Nintendo DSi: Are you getting one? (Wii, Gamestop, Friends, actor)

[titaniummd]

Nintendo DSi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nintendo has released few technical details regarding the DSi system. Nintendo has also improved some of the DSi's hardware (compared to the DS Lite), such as the main CPU and the RAM.[32][33]

* CPUs: The main CPU is an ARM processor clocked at 133 MHz.[34][35]
* RAM: 16 MB of RAM (four times more than previous models)[33]
* Storage: 256 MB of internal Flash memory[36]
* Wireless: 802.11 internal wireless connectivity[37]

http://www.nintendodsi.com/

I thought of the DSi since I can check weather if I have WIFI Access in an airport.

However, I have read browsing is slower, camera is limited in resolution and battery life is shorter albeit faster to recharge.

PROS
Larger screen
Flash Memory upgradeable
2 cameras (0.8 MP)

CONS
No Gameboy advance port.
$40 price premium

Are you getting a Nintendo DSi or sticking with the DS Lite?

[73-79 ford fan]

Sticking with the lite. These things are too expensive to keep buying every few years.

[Rita Mordio]

Well, I think I might be getting one. In fact, I'm positive that I'm getting one. I would already have one (Japanese version) if somebody hadn't outbid me by $3 at the end of the ebay bid back in November.

My biggest deciding factor would definitely have to be the ability to have an SD memory card. I hate game-internal memory. I hate having to buy two versions of X-game because you can only have one save going at a time. Maybe I want to go two different routes depending upon how I feel? ((Good or evil, etc)) With an SD card, you can have one game with many saves and the ability to backup your saves.

This would also help out with games that have the battery inside of them. That was one of my biggest gripes with GB and GBA games - the internal battery dies and you lose everything... Some of my favorite games have died in this manner. You can play, but cannot turn off or you will lose everything.

Also, with the SD memory card comes the ability to have custom-made games. For the Wii, a homebrew channel was created by being able to have an external memory source. There is such a thing for the DSi already. A 2GB SD card is only $8-$10.

Of course, the camera is going to have a limitation on megapixels - much like a cellphone does. You're not going to be taking professional photos with it. Also, there is the web-cam functionality which is great for people who are living far from their friends. Have a race on Mario Kart while talking to and actually seeing said friend - that's a good feeling.

Nintendo has really impressed me with this little system in what it can do. As long as the system isn't shoved full of Shovelware (like the Wii), everybody with one should be happy.

You mentioned the cost of the DSi. While the system is to be released (in America, it's already out as a system) in April, they are selling it for $169. While it may seem pricey, it is most definitely a much better deal than the DS (and DS Lite) and a better price than a new PSP - which ranges at the same price.

I still cannot wait to see the side-by-side of the PSP2 and the DSi.

[titaniummd]

Rita

I am wondering about whether the browser will be fast enough to be useful.

[Grizzmeister]

Since I never upgraded from my original DS to the Lite I’m pretty sure I'm gonna get the DSi. If I can get a new Mario Kart, Mario Golf or Smash Brothers game on it then that would sweeten the pot even more.

[InfectedMushroom]

The mod chips for the DS now, will not work in this one...so no. It already has web browser capability, you just need to tinker with it. It already is an mp3 player, video watcher and book reader. I also like having the GBA port, and I can't see spending that much for another DS...

.8 mp Camera?? Come on my phone has 3, and the first digital camera I got back in like 2003 was 2mp. It's not worth the premium to look at blobs of color.

[nicolem]

Originally Posted by 73-79 ford fan

Sticking with the lite. These things are too expensive to keep buying every few years.

I agree. I am also sticking with my lite- I love it and it works great.

[Langlen]

Originally Posted by InfectedMushroom

The mod chips for the DS now, will not work in this one...so no.

However, people have already soft-modded the DSi so you can hack it without a modchip, similar to the way you can hack the Wii.

My personal take on the DSi? I've got no need for it. I've got a perfectly good DSphat, which still plays GBA games, unlike the DSi. Therefore, the DSi is not for me.

[eevee]

I'm sticking w/ my DS lite too. there are still so many GBA games for me to play and hopefully once the DSi catch on, GBA games will drop down heavily in price (I still can't believe how expensive some GBA games still are! Pokemon Fire Red is still $35 for a new game and over $25 for a used copy at Gamestop!)

[Rita Mordio]

Originally Posted by InfectedMushroom

.8 mp Camera?? Come on my phone has 3, and the first digital camera I got back in like 2003 was 2mp. It's not worth the premium to look at blobs of color.

I read that it was .3 mp... However, what seems like a grossly underpowered camera is not actually all that bad. You wouldn't be getting "blobs" of color. For what it's worth, the camera is actually perfect for the screen resolution of the system (which hasn't changed from the DS Lite).

As for your phone - Megapixels are a selling point. From what I've read, unless you constantly put your pictures on the computer, you do not even need 2 megapixels. But this also depends on the type of phone you have. Some phones do indeed have higher resolution screens, so having 2 or more megapixels benefits them.

As for your digital camera - the pictures aren't being shot to be put on a screen that has low resolution to begin with.

I'm not expecting to shoot works of art with the camera/webcam features. It's just something nifty to play with.

Originally Posted by titaniummd

Rita

I am wondering about whether the browser will be fast enough to be useful.

In forums and articles I've read, the DSi internet speed is much faster and much better than that of the DS Lite.

Overall, I have a region-free SP that can play any GB or GBA game that I put in it. My DS is broken, so instead of buying another - I'm going for the DSi.