Topic: Nintendo DSi to release April 5th, $169.99

[idolminds]

DSi

Oddly, the two launch colors are black and...cyan?

[Cobra951]

I will not buy a DS without GBA support.  Dead product to me.

[wizall]

I will not buy a DS without GBA support.  Dead product to me.

2^nded

[idolminds]

Well...fine. More for me!

<3 cameras!

[sirean_syan]

But you had a camera that was better like a decade ago.

[Pugnate]

But you had a camera that was better like a decade ago.

hahahaha....

edit:

I probably found it funnier than it was. Sorry.

[Pugnate]

Damnit, I've been waiting to buy a DS, but keep thinking I should wait for DS "2" or whatever. Should I take the plunge? The lack of GBA support is a big problem though.

edit:

After reading the following on wiki, I am definitely less inclined to buying this:

The Nintendo DSi is about 12% thinner (2.6 mm) than the Nintendo DS Lite.[8][24] The new handheld has two VGA (0.3 megapixel)[8][25] digital cameras; one on the internal hinge pointed towards the user and the second one in the outer shell.[26][27][28][29] It also has larger screens (3.25 inches, instead of the previous 3 inches) and improved speakers.[8] The power switch has been replaced with a power button, as the original DS had, now located next to the bottom left side of the touchscreen. The DSi has five brightness settings compared to the DS Lite's four; however, battery life is reduced to 14 hours on the lowest brightness setting compared to the 19 hours of its predecessor.[30] The internal rechargeable battery can still be replaced by the user at the end of its useful life of (typically) several hundred charge/discharge cycles.

A new SD card slot is used for external storage of pictures and downloaded software and to play AAC audio.[8]

Nintendo stated in order to improve the portability without sacrificing durability, the front slot for Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges has been removed.[8] Thus removing the unit's backward compatibility and its compatibility with accessories that require the GBA slot, such as the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak; as well as the Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades grip, which is required for those games. The removal of backward compatibility prevents games such as Pokémon Diamond and Pearl from accessing saved data stored on GBA cartridges.[31] Photos taken using the DSi can be synced to the Wii's Photo Channel.[8][32]

Similar to its competitor, the PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo's own Wii console, the DSi has upgradable firmware; a first for a Nintendo handheld system. All existing homebrew flash cards for the Nintendo DS and DS Lite are incompatible with the DSi,[33] but DSi compatible flashcards are now being produced - the first one was created by Acekard.[34] Whether they are locked out by future firmware updates remains to be seen.

It has been reported that the DSi uses region locking for DSi-specific software, since it provides Internet services tailored individually for each region,[35] but the DSi itself does not have region lock-outs, so Nintendo DS games from any region can be played.[36] In addition, the DSi uses rating-based parental controls, which differ by country. The WPA and WPA2 support is not backward compatible with original DS games. Only DSi services can use WPA.

[W7RE]

I'm sure this seems stubborn of me, but I've still yet to pick up a DS because of the 2 screens and the stylus. They're gimmicky and I don't need/want them. I want one screen and some buttons. I also hate that the DS is bigger than my GBA SP. (and thus less portable)

[Cobra951]

hahahaha....

edit:

I probably found it funnier than it was. Sorry.

No, that really is funny.    I just hadn't come back in here, since my mind is made up.  Your long quote above only gives my stance more weight.

[Quemaqua]

I'm sure this seems stubborn of me, but I've still yet to pick up a DS because of the 2 screens and the stylus. They're gimmicky and I don't need/want them. I want one screen and some buttons. I also hate that the DS is bigger than my GBA SP. (and thus less portable)

It is stubborn of you.  There are some games that make very good use of both the screens and the stylus, and while there are some that don't, they really don't get in the way (especially since most games which don't need the stylus just don't use it at all, or make it entirely optional).

[W7RE]

Could you name a few games that make good use of the stylus? The only 2 heavy stylus games I can think of off the top of my head are Elite Beat Agents, and Metroid Prime: Hunters. I've tried both, and both are annoying to play. Even though I generally like music games, EBA is somehow annoying. MP:H feels like it's trying so hard to control like a PC FPS, but it's still more fun to just play an PC FPS. Plus trying to hold the entire system with your left hand while using the d-pad, and using the stylus in the right hand, is just annoying. Plus who's idea was it to tap with your aiming device to fire?

[Quemaqua]

I haven't played Elite Beat Agents, so I couldn't tell you there, but Hunters was almost universally hated for its control scheme.  Didn't bother me all that much, but most people agree with you there.

For good ones... try The World Ends With You, Professor Layton, Civilization Revolution, or Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.  Off the top of my head.  Most games it doesn't matter, though.  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer, Contra 4, Scurge, Orcs & Elves, and similar either don't use it at all or don't rely on it.

I mean, it really is an unworthy prejudice, not because some games don't fail at it (like Hunters), but because for 90% of the games out there it just isn't an issue.

[K-man]

DS-lite is the system to get.  Hands down.

[Pugnate]

That last time I went to buy a DS, I ended up coming home with a PSP. I played the hell out of it for two months, and then didn't touch it aside from Lumines. I ended up selling it.

[iPPi]

I use my PSP now to interface with my PS3 to watch videos when I'm not near my TV.  I don't even use it for gaming anymore.

This new DS, while tempting, is still a no go for me.  The concept of portable gaming for me is no longer appealing unless I am traveling, and I don't travel too often.

[Quemaqua]

Everyone complains they don't use their PSP, but it should be noted that it's really their own fault.  There are tons of good games for it, and if you can't find any, you aren't looking.  Just a side note.

[Pugnate]

Que, the problem is that none of the good games come here for the PSP. I wanted to play Joan'Darcc (or something) for example, and not a single store carried it. All the PSP games that sell here are the big name cross platform ones like your Tomb Raiders, your Fifas etc. I just dislike playing those sorta games on the PSP.

To be fair, I enjoyed the damn thing for nearly a year, if only for Lumines, Virtua Tennis, and a cricket management game. But the first two months I was really playing it a lot more.

I also wasn't totally impressed by Loco Roco. Sure it was extremely charming, and wonderful to look at, but I never found the actual gameplay to be very compelling.

[gpw11]

I'm sure this seems stubborn of me, but I've still yet to pick up a DS because of the 2 screens and the stylus. They're gimmicky and I don't need/want them. I want one screen and some buttons. I also hate that the DS is bigger than my GBA SP. (and thus less portable)

I can see where you're coming from, but the dual screens/stylus actually add quite a bit.   I viewed it like you do for the longest time, but quickly got hooked to the control scheme/dual screens once i actually played it a fair amount.  As for the ones you mentioned, EBA is just generally kind of an annoying game in general and the method they use to control it is just kind of all around tedious.  MP: Hunters is something i can't really comment on. 

From all the games i've played the only one that i actually sat there and thought "Fuck this" about any kind of stylus support was Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.  You might use the stylus like 10 times throughout that game, but most of them are just tacked on, and one in particular just sucked the fun out for me.   That said, there are a lot of great games that either use the stylus and/or dual screens really well, not at all, or in such a way that you couldn't imagine playing them on another system. 

Honestly, there are so many good games for the system that it's all i really play anymore.

[W7RE]

To be honest I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the DS. My brother has like 3 though (I think he has a JP import of the original, a US original, and a DS Lite) that I play with from time to time, but the only thing that holds my attention for more than a few minutes is Mario Picross.