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« on: April 06, 2009, 11:55:00 PM »
The Nintendo DSi
Impressions
Okay, well, I'm awake, now, and I stayed up 'til 3 o'clock in the morning taking this little handheld in and swirling around all of its advantages and disadvantages in my head. Note that this is a Matte Black DSi.
Form:
~It most certainly is "longer and shorter than the DSLite," and it makes the system very portable. The hinges' opening and shutting feel natural, and every external slot or reader is kept far enough inside the machine, with hardly any protrusions (save for the clicking L and R shoulder buttons), and all are placed in intuitive spots. The Microphone is no longer near the bottom; it's located on the hinge. And no, there is no GBA slot.
Function:
~The buttons are improved versions of what the DSLite offered, depending upon your take on "improved." The DSLite's "bubble" buttons are back, and they've been given the Matte finish, too. The center of the D-Pad now caves in a bit more, so that's easier. The L and R shoulder buttons seem sturdy, though they click when you press them. I hope that means they're contacting better and are sturdier. The big difference this time, though, is the power button! It's no longer on the side of the DSLite where you're afraid you might accidentally slide your hand and turn it off, and it's not above the D-Pad where you might try to press up just a liiiiittle too far and BAM, gone. No, this time, the power button is located to the side and near the bottom left corner of the touch screen. Somebody did their homework, because that's the least-used section of the touch screen, and when it is, it's usually for some moderately-sized but prominent button. Also, if you quickly press the power button, the system resets. If you hold it, the DSi powers down.
Communication:
~The days of shy, quiet DS' are no more. The DSi's Internet menu now has 3 "Advanced Settings" for WPA and other very secure types of wireless connections. I think the local Wi-Fi communication range was boosted a bit, but I can't really tell, right now; all I have to go on is the relative range from my router compared to the DSi. Even then, it's only like 2 feet of difference. The three indicator lights (communication, external power, and system power) are a bit confusing at first, but you'll easily learn what they mean through experience.
Ergonomics:
~Now for the system's size, though, it has probably only eliminated the cramped hands feeling for people with smaller hands. People with far larger hands (like myself) will still need to purchase a grip of some sort. If you do not have the desire or cash to do so, though, you could put the base of your palms at the bottom corners of the DSi and have the bulks of your index fingers press the L and R shoulder buttons, but this will cost you reaction and execution time.
Power and Light:
~Did I mention the screens were brighter? Holy cow, I have to set it on 2 just to keep it at a normal brightness. Also to save battery power, too, because the DSi has less average play time per charge. Oh, and be warned; if you're wanting to setup your DSi right out of the box, you need to be quick about it; they only barely charged it so they could test it out, and the system will give you a quick camera tutorial once you power it up.
Display:
~The screens are bigger! Yea! ...well, sorta yea. As you might imagine, this stretches the image slightly, and on flickering games (e.g., Kirby Superstar Ultra), you'll be able to see horizontal display lines. That's still not enough of a detractor, though, because the larger screens improve the experience (and give your brain more room to work with spacing and timing). It will make games like Elite Beat Agents or Sonic Rush's Special Stages slightly harder since you have to move more, but the size increase helps a ton of other games.
Sound:
~Stunningly good sound considering the two tiny holes out of which the waves have to travel. I'm not kidding; if you've ever bubbled in an answer on a Scantron test form, the speakers are as big as an answer bubble. It's no hindrance, though, as if you have the volume all the way on maximum and you turn the DSi on, every sector of your brain will know it's on. The DSi's speaker won't overtake a restaurant dull roar, but I imagine this will fare better than the DSLite and Phat.
Ease of Use:
~So, I'll go on ahead and say it; the DSi's menus and interface are almost EXACTLY like the Wii's. Certainly the settings menus. When you start up the handheld, you still have to tap the screen once to confirm...whatever, but then you're greeted with a single-line iPod- or Photo Album-like Scrolling Boxes menu that has all of your applications and games, starting you off on your last used application.
Cosmetics:
~I was skeptical at first, but this Matte finish idea was a good idea. I'm a bit disappointed at Nintendo's choice of colors, though. I mean, really, a light blue? Black was fine, but make two other colors like some sort of red or pink and then a teal so you can please the blue and green crowds. I wouldn't say the outside feels like sandpaper; more like very polished and scraped composite board. It's a bit rough, but not so rough that it can't slide out of your pocket or makes you feel uncomfortable. And yes, it does very well at eliminating smudges and fingerprints. Not 100%, but honestly, I think this is about as close as you'll get.
Final Synopsis: 4/5
A surprisingly worthwhile redesign of a solid handheld system. I'm afraid they're pushing the DSi's quirky little features like the camera and the music player a little too hard, though, especially since they're a bit lackluster. The AAC formatting for music is not all that user-friendly, and the downloadable free Opera browser is not Flash, Audio, or Video capable, not to mention it's zoom problems. No flash on the camera, so it's not like you'll be taking pictures in the dark or at distances, on top of the poor display quality of the photos. That aside, the features are still fun to horse around with. Bird and Beans (it's Pyoro 1 and 2, guys) was definitely fun for $2 (you are given 1000 DSi Points when you sign in before Oct. 5th), and the lasting appeal and success of this handheld will truly come into play if and when downloadable GB/GBC/GBA games start cropping up, not to mention original titles.
If your DSLite's hinge is broken or the shoulder buttons are about to buy the farm or is giving you hand cramps, or you're still using a DSPhat, it's time to make the switch. If you don't care at all about the downloadable games, though, stick with what you've got (at least until the price on this bad boy drops a bit).
UPDATE: And apparently, you DO get 160 Club Nintendo Coins ($170 MSRP - 1000 "free" DSi points/$10) for registering your DSi, but I already linked my Club Nintendo account to my DSi, and I didn't get them! Ugh!
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