Rhiannon Lives Here

After a full day's worth of contemplating, I bought the new Nintendo DSi. Okay, maybe a single day counts as an impulse purchase. Either way, it was an upgrade from the DS Lite that I bought in 2007 after selling an original DS Phat. Reviews of the newest version of Nintendo's famous Dual Screen hand-held gaming console are aplenty, but what I really wanted was a comparison of the new DSi to the DS Lite so that I could decide whether it would be a worthwhile purchase or not. I had trouble finding the information I wanted, so I thought I'd write my own comparison for anyone thinking about 'upgrading'.

The New and the Old

First of all, here's the specifications of each console for a more technical comparison:

DSi Size: Width 137mm, Length 74.9mm, Thickness 18.9mm Weight: 214g LCD: 3.25 inches, 260,000 colours Charging time: Approx 2.5 hours Battery Life: 9-14 hrs (lowest brightness), 8-12 hours (low brightness), 6-9 hours (medium brightness), 4-6 hours (high brightness), 3-4 hours (highest brightness) Software compatibility: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi Input-Output: DS cartridge slot, SD/SDHC card slot, AC adapter connection, headphone/mic connection

DS Lite Size: Width 133mm, Length 73.9mm, Thickness 21.5mm Weight: 218g LCD: 3 inches, 260,000 colours Charging time: Approx. 3 hours Battery Life: 15-19 hours (lowest brightness), 10-15 hours (low brightness), 7-11 hours (high brightness), 5-8 hours (highest brightness) Software compatibility: Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance Input-Output: DS cartridge slot, Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, AC adapter connection, headphone/mic connection

The improvements on the DSi over the DS Lite include a 0.3 megapixel camera, bigger screens, SD/SDHC card support, improved sound quality and volume, digital volume buttons, slightly thinner casing, inbuilt software for photo and sound editing, ability to play AAC audio files, and the included DSi Shop to purchase and download games on the internet. The DSi has also been upgraded on the inside, with double the amount of processing power at 133MHz, and quadruple the amount of RAM at 16MB.

The obvious disadvantages include the significantly worse battery life and the lack of Game Boy Advance slot.

DSi Aesthetics and Build Quality

Based solely on photos and marketing images, I came to the conclusion that the DSi was much less attractive (is that a strange way to describe technology?) than the DS Lite. That was until I saw it in person and actually held it in my hands. The minimalism of the DSi won me over. Other than the camera on the top outer case, there really isn't much to its looks. For the record, I have the black one but I've also played with the white version. I don't think either one looks better than the other; they both look fantastic, and while I would have loved to see more colour options for the console's release in Australia, classic black and white are always winners as far as I'm concerned.

The DSi feels much more sturdy and solid in my hands than the DS Lite, which feels quite 'plasticy' in comparison. The DSi is slightly thinner and is a little more comfortable to hold (for reference, my hands are kind of small).

The outer matte finish felt a little strange at first, akin to worn-down sandpaper compared to the smooth plastic of the DS Lite, but now I much prefer it over the DS Lite's glossy finish. Grip is greatly improved and there are no greasy fingerprints to speak of. It does come with a catch, though; dirt and dust are more attracted to the DSi's casing. It sure was a pain in the butt to get it looking nice in the photos.

The tactile response of the buttons has been improved, too. All of the buttons now sit more flush with the console's inside case (with the exception of the L and R shoulder buttons which actually stick out more on the DSi) and are more 'clicky' and responsive than those on the DS Lite. This is a good thing as the overall feel is that the buttons are faster to press.

The only issue I've noticed on the DSi is with the plastic frame around the bottom screen. The edges of the frame and the plastic body don't quite meet which caused a bit of a backlight leak at the very edge of the frame on the DSi that I own. It was only noticeable in the dark, but it was distracting. A gentle push of the frame closed the gap though, so now it's almost non existent. Whether that's solved the problem or is just a temporary fix remains to be seen, but so far the frame hasn't moved back again. I've seen this problem in quite a few plastic devices with screens. Despite some discussion on the issue, I don't think it's a massively widespread problem. Nevertheless, it's something to look out for when buying one.

Cameras, Sound, and the Editing Software

The DSi comes with a forward and backward facing camera and inbuilt software to take funny photos of your friends and play around with their voices to make them sound like a Japanese school girl or Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. Before buying the DSi, these inclusions seemed like a gimmick to increase sales and cater to younger kids who may not have a computer or a mobile phone with similar functionality.

Although the camera and software didn't influence my buying decision at all (and nor do I think they should for those looking to upgrade from a DS Lite, but more on that later), I found that their inclusion is actually a really cool bonus. The sound editing software is fun and simple, and not to mention absolutely hilarious because I can tease my dog with it by calling her name and altering the pitch of my voice to confuse her. And while most of us have probably used photo warping software before in some form or another, the DSi's version is pure concentrated fun.

However, the cameras are pretty lousy, worse than most cameras on mobile phones these days, and perform terribly in low light, which is why I wouldn't recommend buying the DSi for the camera functionality alone.

New and Useful Features

Let's admit it; the DS's user interface was getting a bit long in the tooth. The DSi's new UI definitely draws its influence from the Wii; the little screens or blocks are visual representations for games and software on the DSi. They look and act very similar to the 'channels' you can select on the Wii. You can cycle through them in a similar way, and activate the one you want with a button or the stylus.

The switch-over from an analogue volume slider on the DS Lite to the digital volume buttons on the DSi is a major improvement. The slider lacked fine control, so often you were stuck with either loud, mute, or somewhere in the middle. The buttons on the DSi increase or decrease the volume in increments. Much, much better.

My favourite new feature, however, is the ability to press the power button to reset the console without having to turn it off and on again. You can also hot-swap game carts while the system is on, which is good for the indecisive gamer.

DSi Shop

As I mentioned, the DSi now has inbuilt software to access the DSi Shop; a virtual store on the internet to purchase DSiWare (the DSi equivalent to WiiWare on the Nintendo Wii). It works in the same way as the Wii where you can spend real money to buy Nintendo points which are used to purchase games and software on the DSi Shop.

Nintendo clearly made the DSi to bring their hand-held console in line with the Wii as far as internet connectivity and the virtual store is concerned. This is definitely a good thing, but right now there's not much to show on the DSi Shop (except the web browser, which is currently free), and definitely nothing appealing enough for me to spend my free 1,000 points on yet.

This will soon change, though. If I were to guess, Nintendo will probably release virtual console titles like on the Wii, a great way to re-sell us the Game Boy games from yesteryear that we've already purchased before. I say this with much endearment though as there are plenty of older titles I'd love to play once again, or missed out on the first time around.

The Verdict

So, is the DSi a worthwhile upgrade from the DS Lite? Yes and no, depending on your preferences. If you've got a stack of Game Boy Advance games, then the choice is an easy one since there's no GBA slot on the DSi. But for those who don't care about GBA games, there's a bit more to consider.

The larger screen is a mixed bag. For me, it was one of the reasons I upgraded as I'm a stickler for screen size. But it's only a slight increase of 0.25 inches, and while it's definitely noticeable, it's probably not worth the AU$300 price tag unless that's pocket change to you or your DS Lite is on its last legs. The screen resolution is exactly the same, so all the extra screen size is doing is stretching the frames out to make them larger. That said, the bigger screen is good for games like Pokemon where there are lots of intricate little details and everything is quite small.

As mentioned, the camera and sound editing functionality is also not worth the upgrade. It's a fun little bonus to be sure, but what you can do with it is limited and you're better off using a cheapo point-and-shoot for your photos, and a computer for your editing.

The way I see it, purchasing the DSi right now is a sort of future investment. No, you probably won't get your money's worth right away if you're upgrading from a DS Lite, but there's a lot of potential for the DSi Shop and DSi Enhanced games in the future.

If you're looking for the cheapest possible route to take as a DS gamer, the DSi is probably the version to skip. It doesn't add a heck of a lot to the gaming experience, and until there are DSi-only games (if there ever are), there really isn't any compelling reason to ditch the DS Lite for one. That said, I love the DSi to bits, and its release has encouraged me to get back into DS gaming in a huge way. I'd forgotten how much fun this tiny console is.

For more photos comparing the DSi to the DS Lite, visit my Flickr photo set.

So, what are your thoughts on Nintendo's new DSi?