Show Correction: During the live show, I said it was Show #41. Sorry for the confusion.
MY DSI REVIEW
Although the Nintendo DSI doesn’t seem like a big change, there are a number of differences between the two previous DS’s and the DSI. In this episode
Online Downloads
Perhaps the biggest new feature is the ability to download content, games and to connect to the online shopping channel. This is also used to download updates to the devices software. When you purchase a DSI you get 1000 points to buy what ever game or games you like right from their DSWARE store on your device.
Hardware
The DSI comes with two built in cameras, one facing you when the device is opened and the other facing away from you on the back side of the top screen. Although the practicle uses still remain to be seen, the addition of the camera makes for a fun time as you can edit the photo’s you take by applying different effects to them.
Screen size
All DS systems have “Dual Screens”, hence the name DS. Although the DSI’s screen is only a few centimeters larger than the DS and the DS Lite, it is a noticable difference when comparing them side by side.
Screen Brightness
If you owned the original DS as I did, you will see a big difference when going directly to the DSI model. However, the DS Lite and DSI’s have similar brightness in the screens, so going from ta DS Lite to a DSI would not be noticablly difference.
Buttons
The only real change in buttons I see is the buttons for volume. In previous models, it was a slider switch, but now it’s just the PLUS and MINUS symbols. They also moved these to the left side of the device, which gives you more control during game play. You can also use these buttons in conjuction with the SELECT button to adjust screen brightness during game play.
Size and Weight
Without including the original DS in a size and weight comparison due to the awkward size and shape of it, the DS Lite and the DSI are similar in size, however, the DSI is notably lighter when it comes to the weight, which is surprising due to the two additional cameras as we spoke about earlier and the addition of the SD card slot.
The Exterior Finish
The glossy finish of the DS Lite leaves finger prints and is easy to slip out of your hands, but with the DSI’s matte finish, you avoid those prints and have a better grip on the device, however, I have found that the matte finish is easy to scratch. If you glide your finger nail over the service with a little preasure, you see what appears to be a scratch. You would think this is bad, but if you just rub your finger over the scratch the finger nail mark seems to disapear.
What I like and don’t like about the DSI
Although the WIFI has been upgraded to support WPA encryption with the latest WIFI routers, you are still stuck with the old WEP for the older DS games. So if you still like to use your old DS games with WIFI, you either need to keep using WEP for all games or switch your router to WPA when you wan to use it. I could be wrong, but even though the DSI hardware supports WPA, it is really up to the maker of the game to include the software support for it.
Also, what is up with the changing of the power supply connectors? Ok so the original DS had this large connector almost the width of a computer’s USB connector. The next mode, the DS Lite, had a much smaller connector. I can almost understand this since the device is smaller than it’s predecessor, but why change it for the DSI? I would think that like most cell phones nowadays that use the standard USB connectors, that nintendo would follow suit. Maybe there is an electronics engineering reason why they chose different adapter connectors with each system, or maybe it is just to sell more accessories. If anyone has a valid reason, please email me a techwithmike@gmail.com
Hinges: One think I hated about the DS Lite is the flimsy hinges that open the top screen. If you search for DS lite broken hinge you will see that there are a lot of people complaining about the hinge breaking. My sons broke before the manufacturers warranty ran out. Nintendo wanted us to pay $75.00 to fix it. That’s not worth it, thanks for nothing nintendo. The DSI has the same hinges on it so that worries me a little. I think the original DS also has minor issues with the hinge, but I never had any issues with mine.
Overall I think the DSI is a great portable gaming system, with a few extra bells and whistles. I am happy I picked one up. If you would like to send in your opinion of the Nintendo DSI, please send email to techwithmike@gmail.com or call our 24 hour voicemail like at 508-471-HELP(4357).
