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| This is my very first review for my series of Random Reviews! (But certainly not the first that I have ever done.) I'll be going over what I think the pros and cons are for the DSi, provide details to support my words, and alas, give a finalized opinion on it. Now, keep in mind that along with the facts that I give, I DO give opinion based comments too. Feel free to disagree with me, but everyone is entitled to your their own opinions... With that said, here goes..!!
The Nintendo DSi. The idea was idea was first proposed two and a half years ago to this day, and if I'm not mistaken, the reason the DSi was being developed was apparently due to the fact that the DS Lite was developed on short schedual, Nintendo wasn't able to do everything they wanted to do to the DS Lite due to time constraints. My only question was, if that was the case, howcome they didn't just spent more time on the DS/DS Lite and fully develope that instead of releasing another console all together? Well whatever the case may have been, it no longer matters since the DSi is already on sale.
The DSi entered the Japanese market on 11-1-08, then the Australian market on 4-2-09, the Europeian market a day later, and then finally the North American market 2 days after that.
the DSi comes in black for every region, and a region specific color. Here in the U.S. we get blue. I don't remember what it was elsewhere but those colors will, I'm sure, will eventually make their way to the U.S. market anyway.
The first few things that stand out about the new DSi is the Camera on the outer casing, and the casing itself. It's made froma matte material, which prevents finger prints, and has a sleak feel to it. The DSi now has 3 lights to indicate Wi Fi Connectivity, Charge, and Power. When you open up the DSi, you will find a camera centered at the hinge. Also, it is notibal that the power switch has been converted into a power button on the bottom left side INSIDE of the DSi. The volume switch has been, ironicly, converted into buttons on the outside. It is also importaint to note that the DSi has lost its backwards compatibility since the GBA slot has been removed, thus also making the DSi very slightly thinner. (But also wider at the same time, yes I've measured.)
Enough with the physical details, now lets talk about its capabilities. If you want to look up the hardware and software specs, I'm sorry but that's something you would have to do on your own time, theres simply too much information to go over in that area. Let's talk Interface! When powered on for the first time, you'll have to set up all your personal information just like the orignal DS/DS Lite, that was to be expected. Next, instead of booting up the game catridge, you'll come to the DSi Menu, with the following options; System Settings, Game, Camera, Sound, Shop, Download, and finally, Picto Chat. The System settings is where you go to reconfigure anything you did the first time you powered the DSi on. Game, well, if you don't know what this option does, you don't deserve to buy a DSi...
Camera, the newly added feature that everyone and their dog was talking about. The DSi comes equiped with a 3 Mega Pixel Camera (that's more than my cell phone...) and can take up to 412 pictures (without the use of external memory) and can be stored on either the DSi's 256 Internal Memory, or a SD flash card that you can buy. Any picture you take can be edited using fun tools such as Distortion, where you stretch the picture like in Super Mario 64's title screen, Graffiti, where you can tag it with drawings, Color, where you just... Mess with the colors, Color Pad, where you mess with the colors in a way that I haven't understood yet. (lol) Mirror, where youc an filter the picture with a cool kaleidoscope effect. Then, theres Mischief. This one is kind of intresting, you take a picture of a person, and the DSi will actually recogonize a face, and and slap pictures over it. (Such as glasses, mustache, etc.) Emoter, where it can alter a persons face to show diffrent emotions (though the emotes are very limited, and it doesnt look that great, more of a funny effect.) And then a face merger... You fuse two person faces together... What can I say... Finally, a resemblance matcher, showing how much you resemble another person and if you relate to them. Again, not always accurate, more of a funny thing.
Next is the Sound option. This, is personally my favorite feature added to the DSi. Here, you can record 10 second sound bites and store them or play music! (You need to have a SD Flash card though since the music files are all stored into the flash card.) The awesome thing about this feature is the DSi's ability to play music with various sound filters on them. A filter to make it sound like a radio, another to make it sound like echoy, another and my personal favorite, to make it sound like an 8 bit BGM (though it doesnt always sound that great, but works well for the most part) and finally, an instrumental one that (sometimes) removes the lyrics to music so you can actually sing to the song you're playing! Now, this last filter doesn't always work, it all depends on how the music file was created. If the music, and singing are on diffrent layers, the DSi can do this. However, if the entire sound file was flattend into one layer of music, the DSi will often end up muting the entire layer, or it won't do anything at all. Next, theirs the sound editer function, where you can turn the pitch up, down, and either speed up or slow down the song/sound file you are playing. I tend to spend most of my time in here.
Next up is the DSi Shop. Here, you can log on to Nintendos shop and purchas/download games using Nintendo points. Currently, there are only 4 games, none of which I am really that intrested in. Also, if you log in prior to October (exact date, I forget) you will receive 1000 free Nintendo points. This is actually a great deal considering most games will be available for download for 200 points, 500 points, and 800 points. You can also download wares for your DSi which act like add-ons that give your DSi a few extra functions. I don't know any of them yet, I'll look them up later.
Next is Download play... I won't say much about this, it's exactly the same as the previous DS/DS Lite function. The same goes for Picto Chat, it's exactly the same, the only diffrence is an extra option is added so that if you exit Picto Chat, you won't have to shut off your DSi, but instead, return to the menu screen.
Finally, Web. Now, I didn't list this as one of the menu options because, well, it's not. Its a DSi ware available for download through the shop, and currently it costs absolutely no points what so ever, so if you bought a DSi, go download it immediatly. It's free afterall. Once again, the Opera Browser has made a return, this time around it runs a LITTLE faster than the browser available previously. Now, what can I say here.. Being able to go online and surf the internet through your hand held console... It's freaking awesome. I'm actually able to look up weather, do research, chat (through websites like Meebo, or eBuddy.) I. Love. This. Ware. My only real complaint about this is the fact that Opera doesnt support flash/java so this eliminates alot of websites I visit off my DSi, mainly Youtube, Veoh, and almost any video website. Also, DSi has very low memory storage, so some web pages can't load at all. Honestly, its just nit-picking, it's not a very big problem at all since if I wanted to do all that, I DO have a computer, and being able to go browes the web on my DSi is pretty awesome in itself already.
Now, all the stuff I love, it's time to hammer out the negative stuff too, it's only fair that way. Fist off, the Battery Life. It's to be expected given all the new stuff the DSi can do, but the Battery Life has shortened from 19 hours, to like, 13 or 14 I think. The DSi will start to die once you over do the music option, and the internet ware. Most the time when I'm at home, or at a freinds house, I have to bring my charger with me to be able to play with this thing. (And mind you, the charger is DSi specific, the thing actually doesn't use the orignal charger. Basturds...)
Next, is the laggyness of the camera. Once again, nitpicking. Why? Honestly, it doesn't matter too much that the camera lags a little becuase you use it to take pictures, not record videos, but it would be nice if it didn't lagg too much.
The sound feature, the way it plays music itself, I have no complaints about that. However... When the DSi is closed, unless you have a headset or speakers plugged into the DSi, it will stop playing music. Why can't it just keep playing music even when the case is closed? Sometimes, when I'm doing the dishes, or homework, or whatever, I like to listen to music on my DSi, but I don't want to risk the screen being exposed to the enviroment, especially if all it's doing is sitting there playing music idlely while I do something else anyway right? Well, I suppose I can sort of forgive that, but what really dissapointed me is this; even when I have speakers or a head set plugged into the DSi, when the case is closed, it still plays music.. But the L and R buttons do nothing. I was actaully hoping that they would change tracks or something, so when I have this thing plugged into my car, I can change music by hitting a button thats easier to reach, rather than keep my DSi half open and hit the inside D-Pad. Once again I can sort of understand this I guess, since I might accidently hit the buttons when it's inside my pocket, but none the less, I wish the L and R button could have done something when the case is closed.
The SD flash card, I'm actaully not sure if its the flash card or the DSi, I'm not even sure if this is just me, or if others have this problem too but sometimes when I put sound files into my DSi, the don't show up inside... Why? It's actually verry perplexing because if I create a new folder for that sound file, it will appear there. Is it some kind of akward bug? Amd I doing something wrong? Is it supposed to do that? I really do not know...
And finally, my last complaint is the sound files that it plays. It doesn't support mp3's, but instead supports AAC, mp4, m4a, and 3GP. Those are a little more uncommon, so before I throw music into my DSi, I had to find a sound converter online. What a pain, am I right?
With all that said, the DSi is 160 dollers, and if you have a DS Lite to trade in, that's 70 dollers off your purchase. (At Game Stop) --And 40 Dollers off it its a damaged DS Lite, or if it's a DS original. I don't know if they accept damaged DS Originals. Now, I've heard alot of people talk negativly about the DSi and (suprise suprise) they're mostly people who own PSPs. I have nothing against the PSP, but to be honest, using the excuse "The DSi is only catching up to what the PSP did years ago" in my opinion, is a compleatly unlegitimate argument to use against the DSi, and to call it stupid. That's almost like saying other automobile companies are not allowed to produce cars just because another one did it first. No, what kind of world would we be living in if that was the case?
The PSP can do certain things the DSi can do, and the DSi can do certain things the PSP can do. There are thousands, millions upon millions of people who know both consoles very well and still prever the DSi over the PSP, and the same can be said in the PSP's favor too. THAT is a fact that CANNOT be denied. Now what I'm saying is that Both hand helds are great, and they shouldn't be compaired to each other to find "which is better." No, people will buy either one, because they will want their respective features more than the other, and it's as simple as that. If someone has the money for it, they will buy both. Whatever, right? Now, did I really need to say all that? Well, yes, and no. It doesn't make me any diffrent from anyone else who has been anoyed by people who argue between the two consoles, however, I really needed to say it to make *my* point.
A week or so before the DSi launch, a represenitive of Sony went out and straight out bashed the DSi, talking about how it was pretty much nothing compaired to the PSP, and the PSP was better than the DSi in terms of its gaming library. Now, I'm not too sure what the PSP can do in terms of hardware and software, but the library of games argument, was stupid. Once again, compleatly unlegitament! People will buy the DSi if they like the games for it, and people will buy the PSP if they like the games for that! No ones going to buy a console just because it has a "bigger gaming library." I don't know about you, but I've looked up the gaming library for the PSP and the DS. I personally like the DS's games more, the only one's on the PSP I like, is Disdidya, and that up comming Kingdom Hearts game. (In which case, the DS has one comming out soon anyway.)
Anyway, that was a VERY LONG REVIEW!! I'd like to say that, not all my reviews are going to be this freaking long. The only reason why this one was, is becaus of the subject matter. I reviewed a hand held gaming console so there was ALOT of stuff to go over. Most things I review in the future, such as games, movies, and other things of the like, MOST LIKELY will NOT take much this much speach.
Rating: 9/10
The DSi can play music, take pictures, go online, download games, download ware/add-ons, and it's quite compact so you can bring it with you anywhere you go. There's alot of fun things you can do with this even if you don't actually own any DS games. (In my opinion anyway) However, it's still not perfect, some internal opponents appear.... Buggy, dare I say..? --And a bit of the hardware/software could have been handled better. I gave it a 9, because an 8 would have been a bit low considering what it's capable of, and to be honest, you're actually getting alot for what you pay for. Didn't give it a 10 for obvious reasons, it's not a perfect handheld, and a 10 is a perfect score.
Random Quote:
"What the hell? Sonic has a sword now?!" ~Me
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| Reopening?
...Not as a Blog though.
No, I've decided I want to reopen my Xanga for a different purpose. Here, I will be posting (whenever I feel like it) reviews about various things that I've come across. These "things" include movies, technology, games, etc etc anything. Why did I choose to do this? Simple, I like talking about my experiences with different things. It's kind of fun.
Now bare with me, keep in mind that this IS my own OPINION after all, and I am entitled to say the things that I want to say. You might have also noticed that all my previous entries have been deleted, this is just so I can clean up this Xanga a bit as I prepare it to be reopened. For now, this is all you get.
Comming Soon...
Nintendo DSi Review
Final Fantasay Crystal Chronicals: Echos of Time Review
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