Nintendo DS Lite

Dual-screen handheld gaming system

By Dave Nagel

Summary: Nintendo DS Lite is the latest revision of Nintendo's popular handheld gaming system. The new version offers a drastically form factor, brighter screens and a sleeker look than its predecessor. It also gains some other minor design tweaks.
Manufacturer: Nintendo (http://www.nintendo.com)
Platform: NA
Price: $129
Users: Gamers
Recommendation:

Nintendo DS Lite was released a month ago in the United States. Sporting an all-new design and brighter screens than its predecessor (Nintendo DS), DS Lite nevertheless offers very little in the way of upgrades--certainly not enough to justify the $129 price tag, if you're considering junking your old model. But on its own, it is a capable handheld that's fully compatible with DS systems in terms of games and wireless communications.

Base features
Nintendo DS Lite, like the previous DS system, is a folding handheld design, offering two screens, oriented one above the other. The bottom screen is touch-sensitive, and it comes with a tiny stylus for precise input. The stylus can be used as a game controller for certain games as well. For example, with Nintendogs, you can use the stylus to wave toys around to attract your dog's attention. But in a game like Super Mario Bros., the stylus is used just for mini-games or selecting items, while the standard gamepad controllers are used for the bulk of the action. The gamepad controllers include a directional pad on the left for movement and a bank of four buttons (A, B, X, Y) on the right for performing actions.

Besides the dual screens and touch-sensitivity of the lower screen, the other major feature of the DS Lite is its wireless connectivity. The wireless system is fully compatible with Nintendo DS, so you can play multiplayer games with/against DS users or send notes to other users via Pictochat. You use the wireless feature to connect up to 16 systems.


Other standard features of Nintendo DS Lite include stereo speakers and a stereo line out jack; Start and Select Buttons; a side-mounter power switch; as front-mounted volume slider; a built-in microphone; and a cartridge port for playing Game Boy Advance games.


New and improved
So how does the DS Lite stack up against the old DS? While there aren't any truly major changes in the DS Lite, there are some new features that make it drastically more desirable than its predecessor.

The first of these is the new form. The DS Lite is much smaller than the DS and far, far more stylish. Looking like a miniature MacBook or iBook, the new model has an instant visual appeal that was sorely lacking from the Nintendo DS, which looked like it was designed by the same people who designed the Pontiac Aztec (possibly the ugliest car in history, but that's a discussion for another time). In terms of size, the DS Lite measures roughly 5.2" x 2.9" x 0.8", compared with the DS, which measured about 5.9" x 3.3" x 1.1". It weighs about 7.7 ounces, roughly a 21 percent decrease in weight.


In terms of finish, at this point in history, the DS Lite is available in the United States only in "Polar White."

The second "major" upgrade on the DS Lite is its screens. The new screens are much brighter than the old and offer four levels of brightness. The touch screen is also supposed to be more durable than the touch screen on the DS, though I never encountered any problems with the touch screen on the DS.

Other new features include a side-mounted power switch (slider-style, rather than the old push-button style, which was all too easy to hit accidentally); a longer, girthier stylus, which is easier to use than the old stylus; the stylus port is on the side of the DS Lite, rather than on the back, as it was on the DS; a slightly smaller D-pad, which neither adds to nor detracts from usability; a microphone positions in the center of the unit between the two screens; and an improved hinge design.

Owing tot he reduced size of the DS Lite, the Game Boy Advance cartridge port is less deep than the one on the DS, so cartridges do stick out a bit from the unit. DS Lite does include a cover for this port for when it's not in use.

So nothing truly major in the upgrade department, just better looks and brighter screens.

The bottom line
If you're looking for an upgrade for your Nintendo DS, there's nothing truly compelling to force you to chuck it in favor of the DS Lite--unless. of course, you are a slave to looks. The brighter screens are nice, and the unit is obviously more compact than the DS, but that's about it. On the other hand, if you're just looking to add a second DS system to your arsenal of game systems, the DS Lite is a great way to go. In our house, we already had a Gameboy Advance SP and a Nintendo DS, but another birthday came around, so we picked up a DS Lite and haven't regretted it for a second. It's a great little system with a wide range of gaming options; it's easy to handle and control; it's attractive and compact; and it's fully compatible with Nintendo DS wireless networking and games. I give it a rating of three stars out of five, which is about as good as any handheld gaming system gets for me.

Nintendo DS Lite is available now for $129 retail. Special profit-enlarging bundles are also available, such as bundles that ship with New Super Mario Bros. and a bunch of junk accessories, from $169 to $400. For more information, visit http://www.nintendo.com.

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