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Nintendo DSi

Published: Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 05:46 PM
Written By: Stephen Riach

Product: Nintendo DSi
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Retail Price: $199.99 CDN
Date of Availability: Now Available

The DSi marks the third iteration of Nintendo’s handheld gaming system, preceded by the DS Lite and the original Nintendo DS. The DSi doesn’t revolutionize the handheld market the way the DS or Gameboy did before it. It’s more of an evolution, a DS Lite Plus if you will. Nintendo recently sent us a DSi to check out and now that we’ve had a little time to play around with it, we’re ready to take you on a guided tour.

The moment you pick up the DSi you can’t help but notice the differences compared to the DS Lite, starting with the size of the unit. The DSi is 12% thinner than the DS Lite but it’s also slightly longer. More importantly, the DSi features a matte finish as opposed to the glossier surface of the DS Lite, making it decidedly more comfortably to hold, not to mention preventing fingerprints from showing up.

Flipping open the DSi reveals even more visible differences starting with the dual screens, which are larger in size at 3.25 inches compared to the previous 3 inches (a 17% increase). It’s only a quarter-inch difference, but you’d be surprised how significant it looks. You’ll also notice on the DSi that the power button is located beside the touch screen. So what’s on the side of the base where the power button used to be? An SD card slot, where you’ll externally store pictures, downloaded software, and music, all of which we’ll touch on later.

Getting back to the buttons, the D-pad and face buttons remain in place, but they’re not quite as raised as they are on the DS Lite. They also feature a better texture and make a distinctive click when pressed, similar to the original DS before the mushy buttons were introduced on the DS Lite. Likewise, the two shoulder buttons protrude slightly from the back of the DSi, making them a little easier to press. The only buttons that haven’t really changed are the Start and Select buttons, which, if anything, are a smidge bigger. The volume control, which appears on the front of the base of the DS Lite, is now on the side of the base of the DSi, and has been changed from a slider to a pair of buttons. The DSi also has a new light that indicates if you’re connected to the Internet.

Noticeably absent from the front of the DSi base is the GBA slot. The unit has lost its backward compatibility with GBA Game Paks and its compatibility with accessories that require the GBA slot, such as the guitar grip needed to play the Guitar Hero: On Tour series of games. In addition, the connection for the DSi charging cable is different from the DS Lite charging cable so the two cables aren’t compatible (seriously Nintendo, can we be a little more green please?). As you can see not all of the cosmetic changes are for the better, but there’s no denying the DSi feels a lot more comfortable.

When you first turn on the DSi you’ll notice the interface has been neatly redesigned into a navigation system that resembles a mix of Sony’s XMB and the Wii Channels. Aside from the usual System Settings, PictoChat and DS Download Play menu selections, the DSi includes a Nintendo DSi Browser, courtesy of Opera, that you can download for free as soon as you connect to the Internet. When you buy a DSi, you’ll also get 1000 points towards the purchase of DSiWare games, which is the handheld equivalent of WiiWare games. We had the opportunity to test out a couple of these titles - WarioWare Snapped and Art Style: Aquia – and although WarioWare: Snapped came off more like a tech demo, Art Style: Aquia is a unique and sublime puzzle game. If you’re looking to spend your points right out of the gate, I have no problem recommending both of these games at 500 points each.

What distinguishes the DSi most from its predecessors is its multimedia functions. The DSi comes with two 0.3 megapixel cameras (640x480 resolution), one on the internal hinge pointed towards the user and the other in the outer shell. Taking a picture is as simple as pressing the right or left shoulder button (inside and outside camera respectively) while at the main menu. Once you’ve taken one or more photos you can access the built-in software, where you can modify the pictures and apply a variety of zany filters. The camera quality isn’t all that great and so pictures tend to only look good on the DSi screen. Whether you’ll use the camera and embedded software beyond the first week or so is questionable. For me it’s the kind of thing you show people who haven’t seen it before, though if WarioWare: Snapped is any indication there’s potential for the camera’s use in games as well, so long as you have proper lighting.

The other multimedia function of the DSi comes in the form of audio support. You can do some basic recording and then play around with the file, speeding it up, slowing it down or adding some effects. You can also listen to music from SD cards but the DSi only supports AAC so if you’re not an iTunes user, you better start doing some converting. Just like any of the recordings you make, you can play around with your music as well. It’s nice that the audio support is there but it’s unlikely the DSi will replace your iPod any time soon.

And so the Nintendo DSi is definitely an evolution of the handheld system, not a revolution. At $200 CDN, the DSi costs $60 more than the DS Lite. That’s $60 for a pair of cameras, additional audio support, an Opera browser (which is free), and the DSiWare digital distribution platform. Is that enough to run out and buy one? Well, if you don’t currently own a DS system the DSi is absolutely a splendid place to start. If you already own a DS or a DS Lite, however, you need to ask yourself how much mileage you think you’ll get out of the multimedia functions of the DSi. For some people, teenagers in particular, I’m sure it will be a lot, but others will undoubtedly dismiss them after a short period of time. If you fall into the latter category you might want to wait until the DSi Shop fills up with more games you’re interested in playing.