So
I used Brain Age as my test game, because I didn't want to risk my Animal Crossing town in a different DS. It'd probably be ok, as I wasn't planning on going online, but I wasn't sure so it wasn't worth the risk.
First impressions: Ooooohshiny!
The outside has an acrylic or something casing over the case – the color won't rub off like it's doing on my 1st gen DS, but also it takes smudges and fingerprints as bad as the new ipods. Also, there's a raised logo whatsit on the top, which might make it difficult to put skins or stickers on it.
The inside is more of a flat white. Pretty much eh, in my opinion.
Buttons are a tad smaller, but seem ok to use. Hm. Now that I think about it, Brain Age wasn't the best test game, as you hold the ds like a book and use the stylus to write – so zero use of the buttons. OK fine – I'm going to go try Baldur's Gate for a bit – a GBA game I'm theoretically playing.
Tried out the GBA game, and also Meteos. The GBA cartridge sticks out pretty far. It makes it a little uncomfortable to hold, but not horribly so. Buttons seem a little… cheap. They're a bit smaller, and feel a little bit flimsy. I don't like the start and select buttons being so tiny – I use the start button frequently in AC, also use them both in GBA games. They're awkward to hit, but it's probably just something to get used to.
The new stylus is much better than the old stylus, but I'm still gonna stick with my stylus/pen combo. It's much more comfortable to use.
The screen brightness is definitely the best thing about the DSLite. It's bright like whoa. I don't know how the battery will hold up, however. It's supposed to be better – but I bet not on the brightest setting.
There's 4 brightness levels. One drawback is you can't change the brightness while you're playing – you have to turn off the DS and change it at the opening screen. The first level is a smidge darker than the original DS, the second is a smidge brighter. There's probably no reason to have it higher than 2 indoors. I went outside to try it out. It's a bright sunny day today – 97° – so it was perfect for testing this. In the shade w/ the DSLite on the highest brightness level I had no trouble at all seeing anything on the screen. In direct sunlight, well, don't bother. :) Still, the original DS is unplayable outside on a reasonably bright day, so this is a marvelous improvement.
The power button is a big improvement. First off, it's not right under where my thumb rests. o_O Also, the way it works, I can't imagine being able to turn it off accidentally.
Overall Impression:
I haven't played it very much, but I'm not super impressed with it. The brightness is fantastic, but the original looks better in my opinion, and is much more comfortable to hold. The DSLite is supposed to be lighter, but I really couldn't tell much difference between the two. I don't really like the rectangular shape, as compared to the sorta curves of the DS.
I might buy one when/if the price drops and/or they come out with a purple one. I'm dissatisfied w/ my ipod because mygod it smudges and scratches easily – I want to wait to see if the DS does the same.
I'm happy with my original DS. I don't need to upgrade yet. Although I really wish they had one the color of my icon. :)
I’m fairly annoyed by nintendo’s marketing of
– new portable system!
3 months pass
– same portable system with changes!
3 months pass
– same portable system with NEW CHANGES!!
rinse and repeat.
So because of this I abstain from the DS lite. XD
I wondered about the surface of the DS Lite. Saw one at T’arjay, & it seemed as if the teensiest thing would put huge gouges in it. No thanks.
I’d put up with gouges for a purple one, though.
Thanks for the review. I was afraid I was missing out on something good! LOL
I want me a DS. And your song cracked me right up – haven’t heard that one on years, but I bet DH has it on CD somewhere – he colects novelty songs, he’s got hundreds of ’em.
I looked around a bit at the DS…and naturally my brain latched on to one of the ones that is very hard to come by, and twice as expensive as a regular one – I want the pastel pink one with the Special Friends Nintendogs bundle :-). And it’s $299. Er, no. Maybe if I can find a full time job though, I’ll get myself a regular one as a yay me present.
omg, i bought one on sunday right after breakfast! and, i love it. of course, i think my general aesthetic trends toward the sleek, the slick, and the iPod-ish, so I really like this design…
and i can totally tell the difference in weight…at least after playing for a couple of hours… :)
but, they are coming out with some cool other colors in a couple of months…maybe even PURPLE! :)
I adore the Lite!! Ooh, Baldur’s Gate! Love that game! Played it on some other console..don’t remember which. Possibly more than one Baldur’s Gate. My memory is crap. Anyway, I just wanted to leave you a note to see if you still wanted to be on one of my rosters. I have space on both now, more space on Mariëlle’s. I think you said Max had me added…but I got new codes. Let me know what you want to do!
Brain Age isn’t really the best game to try, since it’s mostly black-and-white. Animal Crossing looks MINT on the DS Lite, as does Meteos. I’m still trying to figure out where I put my Trauma Center cart so I can play it on the Lite.
It’s definitely worth buying.
Oh, and I hate the start/select buttons on it… as you mentioned. I not only find them painfully small, but they’re also REALLY stiff.
I think the instruction manual says “15-18 hours on lowest light setting. 5-8 on highest”. And I agree, the should have had a light-control button or something (like the SP)
But I have to disagree on you with the power switch. I don’t get how people can accidently turn off their DS. My thumb never leaves the D-Pad. So far, with the Lite in my pocket, I’ve accidently turned it on twice. (I fiddle around in my pockets a lot) The button on the inside was much nicer.
Heh – that’s funny. Guess it’s all in how you hold it. I use the dpad more in animal crossing than I used to, so I haven’t turned it off accidentally in ages, but sometimes my thumb does brush the power switch.
Since I posted this, I had a chance to play animal crossing on the DS more. I really don’t like the colors – they’re not “right” – my gate looks blue on the old DS and purple on the new. The colors on the DS seem over saturated or something – designed for the old screen, and show up odd on the new, I’d guess.
I dunno, I don’t like it as much as the old one. Rob’s happy with it though, which is what counts. :) I could see myself buying one sometime down the road, if it comes out in a good color, and either has a price drop or comes with a good game or something. But for now, I don’t need to upgrade. :)
Yeah, the one thing I don’t like is how all the main DS screen’s colours are gross. It went from a forest green to a pea green. *puke*.