Nintendo DSi: Hands-on Review

The Nintendo DSi is available in Light Blue or Black.

Well, it's been a few days, and I think I have a handle on Nintendo's new handheld.

The Nintendo DSi is the third revamp of the Nintendo DS handheld system. It's a noticeable revision in physical design from the DS Lite, and a MAJOR firmware upgrade.

As physical changes from the DS Lite go, the system is slimmer in design, and the screens are slightly larger. The power switch on the side has been replaced with a power button on the front. The unit also features three lights, one for the wireless connection, one for charging status, and one for power level, with starts off as blue, and turn red when the power is low. Both colors of the system have a matte finish, rather than the glossy finish of the DS Lite. The GBA slot has unfortunately been removed. The most noticeable features are of course, the addition of a camera on both the outside and inside of the unit.

The menu system has been HIGHLY changed from the first two DS versions, and is similar in style to the interface of the Nintendo Wii. Rather than a few stacked boxes for options, you can scroll sideways through several old and new features. Default features include:

• System settings. (The setting menu is pretty much an exact copy of the Wii settings menu.)
• DS game slot. (Where you'll start whatever game you have inserted in the system.)
• Nintendo DSi Camera (Where you can take or edit photos taken with the DSi. You may also quickly access the camera from the menu by pressing the "L" or "R" buttons on the system.)

• Nintendo DSi Sound (Here you can record voice or sound with the microphone, or listen to music you have stored on an SD card.)
• Nintendo DSi Shop (Similar to the Wii Shop Channel.)
• DS Download Play (Preexisting option where you can search for downloadable content from other DS systems, such as single-card multiplayer modes)
• PictoChat (Preexisting DS to DS chat system where you can type or draw.)

After that, are a bunch of blank boxes where you can download DSi games or applications from the shop. One such application is the DSi Internet Browser, that works fairly well, but is about as slow as you would expect from a handheld browser. Touch screen controls are used to drag the page around, as well as type in address bars.

Logging in to the DSi Shop also will grant you 1000 Nintendo points for free, which you can use to download some various titles. This offer is limited, but it ends on October 5th, 2009... so don't sweat it. You've got some time.

With 1000 points in tow, you have access to a pretty decent number of titles. Currently in the shop are the following titles:

• For 200 points each you can download Bird and Beans (a.k.a. Pyoro), a simple action game, and Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face, a mini-version of the magic trick teaching game "Master of Illusion"
• For 500 points each you can download Art Style: AQUIA, a water themed puzzle game, and Wario Ware: Snapped, a small version of the Wario Ware games that makes interesting use of the system's camera.
• For 800 points, you can download Brain Age Express: Math, a smaller version of Brain Age containing the math based games from both Brain Age and Brain Age 2.

With 1000 points in tow, you can walk away with two or three of these games without spending a dime at the shop. Not bad at all.

In quick review of the camera, it's not going to replace your digital camera, or even the camera on your phone. It has very low resolution,(as does the DS) but looks just fine on the screen. It's more of a fun feature, as you can stretch and squash features, add frames and effects, or have two people side by side and do a "Resemblance" check (of which the results shouldn't be taken to heart). It's a fun distraction, but hardly the main draw. The system DOES utilize motion control, similar to Sony's EyeToy, so it has potential for some fun games. (Wario Ware: Snapped being one example.)

In quick review of the Sound feature, which be known to most people as the music player, it's hardly a replacement for the iPod, but oddly enough, only takes songs in the .aac or .m4a format, known to be the formats that play on the iPod. Fun features include several equalizer shows, some being throwbacks to Nintendo's Excitebike, and Super Mario Bros. (the latter is which is "playable") You can go into different menu feature that let you add in recorded voice clips, alter pitch and tempo of the song you're playing, or overlay effects such as an echo, radio static, or even make it "8-Bit" (although the result of that last one is usually atrocious.) Sound quality is decent out of the system's speakers, but if you insist on making the DSi your music player, use headphones.

Overall thoughts?

If you have a DS Lite, only upgrade if you NEED the latest and greatest. The loss of the GBA slot might be detrimental to some, and if you were into the Guitar Hero games on DS, the DSi will render them useless. The battery life does take a pretty big hit, but not to a point where you'll be charging the system every few minutes. I felt that the default brightness was a bit high, so lowering it a few notches will assist greatly in that area.

I would recommend the upgrade for users of the original DS who passed on the Lite, or as a new system for those not owning a DS. The firmware upgrades give this system a lot more possibilities than the previous two. There are rumors that DSi exclusive titles will be released for the system that utilize the camera, but for the most part, there's no need to toss away your old DS.

The system is fine, but not exactly needed right now.