New DS (not BS!)

[Jeff]

Yup, after months of rumors and speculation, Nintendo just unveiled the Nintendo DSi today.

A quick list of features:
-Two digital cameras, one inside, and one on the lid
-Bigger screens
-Slightly smaller than the lite
-No GBA slot
-SD card slot
-Audio playback

And perhaps the best feature of all is the DSi shop, which like the Wii shop, lets you download other applications for the DSi. I'm hoping that includes old Gameboy games. Imagine if old pokemon games were available for it and included an extra feature to allow you to transfer your pokemon to a fourth gen game. It might not happen, but either way I might just have to pick this one up, especially considering I skipped on the DS lite. Thoughts?

[PNT510]

I skipped the DS lite as well so I think I'll end up picking it up. I really hope the audio playback includes MP3s though.

[Andrew]

I'm happy with my DS Lite atm.

I'm already disappointed with my Wii. But not my GB.

I don't think there's any super features I MUST HAVE. I tend to buy a system for teh games.

[Blademaster]

The removal of the GBA port is my biggest gripe with this thing. Downloadable games and bigger, clearer screens are cool. SD cards are cool. Audio playback... I dunno what that is, but sure, why not.

But for the love of Igmar, why does it have to be SMALLER? The DS Lite is small enough - it's barely bigger than the open-up GBA was! So, to make it smaller, what do they do? They put a fucking CAMERA in it.

Great. Thanks, Nintendo. Instead of getting to play and finish Fire Red for the last time, and maybe get some new cheap GBA games in the future when they become like $9.99 each, I get... a practical use for the Wii Photo Channel for the first time in two years. Just what I wanted.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

I was disappointed with my Nintendo MP3 player because I found no way to listen to the music while playing. Is it different now? I doubt I'd buy one of these, unless I win the lottery. My next purchase will be Nintendo Wii anyway, I'm so behind regardless of my Playstation 3.

[Weasel Overlord]

I'd rather have one of the normal DS Lites they brought out in lime green. Damn me, already having one!!

No GBA slot is gay. But perhaps they'll make up with that on the shop, like the PS3. I'd hope so, cos I have so many FF games on GBA that need playing, heh.

No, all in all, I'd rather have a PSP. And that's only for Crisis Core and FFI and II. Oh, and internet radio. Cos that rules.

[Dark-San]

From a technological point of view, the piece of new device is a marvel. However as much as the way I looked at it, it is going to be tough for New DS, worth some S$260, to break into the monopoly of PSP for the local handheld market. But it will put up a tough fight since this time round Nintendo included in the music function. However everyone knows that if you have a R4 card (it's illegal btw to own this), you will already have the music function for your current DS Lite. Besides my HTC Touch Cruise together with my Itech bluetooth headset could do the same function. Why on earth would I need two music players?

I have no significant complains about its other functions such as bigger screen size, SD card slot and smaller size in comparison with its predecessor. However, I was a bit caught surprised by the cameras. Why include cameras in the game handheld? The last time they included in the microphone feature in DS Lite. I had already found it to be useless since the only time I used it, was during the course of the game when I had to blow into the mic. ~_~; The camera feature isn't going to be like some fantastically engineered part. My guess at most to the best, it would be at least 2 Mega pixels.

Moreover like Blade had mentioned on downloadable games and its coolness with it. But I looked at it in a different way. True, I could purchase these downloaded games from Nintendo's site but the mode of payment is going to be credit card as usual. Then again, I do not possess one at the current moment. So that would mean purchasing this new product would become redundant for me since that means technically I would not be able to buy any games at all. Unless of course, Nintendo comes up with the initiative to come out with a kisok placed in some local stores here for me to buy them using my debit card.

Also like what Kirst had mentioned, no GBA slot = gayness. This means I have to give up playing my GBA games which include classics such as Super Robot Wars and also My Pokemon Rescue Ranger. Both of these games I had not complete yet.

I guess I would be playing a wait and see game. No point being the first to buy it and then suffered consequences later after knowing how disappointing the new gadget would be like. Unless Nintendo throws in some Internet surfing too with integrated MSN features, then this will likely made the gadget more worthwhile to get.

[The Blue Avenger]

it is going to be tough for New DS to break into the monopoly of PSP for the local handheld market.

My god, the PSP has a monopoly where you live? Congratulations, you're in the only place in the world where that's true. Anywhere else, this DS will sell out like a bastard.

[Dark-San]

My god, the PSP has a monopoly where you live? Congratulations, you're in the only place in the world where that's true. Anywhere else, this DS will sell out like a bastard.

Yeah, its true. Every morning on my journey to my uni in the train, I would noticed that out of every 10 people playing handheld games, 8 would be playing with PSP and the other 2 would be DS Lite.

Firstly, the reason is due to the majority's mindset here.

Good Graphics = Better Gaming Handheld

At this point I will also agree with you that the majority of these people are basically noobs. Only the few gaming experts would advised me to buy my preferred handheld set based on the games that I would want to play. At that time, my prefer game was Pokemon Pearl and that explains how I got my DS.

Another reason for this would also be the fact that PSP offers more variety of alternatives programmes. PSP allows one to listen to their music (while playing their preferred game at the same time), watched their videos and surf the Internet. Hell yeah, I had even seen one bugger installing Windows 95 version into the PSP. All of these features, the current DS Lite would not be able to offer.

The last reason would be piracy of games. Sad as it may sound, even though Singapore is one of the most technological country in the world, we have yet to solve this issue. I would be able to get pirated games off the net at a cheaper price for my PSP than my DS Lite. I would just have to pay a service charge of S$20 or so and get a local store retailer to change my PSP's firmware and that would immediately allowed me to download pirated games and play them instantly. For DS Lite wise, I have to purchase the R4 card (Priced around S$50 to S$100) and also buy a micro-SD memory card (cost S$17). So if I am consumer would I prefered paying S$20 for my PSP or S$117 for my DS Lite, just to get my games.

However with the new product although with its new features, I will predicted a tougher fight for Nintendo for the end- consumers' bucks. Although the technological features included in the devices this time round may triumph over PSP, the new product still loses out on how cheap and available that the people here would be able to get their game from. So logically speaking there is no way you would ever win in a direct confrontation, the war between Sony and Nintendo for the local handheld Singapore market would be for them to fight using Branding.

The new DS will only win if the branding campaign it does wins over the consumers.

Reggie said that it'll have a built-in web browser. As for a chat program, that could happen through the DSi shop. I doubt MSN will be one of them since that's made by Microsoft. Also, from the pictures I've seen it looks like the interface has completely changed, so who knows, maybe there are other upgrades like online PictoChat.

Well of course if they have this feature, it would like super cool. Imagine that you have a handheld portable device that allows you to come online anytime to have web conference and chat with your friend anywhere as long as they have WIFI access.

It still beats carrying laptop around.

[Jeff]

Unless Nintendo throws in some Internet surfing too with integrated MSN features, then this will likely made the gadget more worthwhile to get.

Reggie said that it'll have a built-in web browser. As for a chat program, that could happen through the DSi shop. I doubt MSN will be one of them since that's made by Microsoft. Also, from the pictures I've seen it looks like the interface has completely changed, so who knows, maybe there are other upgrades like online PictoChat.

[firepokemon]

I'm not sure but Sony has always been huge here just like we were one of the few countries to be major buyers of Sega back in the day, probably outselling what Nintendo offered.

[Drago]

I whipped out the DS at work while everyone was playing with their Lites, and someone even asked me what in the hell it was... Haha at me for getting the bit of kit right back at launch. Anyhow, the most I ever use the GBA slot recently was for Mystery Dungeon (which I completed about a year ago, so haven't really touched since) or to transfer Pokemon up to Pearl. Of course, I still have my DS for that, but similarly, I still have my DS for DS games as well, which is likely as far as I'd get with a new one. So I'll probably resist this one for a while. ...Especially since most of my gaming funds are dedicated to getting a PS3 once it's dropped in price - and by the time that happens, there's probably going to be a DSi Lite, or something. ^^;

[Starry Might]

I first learned of this on Serebii.

Some neat features, but the loss of the GBA slot is kinda lame (not that it would personally affect me since I still have a GBA SP AND the original!).

I'm happy with my DS Lite, though. ^_^