Nintendo DSi - Worth Upgrading?? (Nintendo DSi)

Member Name: robertjb

Product:	Nintendo DSi
Date:	02/07/09 (22 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cool design, lightweight, cameras, music, game downloads

Disadvantages: Price, no GBA slot

My first impression of the Dsi was that it looked so much nicer than my original DS that I had got on import from Japan back when it was first released. The new iteration of Nintendo's popular handheld boasts an upgraded screen size and certainly when playing games like Phantom Hour Glass and Mario Kart, it is nice to have the added size. Importantly though the increased screen size doesn't come at the expense of added weight or harder to hold. The Dsi actually feels lighter than the DS lite and is more comfortable to hold in your hand due to the matte finish, which is much easier to grip even when your palms are sweaty after some intense gaming. One area that I am disappointed by was that there is no longer a Gameboy Advance slot, so any old GBA games will unfortunately be relegated from your Dsi. This is quite unfortunate and may put off many fans who have an extensive back catalogue of old games like myself or may annoy newer fans who discover that games like Guitar Hero: On Tour will not work on their new console.
To compensate for this loss Nintendo has cleverly set up an online store similar to the Virtual Console on the Wii, which allows Dsi users to download games and other applications. What is pleasing is the rumours that old Gameboy titles may be offered, so perhaps you still may get to play classics like Golden Sun on your Dsi in the future. In the store there is a free web browser, which is great for whenever you're out and about and need to check the latest scores in the football or look up the answer to a debate you and your friends are having.
Another new feature on the Dsi is the playback of music from an SD card, however I feel this adds little as many gamers will own their own mp3 players already and surprisingly Nintendo has not made the mp3 a supported format on the console. The camera addition to the console is a fun addition and will not be used by any serious photography fans but time will tell how game developers will incorporate this new feature into their future games.
Battery life on the Dsi is shorter than the DS lite but this was expected due to the expanded size of the two screens and it's still sufficient to get a good few hours gaming in.

Overall I think that the Nintendo Dsi will no doubt be a success for Nintendo and rightly so it's a great games console. It has a lot of potential and I'm sure many game developers are currently working on ways to make use of the new features. For me this is the definitive version of the DS and I urge you all to pick one up!

Summary: A worthwhile investment for those without a DS already, and even if you do, it's still worth it.