win a DSi from a cool Website like scoutlife.org — the holidays might be a better time to consider buying the DSi.
I have a DSi. the color option is limited, true, but who wants to play cruddy gba games when you can get ds or dsiware games? the web browser is free and unsurprizingly, the dsi points go pretty fast. the dsiware either lacks depth, or qaulity. i think the dsi is good for me, i use it to check my gmail all the time, but if your just looking for a good system, go buy a ps2, or a ds lite
i think it us very cool 🙂 but the camra is less then ok but the web browser is sooo BAD because you cant play flash games are use java or the shockwave
get a psp faster internet and there isw more on the psn store then the dsi has on ist store( movies,games,music,demos,videos,family guy)
16 gigabytes! i am so getting dsi
If you have a nintendo DS light, I find this pointless. It has the internet BUT you can’t play internet games OR watch videos on youtube. My friend has one and I would say it’s not worth it. They keep advertising how you can mess with pictures but, come on! It gets boring after a while. Unless your one of those people that MUST have the latest thing right when it comes out, then go ahead. But frankly, I don’t think it’s worth it. (I have played one. I’m not guessing)
i like the dsi
kellyn thanks but thats still a little too pricey but thanks anyway nintendo will probably go down in price sometime hopefully?!
Hey!! No Gameboy advance slot!! I had many great Gameboy advance games!! I’m not buying!
A dsi is so cool because it has internet and you can take pictures with it. I herd that it has better speakers than the ds lite.I also like it because when you buy it you can pick its color.There is abunch more stuff I cant think of.
To, thewanted,
U could get a DSi for $100 with the DS or the DS light if u do, go to game stop with it AND $105 and buy it.
This is not for u, but I’m gonna win that DSi! Cha Ching!