Got one of these as a summer bonus from work on Wednesday; an almost brand new Nintendo DSi! Thanks, boss. Neat stuff.
The DSi’s larger size makes it better to hold, I won’t have my hand cramp up after a longer play session again. Buttons are now again clicky, unlike the mushy shit Nintendo put in the DS Lite. Console design is based off the Lite, but it’s been polished all over, and that does make a difference for the overall impression. Menus feel less like 2004, and is some kind of Wii meets DS mashup. You can reboot instead of poweroff to get back to the menu, and the console is able to detect when you insert/remove DS carts (in the menu). Then there’s the online shop, where you can download small games and apps called DSiWare, but the European offerings so far are pathetic. After some consideration I went with WarioWare: Snapped!, which can be beaten in a few minutes, but at least puts the cameras to some use. The price? 500 Points, which costs 5 EUR. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by XBLA, but that’s a lot of money for a few minutes of entertainment. On the whole I don’t really care for the cameras as I’d rather use my DSLR than a DSi when playing paparazzi.
If you’re in the market for a DS, the DSi is probably the best you’ll get, if you’re willing to lose GBA support. As for DS Lite owners, I’d say you guys should be very interested in DSiWare to justify upgrading.
