This review was based on a review unit of the machine and not a retail unit, generously furnished by Nintendo.
Reviewing the DSi is a bit of a tricky endeavor, because there are several kinds of audiences to consider. Some will be wondering if the DSi is worth upgrading to over their current DS, while others are thinking of picking up their first dual-screen handheld. Some folks may be intrigued by the sound- and camera-related functions included, though other players are just interested in the gaming side of the device. Read on to see my point-by-point review of the DSi, and hopefully your questions will be answered.
The device has received a slight redesign, mostly minor tweaks, but welcome ones nonetheless. The screens are a tiny bit larger than the DS Lite’s, receiving a 17% increase in size. The shape of the system has changed a tiny bit, as well; it’s a bit longer, a bit thinner, and about the same weight. Truthfully, though, any size changes are so small and negligible that they don’t matter at all, when all is said and done. What is more useful is the placement of the power button next to the lower screen, as well as a non-sliding volume button; both of these prevent accidental complications while the device is in your pocket.
Several of the DSi advertisements I’ve seen thus far have focused on two things in particular: Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Camera. Call me uncreative if you like, but I personally am having trouble seeing people getting a lot of use out of these functions because they just don’t seem extensive enough. The DSi Sound function lets you record and manipulate sounds to your liking (you can modify the speed, pitch, or make yourself sound like a robot), but completely lost, as far as I can tell, is the ability to splice sounds together into something more useful. It seems more like a fun toy than a tool, and those usually fail to keep my interest for any length of time. It can play music off a SD card, though, if you’ve converted it to an acceptable format, making for a pretty useful AAC player.
The DSi Camera is a bit better, but has room for improvement. Each camera is a paltry 0.3 megapixels, inferior to cameras found in most cell phones; nonetheless, it is a camera and can take acceptably good pictures if you’re on the go. The photo editing “lenses” such as the distortion or graffiti lenses, offer rather simple yet entertaining ways to mess with the photos you take; you can draw on them, stretch them, give them a kaleidoscope effect, or even alter the color of specific parts of a picture, offering what I think is more usefulness than the DSi Sound. My major problem with the camera is that the face recognition feature is extremely touchy; time and time again the DSi has informed me that I do not, in fact, have a face at all. Its definition of an “adequate light source” seems to be a 5000-watt flourescent lightbulb.
Let’s be honest, though: you’re not going to buy a DSi so you can take pictures of your family vacation. The DSi is still a Nintendo DS, and the DS is still a fantastic handheld. If you haven’t picked one up yet, the DSi is a good place to start if you can swing the $169.99 price tag; there are dozens of great games available for the handheld, and as far as the actual playing of games goes, the DSi is more accessible than its predecessor, with improved options and other features.
It’s a little-known fact that the Nintendo Wii does not actually have an operating system; this makes updates to the firmware trickier, and it makes patching games completely impossible. From what I can tell (and you should probably take this with a few grains of salt), the DSi does use some sort of operating system, which provides it with some benefits. If you decide to use PictoChat, use DS Download Play, or check out the options, you no longer need to reset the DS in order to do something else. You can also do a soft reset of the system by tapping the power button. You’re also provided with a longer stylus, and another brightness setting; the DSi can actually go darker than the DS Lite can, though I personally find this setting a bit too dark.
There are two truly useful additions to the DSi that stand out, and that make the DSi a worthy upgrade over the DS Lite. The first is the Nintendo DSi Shop, where you can purchase and download DSiWare games and other functions. We’ve already seen some pretty neat stuff show up, such as Real Soccer 2009 or Master of Illusion Express titles, as well as more functional things like Photo Clock. There’s still hope for a Virtual Console of sorts to appear on the DSi, offering NES or perhaps even Game Boy Color games for download, though Nintendo has announced no plans for this. Additionally, if you get onto the DSi Shop before October 5 of this year, you’ll get $10 to spend, which may offset the price of the DSi for you.
From the DSi Shop, you can download the other major point of interest, namely the DSi Browser. I never played with the original DS Browser, but this one has two major advantages, namely, it’s a lot faster and a lot cheaper. Most pages that can be viewed will load sufficiently in under ten seconds, allowing you to browse around even if the page isn’t quite complete. Not all pages are viewable, as the device doesn’t have a whole lot of memory and doesn’t support Flash, but it’ll let you check out your e-mail or other fun sites on the go. I found it to be sufficiently useful in situations where I couldn’t bring a laptop around.
Overall, the DSi, being a DS, is an excellent device; the question is, if you already have a DS or a DS Lite, is it worth paying the money to upgrade? At its current price, I’m inclined to say no; downloadable games are good, as is internet access, but if you’ve already shelled out $130 for a DS Lite, you’ll be paying at least another $70 to move on up, and it’s not quite that good for me. If you’re just starting out, though, the extra $40 is a bit less of animpact on your wallet; right now I’d say to spring for the DSi if you have the money, though waiting for a price drop isn’t terrible either. If quality DSiWare continues to show up, then the DSi’s advantage is only going to grow more and more.
Great counterpoints to my video!