The Nintendo DSi Thread

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Offline Pringer X

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Reply #100 on: April 06, 2009, 05:04:18 AM
Ok, I don't see a thread for this, so here I go.

I got the DSi today (fairly empty in the store, so I must've missed the craziness XD), and so far, it's pretty cool. It's a decent music player, but it requires MP4's to work. It can also record sounds and stuff (up to 10 seconds), so that's kind of cool to record something, and you can also screw around with the speed and the depth, so you can go deep and fast, deep and slow, high and fast, or high and slow. It's kinda fun. Impractical, but fun. You can also close the DSi while earphones are plugged in, and actually listen to the music, which is nice. The quality IS pretty bad, but then again, it's also being based off of the speakers in the first place, and I doubt you can force theater-quality surround sound into something the size of two DS games stacked on top of each other and the length of 1 and a 1/4 of a credit card.

The Web browsers pretty nice. The two main problems (which aren't THAT big of a deal) are: the lack to download things (I know there's a lack of memory on the DSi, but they could AT LEAST let you try to download things onto your SD Card), and the ability to run flash programs (the very least they could have let it work on YouTube, even the Wii lets you watch videos on YouTube). These two things would make the PSP/Wii combo that would be just awesome (The PSP can't handle Flash well, while the Wii can't download things). There may be an update to this, but that may happen later (they also need to start ditching the "Block" system for freakin' actual sizes like MB, GB, and such).

The camera feature is pretty nice, nothing to really comment on because the closest thing to it is a phone camera. It is cool that you can manipulate stuff that you have though, so it's kinda cool to have a mini-photo shop on the thing.

My two biggest grips though, are the power button and the volume button. It's nothing major, but it's still a "why?" thing. The power button is below the D-Pad, and placed far enough down that you won't actually hit the button if your thumb slips (or at least, not actually press down on it), but the problem with it is that when you DO hit it, a simple press sends you back to the main menu. Granted this is kinda cool since if you want to go to the main menu while playing a game or something, you can press it and go back. The problem is, it's a double edged-sword. If something DOES tap it, you exit the game completely. Luckily it's solved already thanks to it's placement, so even though it's a problem, it's still not a glaring one. As for the volume button, it's located on the left side, right above the D-pad. The problem with it is that you have to press the buttons to control the volume. Whatever happened with the wheel or the sliding thing? I thought those worked pretty well, you could adjust it just enough to get the particular volume you want. Granted the buttons come close to those volumes, it still would've been nice because if you need to mute the game in a flash, you could easily push the sliding thing all the way in a second, rather than rapidly tap the button, and it works the other way as well, when you WANT the volume up, you have to rapidly push the button rather than just slide the thing in the same amount of time it takes to hit a button. Again, these problems aren't anything major, but it still just makes me wonder WHY they made it like that?

All in all, it's pretty cool. It's kinda like taking the Wii and the DS and molding the two together, which is a pretty good start for the next generation of hand helds, and the idea's are going to be piling up. If you have a DS or a DS Lite, some cash to blow, and no reason to use the second slot that was lost, go ahead and get it. If you don't have the extra 100+ dollars or you have a good use for the GBA slot, then don't bother, because the difference really isn't that great. I switched mine out because the touch screen was screwed up, and I already had a giant stack of games to trade in anyway (the actual amount of cash I paid was about 3 bucks), so I figured, "why not?" There are some DS games I do want to play, and it may be interesting to see just how Nintendo handles the DSi in the future since it can be upgraded.



Offline Sky Child

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Reply #101 on: April 06, 2009, 05:06:20 AM
I like the blue better in person.



Offline Pringer X

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Reply #102 on: April 06, 2009, 05:09:17 AM
I got the black one, but I don't think either of them have the "shiny gloss" that the DS Lite had. It's really rough on the outside, which is another "why did they do that" thing :\



Offline STM

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Reply #103 on: April 06, 2009, 05:20:06 AM
They lost any chance of a buy from me when they said old games won't support WPA. The only reason I'd get one is so I can take my network off WEP because it's the only thing Nintendo's PoS  DS configuration can accept.



Offline TeaOfJay

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Reply #104 on: April 06, 2009, 05:24:06 AM
I did a review of the DSi, but it wasn't nearly as detailed as yours.

I would agree with the volume, but I didn't have a problem with it.

The whole "Not being able to watch YouTube" thing still irks me. Nintendo should fix that.



Offline Sky Child

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Reply #105 on: April 06, 2009, 05:24:45 AM
I still don't think I'll be buying one any time soon, even with all this in mind.

The Lites are gonna go cheaper now. C:



Offline Pringer X

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Reply #106 on: April 06, 2009, 05:26:04 AM
I did a review of the DSi, but it wasn't nearly as detailed as yours.

I would agree with the volume, but I didn't have a problem with it.

The whole "Not being able to watch YouTube" thing still irks me. Nintendo should fix that.

I'm infamous on several other sites for "Wall of Text" posts, so that's why I put a lot of details into stuff :P



Offline Rad Lionheart

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Reply #107 on: April 06, 2009, 05:27:33 AM
I've got my DS Lite, it's good enough for me.



Offline Romantic Fool

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Reply #108 on: April 06, 2009, 05:28:55 AM
I'm infamous on several other sites for "Wall of Text" posts, so that's why I put a lot of details into stuff :P

a tl;dr poster isn't that bad, rather it properly defines who's a good poster, a whiner, or a troll.

Anyways, on DSi.

I might get it, but I'll probably wait till the price goes down.

Revolutionary


Offline Rock Miyabi

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Reply #109 on: April 06, 2009, 10:22:36 PM
I got mine at midnight on launch day to try and beat any rush/early shortage.
...There was nobody there at midnight.  XD

So I got the blue one, mostly because it goes with my original blue DS to fit the Megaman color scheme nicely. I wanted one because lugging around my PSP to work can be a hassle in my pocket, since I have that original model and a protective case around it. That thing is not pocket friendly. So the DSi feels like a quarter of the size and does the same things, plus more.

I don't care for the mp4 conversion, especially trying to find a good free program online. Best I could do was one that lets you convert 30 as a trial. So I've been able to uninstall and reinstall over and over to repeat the process. It'll do for now, while I only have a 2GB SD card. I do however love the visualizations for the music player. Grabbing coins with Mario can be very addicting, especially with loud/fast paced tunes. I wish the Star Fox one would let you do barrel rolls with the L/R buttons, though. :/ I also love the Excitebike, rain puddle and lightning ones.

I've always noticed issues with the DS and headphones in terms of sound quality. When playing games on the DSi, I still hear that familiar droning hum. But with music on my card, I honestly don't notice that much of a drop in quality and the hum is gone. So I was pleasantly surprised and will be happy to get use out of it as a music player.

Probably will get some good use out of the camera, although I haven't taken many pics yet.

I never got a DS Lite because I personally felt the new "brightness" of the screen also ruined the colors of some games. I've only thrown in TWEWY for comparison so far and I see the same color problems that I knew DS Lites had. Certain colors just look so off, regardless of what brightness setting you put it on. I know I might just be too used to my original model, but I swear there's something wrong with the color adjustment on Lites and now the DSi. That's one thing that really bugs me.

But for $160, it's worth it so far.


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Offline Turian

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Reply #110 on: April 06, 2009, 11:24:47 PM
Im typing this on my new blue DSi. I like it.



Offline VixyNyan

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Reply #111 on: April 06, 2009, 11:37:48 PM
Im typing this on my new blue DSi. I like it.

Turian (IP hidden) "Opera/9.50 (Nintendo DSi; Opera/483; U; en-US)"

Good to know. ^^

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Offline HyperSonicEXE

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Reply #112 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!



Offline Fxeni

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Reply #113 on: April 08, 2009, 04:42:04 AM
Sadly, the one thing I was hoping for wasn't changed. Namely:
Quote
The DSLite's "bubble" buttons are back
Blast.



Offline Gaia

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Reply #114 on: April 08, 2009, 04:43:25 AM
Bubble Button? I think I have been quite adapted to that.

Workshop/DA/YT/Photobucket なにかんがえてるの!?
So its about ass now huh? EVEN THE ASS HAS 'EXCEEDED'!

One mention of LEGENDS and everyone goes batshit.  :\

Yep, every time when someone mentions that game people get energized for an apparent reason whatsoever. It's like this everywhere else, trust me.

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Offline HyperSonicEXE

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Reply #115 on: April 08, 2009, 06:18:44 AM
Indeed, they're actually quite comfortable and intuitive.

Turns out that I am going to have to buy some sort of grip for this system, though. Probably off some online store, too.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and about the Coins thing...I put in the number on the paper, and not the one on the back of the DSi.

...durr.



Offline Police Girl

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Reply #116 on: April 08, 2009, 10:57:11 PM
If I'm lucky, i'll have this thing before the 1000 DSi Point promotion is over.

I wish those damn buttons were improved to be more like the DSPhat's and the GBA SP's. My DS Lite's buttons don't really feel sturdy.



Offline Flame

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Reply #117 on: April 09, 2009, 12:21:56 AM
so basically, it was a waste of effort on ninty's part, that they could have put elsewhere.

...When Larry the reploid accountant goes maverick of his own accord, he's certainly formidable during tax season, but he isn't going to provide X the challenge needed to make him grow as a warrior and reach his potential.


Offline HyperSonicEXE

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Reply #118 on: April 10, 2009, 12:13:28 AM
so basically, it was a waste of effort on ninty's part, that they could have put elsewhere.

Almost.

The external camera should have been either better, or make photo-sharing easier and recognize more file types.
The music player needed to have been able to play MP3's.
And the download service is just off to a slow start, no official word on GB/GBC/GBA games.

So, almost. But it has its advantages, and could be salvaged.



Offline Hypershell

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Reply #119 on: April 10, 2009, 04:36:43 AM
The reason the DSi appears, at launch, to be a wasted effort is that Nintendo launched the thing too damn quickly.  It has twice the CPU speed and four times the RAM of the original/Lite, and enhanced/exclusive cartridges are a possibility (think GB to GBC), but none of that's ready and so that only leaves the mediocre online game selection for the foreseeable future, unless the sound/picture toys appeal to you.

and it's not above the D-Pad where you might try to press up just a liiiiittle too far and BAM, gone.
For the life of me I still can't imagine how anyone does this.  My hands are gi-hugic (ring size of 14), and I've never had such an issue.  Neither has the future Mrs., who is tiny, but before meeting me hadn't touched a game since Mario Kart 64.

You can also close the DSi while earphones are plugged in, and actually listen to the music, which is nice. The quality IS pretty bad, but then again, it's also being based off of the speakers in the first place, and I doubt you can force theater-quality surround sound into something the size of two DS games stacked on top of each other and the length of 1 and a 1/4 of a credit card.
Well, that's why we get decent quality ear phones.

I find it funny that people are surprised that the music works while the system is closed, though.  Closing the DS is considered an input the same as the buttons and touch screen are, the system can do anything it wants in response to that.  See previous games that search for other players while closed.

And of course, anyone with a flash card knows that Moonshell has had DSi music's ass kicked long before it was even conceived.  If Nintendo insists on sticking with the AAC format, they could at least be friendly enough to point their customers to a decent converter.  It really blows that they stopped supporting MP3, considering that's pretty much expected of any other music app on the face of the Earth.

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Offline Jericho

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Reply #120 on: September 01, 2009, 12:21:58 AM
Quote
Nintendo's Masato Kuwahara, project lead on the Nintendo DSi hardware, revealed that games playable only on the latest revision Nintendo DS were in the works at this year's GDC. Those first DSi-only games will hit this fall, sources tell Kotaku.

Software that will only work on a Nintendo DSi will join titles playable on a Nintendo DS or DS Lite that also feature DSi-specific enhanced capabilities, like Ubisoft's Jam Sessions 2 and My Healthy Cooking Coach. Games and apps that will only be playable on a DSi will be visually distinct from past product, sources say.

Those DSi-only games will be packaged in all-white game cases, making them stand out from the standard dark gray cases of currently available Nintendo DS games. Those cases will sport a warning that the software is only compatible with the Nintendo DSi. DSi-only game cards themselves will use a similar white plastic, but it's unclear if those re-colored cards will have any difficulty fitting into a DS or DS Lite cartridge slot.

Another unknown is if DSi-only software will take advantage of the expanded tech specs unique to the Nintendo DSi.

It appears that, like Wii MotionPlus, that Nintendo will be letting third-party publishers take the lead in offering DSi-only software. Nintendo itself has offered plenty of downloadable DSiWare games that are system specific, but it has yet to announce any DSi-only retail games as part of its future lineup. Still a risky proposition, considering the comparatively smaller userbase of the DSi platform and the possibility for consumer confusion.

We contacted Nintendo for comment on the introduction of DSi-only games this year, but the company did not respond to requests before publishing.

Link to Article

Now then, thoughts on the matter?



Offline Acid

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Reply #121 on: September 01, 2009, 12:23:27 AM
They better bring some good DSi games or I'll never get one.

A 2D Metroid would be a reason to get one. Or ZX3.



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Reply #122 on: September 01, 2009, 12:25:26 AM
After hearing folks half tease that some form of Shantae would be getting a spotlight feature next month and all this DSi talk, I really have to take notice of this recent string of news.



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Reply #123 on: September 01, 2009, 12:26:20 AM
More games are always a good thing.



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Reply #124 on: September 01, 2009, 12:28:23 AM
I hope not, I still don't have a DSi D:


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