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« on: April 18, 2006, 06:50:02 PM »
There's been a lot of questions lately about what exactly the Nintendo DS Lite is, and what it has to offer.
Physical Changes:
Unlike with the launch of a new system, the Nintendo DS Lite is only a change factor.
This means that the games that it can play are exactly the same as the original Nintendo DS; only the physical characteristics have changed.
Size:
The most significant change is that the Nintendo DS Lite is physically smaller than its predecessor, and shed weight. The original Nintendo DS was 5.9" x 3.3", and 1.13" thick. The Nintendo DS Lite has managed to trim that down to a slim 5.2" x 2.9" x .85", and lost nearly 2 ounces in weight, down to 7.7 ounces from 9.7 ounces. The Nintendo DS Lite is a total of 42% smaller than the Nintendo DS. The up side of the smaller form factor is more than just easy carrying ability. One of the complaints about the original Nintendo DS was that the touchscreen was placed too far from the edge of the machine, making it difficult to use the touchscreen as a thumb pad. Games like Golden Eye proved that this sort of interface made first-person shooters extremely functional on the system, but the distance between the screen and where you gripped the unit made long term playing uncomfortable. The small form factor helps eliminate the problem.
Button arrangement:
Another functionality change has to do with the Nintendo DS Lite's button placement. The power button has moved from the face of the unit, where it was located on the original, to the side. The microphone has shifted from the bottom of the case, below the touchscreen, to a position near the hinges. The start and select button have been moved from the upper-right to lower right hand corner of the unit.
The disadvantage of being small:
The Nintendo DS Lite has all the media capabilities of the original Nintendo DS. This means that it can play both Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance titles. However, unlike the original Nintendo DS, the DS Lite is not big enough to hold a Game Boy Advance cartridge entirely inside the frame. When playing a Nintendo DS, a portion of the cartridge sticks out from the bottom of the system. This makes it difficult to carry the DS Lite with a game loaded at all times.
Final thoughts:
The Nintendo DS Lite is not revolutionary. It plays the same games as the Nintendo DS, only does it in a small, sleeker package. Nintendo has become famous for reworking their handheld designs to maximize profit; the Game Boy Advance has gone through several iterations before arriving at the look and feel that it has now. Yet, it's hard to deny that Nintendo has become good at improving their own work. Their redesigns are almost always improvements in some respects of the originally released hardware. If you already own a Nintendo DS, there's probably little reason to worry about the Lite. However, if you're thinking about picking up a unit, then you'll probably find yourself wanting the Lite above all else. In Japan, the Nintendo DS Lite sells for only slightly more than the original, and you can expect the prices to level out as Nintendo phases the Nintendo DS out of existence. When it will cross the oceans and leave Japan, and what price you can expect, is currently a mystery to everyone.
ds.qj.net "my dsblog"
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