DSi

 

Nintendo's new DSi portable game system is an upgrade from the old DS Lite, itself an upgrade from the original DS, released just over 4 years ago, now discontinued.

It's important to note that the DSi is not a new platform, but rather the same old DS system that plays all DS cartridges while also sporting some cosmetic tweaks and a whole lot of internal puffage and new feature sets.

At $169.99 USD, that's a $40 bump up from the DS Lite, currently selling for $129.99, itself an upgrade from the original DS, released just over 4 years ago, now discontinued. In Canada, the DSi is $199.99, a whopping $60 jump from the $139.99 DS Lite, which makes little sense but there it is.

Though its slightly stretched but thinner and lighter form factor makes it easier to pocket, the DSi no longer supports play of old Game Boy cartridges, which was a redeeming feature of the original DS as those who had amassed a collection of Game Boy games could buy new cake and eat their old one, too. That's gone, too bad, hope you've amassed a batch of old DS games.

Anyway, on the glaringly obvious front, DSi features two cameras - not unlike many modern cell phones - for snapping both self portraits inwardly or capturing the vista out in front (if the thing's flipped open, of course). You can store about 400 low rez photos in the system's 256MB of internal memory, or load a thousand or three to a removable SD card the DSi now graciously accommodates in a right-side slot. Gimmick software allows you to edit photos in a number of goofy ways, stretching faces, making kaleidoscopes and what not, plus there's already one game, WarioWare: Snapped, that incorporates the camera to function as a motion sensor during gameplay, which is silly but fun (or stupid, because you have to keep the DSi stationary on a table to play).

Speaking of SD cards, you can also load and play music on the DSi as well as fiddle with your tunes by messing with the pitch or overlaying sound effects or recorded voices (which can be altered, as with helium or Mr. Roboto effects and what not). Again, decidedly gimmicky but a fun little DJ Ice Geek interactive distraction on the bus or wherever.

On the downside, music files must be in AAC, the default audio format of Apple's iPod and friends, which means if you've got a music library full of MP3 and WMA files, you'll have to convert them (and you'll need an SD card reader/writer on your computer to transfer them). No, that's not a hassle at all.

Of course, if you're already down with the AAC then you're good to go... though that would also mean you probably already own an iPod, which makes the DSi music player somewhat redundant. Then again, you can't add Mario's boing boing jumping sounds to your songs on an iPod. There is that. Oh Nintendo, will your cuddly wuddly charm never end?

But where DSi is really going to compete with both its earlier self and perhaps iPhone (and Sony's PlayStation Portable if it has to) is in its new download capabilities. Free, cheap and overpriced little games and "apps" are already gracing the DSi Shop, an exclusive little online hub you access via the in-built Wi-Fi connection.

Seeing as DS games sold at retail in cartridge format cost $20 - 30 each regardless of quality or gameplay longevity, the interactive ditties found in the DSi Shop for $2, $5, or maybe $8 are no-brainers without even looking at them. It's a brand new world of disposable games and DSi is all over it.

Ultimately, the DSi is the ultimate gimmick gadget. In and of itself it does nothing new except offer a singular device to do many ubiquitous things, namely play games, play music, snap photos, check the weather, and fiddle with the lot of it like a compact, electronic Tinker Toy set. In that context, DSi is terrific.

However, as yet another overpriced gadget pining for your economically stressed dollar, there's no rush. Though not officially stated, DSi is poised to become the only Nintendo handheld system on the market, eventually. Its launch price seems fair only to "early adopters," which product vendors internally refer to as "low lying fruit" if not "suckers."

As DSi carries much less cachet than an iPhone, it probably won't spark the same must-have frenzy - not here in the West, anyway. It's just a nifty-cool gadget that you can't use to call home on anyway (a DSiPhone, now that would be something). Bide your time, wait for the price to come down (they always come down) and then the DSi will be perfectly worth it.

DSiWare Launch Titles

As with DSi hardware, so launches the new DSi Shop where DSi owners can purchase and download games and applications with DSi Points. Like Wii Points, DSi Points can be purchased at retail as a gift card or online directly with a credit card, equating to roughly a penny a piece. Here's the stuff:

Nintendo DSi Browser (Nintendo, 1 player, 0 Nintendo DSi Points): An Opera web browser custom made for DSi. Easy to use, but typing URLs and surfing the web in itty bitty format isn't. Good thing it's free.

Bird & Beans (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Play as a bird with an elastic tongue and an insatiable appetite for beans.

Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Relatively cheap because it's just a small selection of magic tricks as peeled from the larger offering in the original DS game.

Art Style: AQUIA (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Fast-paced underwater puzzle.

WarioWare: Snapped! (Nintendo, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 500 Nintendo DSi Points). Uses the built-in Nintendo DSi Camera as a motion detector so you can wave your hands and shake your head like an idiot to play micro-games.

Brain Age Express: Math (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Nintendo DSi Points). Convince yourself you're getting better at math.

Details
Reviewed: Apr. 06, 2009
Type: Gear, Hardware
From: Nintendo


Pictures
             


Related Gadgets
Review: DSi XL