Review: Nintendo DSi offers evolutionary, not revolutionary, upgrade over DS Lite

 When Nintendo released the DS Lite in June 2006, it was a drastic upgrade over the previous model, the Nintendo DS (short for dual screen), which had come out nearly 18 months earlier.

The two screens on the DS Lite were a lot brighter and easier to see, and the sleeker, smaller redesign made the unit feel more modern and compact. It was an amazing transformation that helped sell more than 75 million units and made the DS Lite the premiere hand-held game system.

Hitting stores today is the latest incarnation, the Nintendo DSi. Though it has some great new features and abilities, the DSi feels more like version 2.5 than a total reboot like the DS Lite was. That’s OK -- the improvements are worthwhile additions to an already great product.

Physically, the DSi is about the same size and shape as the DS Lite. Instead of a shiny gloss finish, though, the DSi comes in matte black and matte light blue (at least initially). The matte finish feels almost sticky to the touch compared with the slick coating on the previous version. That's not necessarily a good thing for a hand-held game system.

The screens on the newest version are slightly bigger and brighter, but the change isn’t as drastic as the last upgrade. The DS games still play and look the same.

Gone is the ability to play Game Boy Advance games using ...

...a slot in the front; its real estate is now used to house an SD card reader. It’s a welcome trade. Now the photo and music storage of the DSi is limited only by the size of the removable memory chip you stick in the unit (but which must be purchased separately).

(Another note: This version, like the two before it, uses a whole new power adapter with a newly shaped plug, meaning more old plugs are heading for landfills across the globe. Thanks for being green, Nintendo.)

  The three biggest improvements are the addition of two cameras, an audio reader and a new operating system that adds the ability to purchase and download games wirelessly in a way similar to the WiiShop, Nintendo’s online store for its wildly successful Wii platform.

First the cameras: With two tiny lenses attached to the unit -- one on the front pointing to the person holding the DSi and one on the back pointing away -- users can snap photos and use the creative photo editing software that’s included to manipulate the pictures.

The 11 different options produce a lot of fun results. (Our favorite is the “merge” function that blends two pictures to form a hybrid of the two faces, like some photo booths do. The outcome is usually hilarious.)

The photo editing software is simple enough that even a 6-year-old can figure it out in about 20 minutes.

And while the cameras’ resolution is tiny by today’s standards at only 0.3 megapixels, the possibilities of snapping a cute photo to upload to your Facebook page (using your trusty SD card and a computer) will surely be loved by teens worldwide.

The other great improvement is the Nintendo DSi shop, which also launches today. Gamers can redeem points for quirky, original games that are downloaded and installed on their unit, much the way Apple Inc.'s App Store works. A variety of games (with a variety of prices, from free to $8 each) will roll out over the coming months. As a perk to try it out, anyone who purchases a DSi and connects to the store before Oct. 5, 2009, will get the equivalent of $10 to buy games. (We’ll be using our credit for “WarioWare: Snapped!,” a strange collection of mini-games that uses the camera to force the player into some offbeat faces and movements and will be a must-purchase for anyone who picks up a DSi.)

Additionally, a music application not only records sounds but also allows users to manipulate songs from the SD card. Now, playing with the pitch of “Mamma Mia!” has never been more possible.

The bottom line is just that. Are the new features and cameras worth the extra $40 this unit costs compared with the previous model? For die-hard Nintendo fans, the answer will be a resounding yes. But for the DS Lite owners without a lot of disposable income in these rough economic times, you’re not missing too much.

Grade: A- (Improved, yes. A must have? Probably not.)

Price: $169.99

-- Pete Metzger

Top photo: The Nintendo DSi, which was officially released today.

Middle photo: David Santillian, 18, of Studio City, and his sister Stephanie, play the new Nintendo DSi during the launch celebration at Universal Citywalk on Friday.

Bottom photo: Vince Jimenez, 21, of Hollywood, left, cheers at midnight during the launch celebration at Universal Citywalk as he waits with dozens of other gamers to buy Nintendo's new hand-held game console.

Photo credits: Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[ImRickJamesBietch]

This game Rocks!
WarioWare is Awesome

[Mrsiz.]Nisha=Babiie]

THAT ISZ A BUNCHA BULL CRAP!!!ALL THEII HAD 2 DO WUZ MAKE IT INTO A CARD LYKE DS GAMESZ AND HAVE IT DOWNLOAD LYKE SOFTWARE BUT NOOOOO THEI ARE BEING DIFFICULT!!!IM NOT BUYIN A NEW DS AGAIN!!!

[Noemi]

its awesome i want it its so cool i wish i had one im getting it

[Bub]

The comment about the power adapter is odd. The DSi has more RAM, more CPU power, larger screens, a hot-swap OS... those differences mean it probably has a different energy system than the DSLite or DS. Therefore, it doesn't seem strange to me that it would also have a different power input.

Besides, what other alternative would there be?

- If Nintendo sold the DSi with a backwards-compatible adapter, that would still mean that there would be a bunch of extra adapters.

- If Nintendo sold the DSi with no adapter, that would mean that purchasers who do not already have a DS would have to buy a separate adapter. That's practically like selling new appliances without a plug. Does that sound reasonable? (And, of course, it would *still* mean there would be a bunch of extra adapters, once the purchasers bought the non-included adapters.)

[Shay]

very cool, nice and new sleeker. Must have for those that have never had a Nintendo Ds at all.

[Alan Gerow]

Are you kidding me? The DS to DS Lite was a small step. The DS Lite to DSi is far a bigger step. Let's look at it:

From DS to DS Lite:
Smaller
Brighter Screens
Larger stylus

From DS Lite to DSi:
Smaller still
No GBA slot
Music software
Two cameras
SD Card Slot
ability to download, store, play downloaded games

I have both a DS launch unit and an onyx DS Lite. Their only difference is size and screen brightness. There's absolutely zero new functionality, nor any functionality lost. The DSi adds tons of new features, while losing a couple. I'll be getting me one of these, as well.

I'm not going to say that the DSi is any sort of major upgrade, but to say it's 2.5 to the DS Lite's 2.0 is absolutely absurd. It's more the 2.0 to the DS Lite's 1.5 to the DS's 1.0. It's evolutionary, yes, but the DS Lite was cosmetic.

Another way to look at it:
DS & DS Lite both play DS & GBA games with Slot-II Expansion packs
DSi plays DS & DSi games with SD card slot for music, games, and storage; no GBA games or Slot-II Expansion packs and DSi games that won't be playable on DS & DS Lite in the same way (due to the cameras)

[Thomas Abel]

The only plus I see with the DSi is the cameras. Everything else is half baked. Plays music but not MP3? Lame. System launches without any compelling software to make it a must buy. I'll wait for the price drop.

[Smalls]

I love the DSi.

1. If your whining about the price... then what are you really whining about.
2. Of course, the GBA slot is gone, but why care? I've got a GBA.
3. No flash for DSi Browser is fine with me, do you think PSP users care?
4. MP3s? It's actually a problem with most of you people now-a-days, you want MP3 because that's what you see everywhere. MP3s have horrible compressions, but why do I care, all my music are mixtapes from DatPiff not iTunes download music.

@ImRickJamesBietch
How old are you? Seriously, did you expect that to happen? It's impossible. More RAM, better CPU, better wireless internet, etc. D1D U EXPECT DAT.

[Nintendo DSi]

I love the DSi! Its really amazing.