General Kaliero
I myself had a DS of the original design, and enjoyed it very much. But now it is in the hands of my 6-year-old sister. Why? Well, blame it on the DS' new younger sibling. That's right, the DS Lite.
When I first heard that the DS was being redesigned, my initial reaction was to be intrigued, but not really planning on getting it. I mean, I had a DS, and no redesign without adding new features is really a necessary buy, right?
Right?
Well, not exactly. On Sunday, I got to see one for myself. Seriously, it's like a DS and an iPod had a kid. It looks like a Mac product, with a shiny clear plastic layer over the soft white body. It's just enough smaller than the DS to make you notice that it's smaller, and the overall design slips into a pocket much more easily. The stylus is relocated to the side instead of the back, much closer at hand, and is thicker and longer than the old stylus, making a much more comfortable fit to the fingers. The power button is now a spring-loaded slider switch on the right side, which is personally my second-favorite change. When my old DS was still new, I'd accidentally hit the power button while playing, since it was on the face with all the other buttons and, well, a button. The new slider makes it literally impossible to turn the Lite off while playing; it just can't be done. The Nintendo logo is gone fro mthe top of the lid, replaced with the cool little minimalistic double-screen logo. There's also a dust cover that slots into the GBA slot to protect it and keep the design fluid. And all that with the darn thing still closed.
Open, there's even more to admire. the buttons are smaller and softer, and the D-Pad has those little silver lines from the Wii-mote. the power indicator lights are easier to see on the far right of the hinge, and the mic is right in the middle, between the screens. The start and select buttons are now to the bottom right of the lower screen, out of the way when you don't want 'em, but easy to reach when you do. The hinge is better-built than the weirdly fragile-seeming DS hinge, and the lid closes with a satisfying audible snap. You can't see it closed, but the two screens lay against each other while the system's closed, making sure nothing can slip in there and mess up the screens.
The screens are what make the Lite amazing. They're the same size as the DS', but oh my gawd the brightness and clarity. Comparing the two side by side, the DS' screens look like they've been smeared with mud. It's just that much of a difference. There are four brightness settings (if you want to extend battery life), and all of them are brighter than the DS. You won't use them most of the time, though, because the default highest setting is too good for the other options to seem worthwhile unless you plan on using it non-stop all day away from an outlet.
And, as stupid as it sounds, games just PLAY better on the Lite. There's just so much vibrancy and life in them now with the new screen. The Lite made me play Metroid Prime Hunters again, as well as most of my GBA library, because it's just more fun with the extra pizazz from the screens.
I seriously recommend this system. If you never bought a DS the first time, find out what you've been missing the last two years, and if you own an original DS, sell it, and find out what you're missing now.
When I first heard that the DS was being redesigned, my initial reaction was to be intrigued, but not really planning on getting it. I mean, I had a DS, and no redesign without adding new features is really a necessary buy, right?
Right?
Well, not exactly. On Sunday, I got to see one for myself. Seriously, it's like a DS and an iPod had a kid. It looks like a Mac product, with a shiny clear plastic layer over the soft white body. It's just enough smaller than the DS to make you notice that it's smaller, and the overall design slips into a pocket much more easily. The stylus is relocated to the side instead of the back, much closer at hand, and is thicker and longer than the old stylus, making a much more comfortable fit to the fingers. The power button is now a spring-loaded slider switch on the right side, which is personally my second-favorite change. When my old DS was still new, I'd accidentally hit the power button while playing, since it was on the face with all the other buttons and, well, a button. The new slider makes it literally impossible to turn the Lite off while playing; it just can't be done. The Nintendo logo is gone fro mthe top of the lid, replaced with the cool little minimalistic double-screen logo. There's also a dust cover that slots into the GBA slot to protect it and keep the design fluid. And all that with the darn thing still closed.
Open, there's even more to admire. the buttons are smaller and softer, and the D-Pad has those little silver lines from the Wii-mote. the power indicator lights are easier to see on the far right of the hinge, and the mic is right in the middle, between the screens. The start and select buttons are now to the bottom right of the lower screen, out of the way when you don't want 'em, but easy to reach when you do. The hinge is better-built than the weirdly fragile-seeming DS hinge, and the lid closes with a satisfying audible snap. You can't see it closed, but the two screens lay against each other while the system's closed, making sure nothing can slip in there and mess up the screens.
The screens are what make the Lite amazing. They're the same size as the DS', but oh my gawd the brightness and clarity. Comparing the two side by side, the DS' screens look like they've been smeared with mud. It's just that much of a difference. There are four brightness settings (if you want to extend battery life), and all of them are brighter than the DS. You won't use them most of the time, though, because the default highest setting is too good for the other options to seem worthwhile unless you plan on using it non-stop all day away from an outlet.
And, as stupid as it sounds, games just PLAY better on the Lite. There's just so much vibrancy and life in them now with the new screen. The Lite made me play Metroid Prime Hunters again, as well as most of my GBA library, because it's just more fun with the extra pizazz from the screens.
I seriously recommend this system. If you never bought a DS the first time, find out what you've been missing the last two years, and if you own an original DS, sell it, and find out what you're missing now.
..it still is time minus from my what could have been gaming experince