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The only DSi review you need to read
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10/15/09 3:20 pm |  |
As I now own my second DSi, and am strongly considering returning it for cash, I feel I am now qualified to write the most truthful review of the DSi that will exist on the internet. Now be forewarned, it's gonna sound pretty negative (anyone that knows me won't be too surprised) but I'm just very picky (and opinionated) and I'm not gonna leave anything out.
I'm gonna start out with the things I like about the DSi, because it'll be shorter:
Louder Speakers. This is definitely my favorite part about the DSi. The speakers are much louder. I love video game music, and I don't really like wearing headphones, so here's the solution.
Better start & select buttons. The start and select buttons on the DSi are wider and softer to press, making them way better than those on the DS Lite which were terrible from the get go.
My background is a picture of my dog. Any machine that displays a picture of Buddy on startup can't be all bad.
Potential for hacking. I'm not one to hack my devices, but the DSi is designed with so many restrictions, yet with an SD slot there's a huge potential for improvements that Nintendo won't provide. I'm guessing the hacking community will come up with some very awesome stuff soon.
And now things I don't like:
Overall construction quality. I returned my first DSi because the hinge was loose and would shift around when I moved it or picked it up. My second has a similar problem, but in different ways. The hinge shifts side to side, and it's not very stable when open. I've also noticed the spring when loading and unloading a cart is quite... grindy sounding, so it may not last too long. Oh and the white stylus is a slightly different tint than the white DSi. Trivial, but still a notable flaw.
Searching the internet reveals a slew of manufacturing defects including loose battery covers, loose d-pads, misaligned lower screens, etc... Now you could say this is a first generation device and it's bound to have issues, but I played with my first generation DS Lite (with a cracked hinge) after a few weeks on a DSi and it felt extremely solid! Some people say the construction quality of second generation DS Lites is even questionable so... Nintendo may be cheaping out now that they're on top again.
DSiWare. It seems everything about DSiWare was done as badly as it could be. The interface to purchase games is clunky and slow. (And doomed if it ever stocks a library comparable to Apples App Store.) Purchased DSiWare games are locked to the device, and the account being used. So if you buy a new device, you lose your games, deleting your account will also cause you to lose your games, permanently. Nintendo seems to have no problem with this at all. Strange really when Apple's App Store has a completely different policy. Purchases are tied to your account, and you can use it on as many devices as you want.
The other major gripe is that American DSi users can't access Japanese DSiWare content. There are so many games in the Japanese store that I would love to play, but I won't see any of em unless I buy a Japanese DSi. Major downer.
Region encoding. Games with DSi specific features will be region encoded. This means if the next Ouendan uses camera or SD card features, I can't import it. This makes me angry.
No quick launch. I liked being able to start my DS Lite and launch right into the game that was loaded. The DSi does not have this feature and I have to go through the system OS every time I play.
So I think that's pretty much it. Notice I haven't mentioned the DSi's higher price tag, the fact that flash carts don't work in it, and the low battery life. These aren't really big issues to me, but I spose for some people they really are. The cameras are neat, but really are nothing more than a novelty that will wear off quite quickly.
Final advice? If you don't already have a DSi you probably won't need one for quite a while. I remember being a bit dumbfounded when I sold my launch day Wii after only a couple of weeks and wondering how I could possibly dislike a Nintendo console. Now it's happened again with the DSi... It's not that it's a terrible machine, I'm just very disappointed with the quality of construction. I'll more than likely return this one and put another few years into my trusty DS Lite.
I'm gonna start out with the things I like about the DSi, because it'll be shorter:
Louder Speakers. This is definitely my favorite part about the DSi. The speakers are much louder. I love video game music, and I don't really like wearing headphones, so here's the solution.
Better start & select buttons. The start and select buttons on the DSi are wider and softer to press, making them way better than those on the DS Lite which were terrible from the get go.
My background is a picture of my dog. Any machine that displays a picture of Buddy on startup can't be all bad.
Potential for hacking. I'm not one to hack my devices, but the DSi is designed with so many restrictions, yet with an SD slot there's a huge potential for improvements that Nintendo won't provide. I'm guessing the hacking community will come up with some very awesome stuff soon.
And now things I don't like:
Overall construction quality. I returned my first DSi because the hinge was loose and would shift around when I moved it or picked it up. My second has a similar problem, but in different ways. The hinge shifts side to side, and it's not very stable when open. I've also noticed the spring when loading and unloading a cart is quite... grindy sounding, so it may not last too long. Oh and the white stylus is a slightly different tint than the white DSi. Trivial, but still a notable flaw.
Searching the internet reveals a slew of manufacturing defects including loose battery covers, loose d-pads, misaligned lower screens, etc... Now you could say this is a first generation device and it's bound to have issues, but I played with my first generation DS Lite (with a cracked hinge) after a few weeks on a DSi and it felt extremely solid! Some people say the construction quality of second generation DS Lites is even questionable so... Nintendo may be cheaping out now that they're on top again.
DSiWare. It seems everything about DSiWare was done as badly as it could be. The interface to purchase games is clunky and slow. (And doomed if it ever stocks a library comparable to Apples App Store.) Purchased DSiWare games are locked to the device, and the account being used. So if you buy a new device, you lose your games, deleting your account will also cause you to lose your games, permanently. Nintendo seems to have no problem with this at all. Strange really when Apple's App Store has a completely different policy. Purchases are tied to your account, and you can use it on as many devices as you want.
The other major gripe is that American DSi users can't access Japanese DSiWare content. There are so many games in the Japanese store that I would love to play, but I won't see any of em unless I buy a Japanese DSi. Major downer.
Region encoding. Games with DSi specific features will be region encoded. This means if the next Ouendan uses camera or SD card features, I can't import it. This makes me angry.
No quick launch. I liked being able to start my DS Lite and launch right into the game that was loaded. The DSi does not have this feature and I have to go through the system OS every time I play.
So I think that's pretty much it. Notice I haven't mentioned the DSi's higher price tag, the fact that flash carts don't work in it, and the low battery life. These aren't really big issues to me, but I spose for some people they really are. The cameras are neat, but really are nothing more than a novelty that will wear off quite quickly.
Final advice? If you don't already have a DSi you probably won't need one for quite a while. I remember being a bit dumbfounded when I sold my launch day Wii after only a couple of weeks and wondering how I could possibly dislike a Nintendo console. Now it's happened again with the DSi... It's not that it's a terrible machine, I'm just very disappointed with the quality of construction. I'll more than likely return this one and put another few years into my trusty DS Lite.
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10/16/09 12:34 am | |
Oh one other thing I dislike. What better to put next to the top display than a blue LED, also known as the BRIGHTEST FORM OF ILLUMINATION KNOWN TO MAN. (This is in addition to the green LED that indicates wifi is enabled which, as far as I've seen, is ALWAYS the case. This LED is still brighter than the green LED on a DS Lite.)
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10/16/09 4:53 pm | |
From experience playing around on Steven's, I like the buttons a bit better on the DSi, though, that's pretty much it.
I'd say it's probably a good idea to upgrade to it if you were going from the original DS, but from the Lite, it's definitely not worthy of a purchase.
As for the DSi being region locked, I hope someone comes out with a way to bypass this. I could see someone using a flash cart to flash the system.
I'd say it's probably a good idea to upgrade to it if you were going from the original DS, but from the Lite, it's definitely not worthy of a purchase.
As for the DSi being region locked, I hope someone comes out with a way to bypass this. I could see someone using a flash cart to flash the system.
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10/16/09 6:01 pm | |
I knew that just from touching at the store.
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10/25/09 7:58 pm | |
just a random though... if wifi is always on I would probably blame the lower battery life on that or at least partly on that... or at that is my guess from working with the iphone wifi can kill hours worth of battery... would be kinda dumb if there is no way to disable it.
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10/26/09 3:40 am | |
I'd think there must be SOME way to disable it, considering that with wifi on then it's not safe to use at any point on a plane.
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10/26/09 10:11 am | |
I'm sure there's a way to do it but I didn't look around for a way. It asks every time you go online if you want to connect, so there doesn't seem to be any point in it being active all the time.
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10/26/09 12:37 pm | |
actually wifi is safe on airplanes.. some airlines offer wifi on flights.
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10/26/09 4:56 pm | |
I've never been on a flight that has wifi. I've heard of some airlines offering an internet service, but I always thought it was wire based until leaving the plane.
Either way, they still demand you disable all wireless features to devices when you use a device on a plane.
Either way, they still demand you disable all wireless features to devices when you use a device on a plane.
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10/26/09 6:10 pm | |
For those Students out there looking to go to Windows 7...
I'm thinking of getting this for Alison, seems like a great deal.
I'm thinking of getting this for Alison, seems like a great deal.
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