[2426]

What do you think of the new DS? If any of you guys have it, do you think it's better than the old one? And were did you get yours from? Thanks

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2426 What do you think of the new DS? If any of you guys have it, do you think it's better than the old one? And were did you get yours from? Thanks

I think I'm probably the only person around here to have one, and it's quite worth it IMHO. I would go as far as to call the screens a true advantage in 2p gameplay. It's the sort of thing that you NEED to have once you play, because going back to the older one is nearly painful.

Some key points:

Button placement is better. Your hands won't cramp up after 20 minutes. Mario Kart actually caused me physical pain on the old system, due to the A button's placement.

Triggers are better. The triggers before were not seated properly ever for the natural curve and joint of my finger. They are now.

Better build quality. The system is a good deal sturdier, and you can actually use any headphone with it now. The old system had a nasty lip RIGHT over the headphone jack, preventing usage of anything larger than an iPod.

Sound quality is a little better. See the DS Shootout thread for more info about this. The new DS has a crisper clearer audio with less mud and grain.

Screens. No question. The new DS is an unfair advantage in multiplayer, and going back to an old DS causes you to squint at the screen to recover basic detail.

Here's a screen comparison:

And that hardly does justice to the new Lite screen.

And this DS here is actually MY DS Lite, not some photo of one taken by Nintendo... so yes it really does look THIS good.

(photo credits to jjcha)

 

[incognitoedleon]

Yeesh. I wonder why Nintendo keeps updating thier gameboy hardware once every couple years.

Gameboy, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Mini, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite .... Virtual Boy

 

[Mercuttio]

Oh, as to where I got it:

www.lik-sang.com

It was $200 for the unit, and $24 for shipping. It arrived from Hong Kong to NYC in about three days. Pretty quick! Make sure you pick the UPS shipping method... apparently DSL (the shipping company) shipments frequently get searched by customs. I read about another guy whose DS Lite was actually played before he got it.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio Button placement is better. Your hands won't cramp up after 20 minutes. Mario Kart actually caused me physical pain on the old system, due to the A button's placement.

This right here ain't no lie. I can only play "competitive"

Mario Kart for like an hour before I have to stop because of my hand. I have sort of a moral dillemma as far as getting a new one because my girlfriend got me the one I have now, and I'm sure it would be blasphemy if I got a replacement..

Anyone have any idea how much these are going to cost when they release them in the US?

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_baseball_08 This right here ain't no lie. I can only play "competitive" Mario Kart for like an hour before I have to stop because of my hand. I have sort of a moral dillemma as far as getting a new one because my girlfriend got me the one I have now, and I'm sure it would be blasphemy if I got a replacement.. Anyone have any idea how much these are going to cost when they release them in the US?

They're about $150 in Japan, and I think they'll be similarly priced in the states. I think a summer release is likely, they're still having some trouble meeting all the Japanese demand for them. I also expect that they'll only release one color in the states to start with, but I could be wrong.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mercuttio They're about $150 in Japan, and I think they'll be similarly priced in the states. I think a summer release is likely, they're still having some trouble meeting all the Japanese demand for them. I also expect that they'll only release one color in the states to start with, but I could be wrong.

As long as it's not that Ice Blue color.. Ick.. So is it really a lot more comfortable as far as gameplay goes? Oh yeah, I'd be really interested in knowing what some of your favorite games are. I've got Mario Kart and the DS version of Mario 64 and I can't decide between the Madden 06 or Tiger Woods Golf. I'll probably pick up the new Metroid game as well, but got any other suggestions?

 

[enjoi_rootbeer]

I thought about getting a phat DS to hold me over until the DS Lite and just trade it in when it comes out. But now with a summer release supposedly, I'm just going to wait. I was thinking about a white one, but that blue is super nice.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_baseball_08 As long as it's not that Ice Blue color.. Ick.. So is it really a lot more comfortable as far as gameplay goes? Oh yeah, I'd be really interested in knowing what some of your favorite games are. I've got Mario Kart and the DS version of Mario 64 and I can't decide between the Madden 06 or Tiger Woods Golf. I'll probably pick up the new Metroid game as well, but got any other suggestions?

I figure they'll bring the white DS lite here first.

My absolute favorite game on DS is Castlevania. I've played it through nearly twice now, and I doubt I'll ever get tired of it. It's just SO damned good. I also have Mario 64, and the DS Lite is worlds better for playing it with the thumb pad. You can reach the screen so much more naturally, almost like swinging your thumb down from the d-pad to an analog stick on the PS2 controller. Metroid's really good, I like that one. The current Head-Fi mini-meet favorite though, is the new Tetris... especially the "push" mode. Apparently jjcha spent 5 hours on Sunday playing just Tetris online against people. He's going to kick me in the face for sharing his dirty little secret...

 

[lewtz]

I had a reg DS but sold it due to playtime. But the DS lite is tempting me again. Couple questions.

Anyone have anyone have any luck with items like supercard and the m3? just curious if they work well.

Second, online ds play? Not just local room network? Can you now play "online" against people say in japan?

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewtz I had a reg DS but sold it due to playtime. But the DS lite is tempting me again. Couple questions. Anyone have anyone have any luck with items like supercard and the m3? Know where to get them and the roms and such.. just curious if they work well. Second, online ds play? Not just local room network? Can you now play "online" against people say in japan?

You can play online with anyone over wi-fi, you just need their "friend code." It's pretty easy and very user friendly.

I'd like to pretend that you're talking about doing your own work with the supercard and m3, but since you mentioned roms, I doubt you have any intention of that. Unless you're talking about homebrew, you're asking for a ban around here.

If you're referring to the DS as a portable media player with something like the Play Yan device, I think the DS Lite would rock pretty hard as that. The screens are WAY better than the PSP screen, no blurring.

 

[Head Creep]

I'm having a hard time staying away from the DS Lite now that it's in stock, so let me ask this question. Is the DS Lite (or the DS in general) worth $200 when upgrading from a Game Boy Micro? I still love the games for GBA, but with all this hype, I can't help but feel like I'm missing out.

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head Creep I'm having a hard time staying away from the DS Lite now that it's in stock, so let me ask this question. Is the DS Lite (or the DS in general) worth $200 when upgrading from a Game Boy Micro? I still love the games for GBA, but with all this hype, I can't help but feel like I'm missing out.

The DS has some of the finest games I've played in years. The GBA was by and large a "port" machine, getting old SNES classics... the DS is getting amazing inventive truly original works that CANNOT be missed if you like games.

 

[Sladeophile]

I've never like the whole idea of the interactive stylus thing with the ds. The standard setup of the psp suites me a lot better. They are starting to make better games for it too. Why buy a ds when you can have a psp??

Slade

 

[Mercuttio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sladeophile I've never like the whole idea of the interactive stylus thing with the ds. The standard setup of the psp suites me a lot better. They are starting to make better games for it too. Why buy a ds when you can have a psp?? Slade

Had it, hated it, end of story. When Sony wants to take the portable realm seriously, I'll be here waiting. Oh, and they've GOT to do something about that damned screen. Blur much?