Hands on with the Nintendo DSi

The third generation of Nintendo's DS series handheld -- the Nintendo DSi -- is here and it's the biggest leap forward yet for the series. I got my hands on the gadget and have been really enjoying the gaming device so far. I expect any Nintendo fan will feel the same.

Let's look first at what's new and different about the DSi vs. older versions of the handheld. While it's a bit different in proportions (just a few mm in each dimension and about 4 grams lighter) than the DS Lite, the most obvious change is the addition of two cameras on the device. One points at you, one points out the back, so you can use the DSi for webcam-style self-shots (and all the tools you need to add bunny ears or wacky visual effects are included in the OS), or snap away like a regular camera. Well, a very low-res regular camera: Both lenses are 0.3-megapixels in resolution, and even up-close-and-personal shots are blurry and grainy. The DSi won't replace your regular camera -- heck, it won't replace your cell phone camera -- so think of it as a "just for fun" feature for use with the DSi's camera-aware game titles.

Where to save all those photos? The DSi now includes an SD slot you can use as you would on most any other device: Store pictures or drop some music on it so you can play it back with the DSi's audio player.

What had to go to make room for the cameras and SD slot? The old Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, which took up a huge amount of space on the older DSes but which few people ever used. Buh-gye.

There's more under the hood, as the DSi enters the late-2000s with both feet: Much like the Wii, you can download games from the Internet via an integrated shopping system, which you buy with Nintendo points. The DSi also works as a solid web browsing platform (courtesy of Opera), and the browser (free!) should likely be the first thing you download. Performance is on the pokey side, but the accuracy of web pages is surprisingly good, and it's easy to move around pages with the stylus.

Naturally the DSi is built for gaming, and gameplay is zippy, engaging, and addictive (provided the game is good). Both screens now measure 3.25 inches instead of the old 3 inches, and that means that though the games are the same, they're that much more immersive. Aside from some minor button-shifting, everything else is largely identical, though load times did seem faster, at least vs. my old (original) DS.

$170 is a pretty hefty investment in a handheld gaming device, but the DSi does so much I think the price is justified. If you're happy with your DS Lite, you probably needn't rush to upgrade right away. But the moment those buttons start to loosen up, well, get thee to a game store.

source:Y!tech