Nintendo DS/Lite discussion thread
 

Alright, here we go again. We are already aware of the Nintendo DS, but here's a generic DS picture for the record:

Stock:

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6...zzzz4kn5ac.jpg

Live:

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3742/33626ob11do.jpg



There's been pictures of the DS Lite been released while gff was down, so here's some of them.

Stock footage:

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/3...ite12ur.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/3...ite24do.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/3...ite35on.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/4...ite40zd.th.jpg

http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/6...ite55pl.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/6...ite84yt.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/6...ite79yt.th.jpg http://img359.imageshack.us/img359/6...ite63bx.th.jpg


Real-Life Shots:

http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/1...te223vm.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/1...te248gy.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/2...te256zp.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/6...te266hz.th.jpg

http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/8...te149hi.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/1...te152bd.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/4...te166tx.th.jpg http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/4...te177xm.th.jpg


Variations:

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8...towhite6vm.jpghttp://img202.imageshack.us/img202/3...otonavy6ef.jpghttp://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8...otoblue7kc.jpg

DS Lite specifications:

• Improved smaller and lighter version of the Nintendo DS™
• Weights just 218g instead of 275g and measures 133mm x 73.9mm x 21.5mm
• Screen backlight adjustable
• Portable gaming console w/ 2 LCD screens
• ARM9 67 Mhz Main CPU
• 120K Polygons/sec
• 30M/s pixel fillrate
• 4 Mbytes RAM
• ARM7 16.8 Mhz Secondary CPU
• 2-D: 4 backgrounds, 128 sprites
• GBA backwards compatible
• Wireless multiplayer for up to 16 players
• Game stored on rewriteable media up to 1GB

The DS Lite will be available directly from Nintendo, or from imports sites such as play-asia and lik-sang on March the 11th of this year. There's been no date set for an american release of the Lite, but it's highly likely it will branch out of japan.

Is it just me, or is the white DS Lite going to get REALLY dirty REALLY fast? The live pictures of the DS Lite are ones of the prototype, but not a mockup. I'll probably pick up an Ice Blue(though really, it's teal, don't kid yourself) when they're released in america. Although they look like Apple products, the buttons are spaced better than the original DS and I'm sold on that.

Will you be buying one? What color? When? Discuss.

According to quite a few NDSL owners on GAF, the DS's second highest and highest brightness levels are far greater than those on the PSP. But I digress, the main issue I have is the damn GBA games poking really far out.

I may end up getting the Navy enamel one, since it's darker than the Black/Charcoal DS. The screens are from the new SP+ and Game Boy Micro handhelds, which essentially have far better brightness, contrast and slightly better refresh rates than the original. The stylus is thicker and larger, as you can all see.

Children of Mana DS is going to be awesome on this thing, mainly because of how vivid the colors look on the NDSL.

Here's some Live pictures of the DSL from GAF:

http://static.flickr.com/19/106700787_d9426e37de_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/19/106701752_6423b54b78_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/42/106704198_01a674b2d3_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/34/106704263_1b19040706_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/43/106704327_fc333b8d9e_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/19/106704402_be43abd535_b.jpg

http://img40.imagevenue.com/initial/..._CIMG3241r.JPG

Oh, and the buttons and D-pad have lost their "clickiness" and feel softer.

Well, it's good that there's a black navy one, I think.

They're all sold out and stuff in Japan, but that shouldn't come as a surprise really. Apparently they were sold out before the stores opened, although I'm not really sure what that means exactly.

I kind of wish I had preordered one now...

That's Navy Enamel, not black, but from afar it does look like black.

Who cares about the DS lite. Seriously.

I can't wait for the Opera web browser to hit for the DS. I just like the idea of browsing the web where ever there's a WiFi access point, who needs a laptop.

Not to mention, I want to be able to go "OH SHIT! I LEFT 4CHAN ON MY DS!"

You obviously haven't gotten to use one of these things. They are beyond words my friend.

I tried picking one up on launch but I had a test so I couldn't go wait in line. Definitely going to get up at 5 in the morning to wait in line for the other colors though.

My god that's beautiful. It looks like somebody's done fanart of it in their spare time. I pray to god they don't butcher the english release of this.

More importantly, wow. DS Lite appears to be brighter than the DS. Not sure if that's a good thing, seeing as how the original Nintendo DS is quite bright already in a darkened room.

I'll definitely be picking one of these up if they're released outside of japan, but I'm not too sure of the durability of these things. In the first picture that Metal Sphere listed, the top shell of the DS Lite looks as if it has a fingerprint on it. If it's the slippery iPod feel then I don't know - my 20 GB iPod already has a few fine scratches on it after a year of barely using it, I'd hate to have a scratched DS Lite.

Apparently, it gets up to 15-19 hours of battery life.

That's pretty fucking amazing

I think that "stain" looks more like that peel-off plastic stuff that they stick on shiny hardware to make sure it doesn't cratch before you open the box at least.

But yeah, white things tend to pick fingerprints and such quite readily. I'm much more interested in the blue or the black (navy! Get it right!) one. I doubt it'll be very slippery, or if it is that would be a serious design flaw.

EDIT: 15-19 hours of battery life? playing DS games? On which brightness setting? Seems pretty excessive!

In all seriousness, I'm sure it's exactly like using a current DS.

Which I have already. It would be money wasted, to me.

I haven't gotten to use one of them? OF FUCKING COURSE I heven't tried it.

At it's lowest brightness level it's supposedly as bright as the current DS.

I don't know what I'll do with this... Sell my DS to get the DS lite? Im sure its going to cost as much, if not more then the DS did at launch, and probably in limited supply as well.

Maybe for Christmas or something

Lucky for me, I have the Best Buy replacement deal. I'm able to return my old DS, for a new one that has "Nintendo DS" in its name. Hopefully it includes the Lite. Anyway, I'm hoping to get the DS Lite. It looks awesome.

Best Buy wants your money. They'll probably say that the DSlite is a completely different product, Neogin, so good luck with that.

I'll probably be one of the people selling their old DS to get this. Either way, i've been meaning to replace it since my L and R buttons are BOTH busted, they work on occasion, but about 75% of the time I start up the DS, they're messed up. So I want to start fresh with that either way, it looks more pimp than the current DS.

That's like buying a GBA and trying to return it just to get yourself an SP.

Trust me on this one, it doesn't work. For one, they look different. For two, they're different products. And for three, nobody's blind enough to not know the difference between a DS Lite and an original DS. Store computers will have them labelled as Nintendo DS and DS Lite, so even the most ignorant of workers should be able to understand that they're different.

In New Zealand we have a pretty ignorant store chain here which I'll leave unnamed, but they're well aware that something that looks different can't be the same. I suggest you just attempt to get a refund and hold off. We don't even know if it's coming out of japan yet.

I'm planning on picking up the DS Lite and giving my current DS to my girlfriend. She's not that much of a gamer but loves Nintendogs, and Kirby's Canvas Course. I'm sure she'd love Animal Crossing if she ever wanted to play it.

It's going to be so hard resisting this until a special edition comes out... =|

The screen backlight is adjustable? Wow, I might switch my old DS for that.

I'm mostly interested because of the better battery life and (most importantly) the reduced size and weight. It should make the system much easier to use when supported by only one hand.

- WraithTwo -

I'm glad I held off purchasing a DS, a release date around the Revolution would be nice. I do wonder what the prices are for the current DS systems available.

I'm sorry, but if this thing costs $150, then how come it looks like a Rubbermaid product. The buttons look like they're from the dollar store.

But for some reason, the screen looks better than the PSP's. Guess Sony is over.

The screens have 4 brightness levels, Lvl 1 being on par with the old DS's levels. It's at this step that the battery lasts 15 hours. Anyway, enough jabbering, here's some brightness shots:

Lvl 1
http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000786.JPG

Lvl 2
http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000787.JPG

Lvl 3
http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000788.JPG

Lvl 4
http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000789.JPG

And here's two more shots of the tiny machine:

http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000776.JPG

http://www.geocities.jp/srqjx458/NDSL/P1000800.JPG

Is it just me, or does the highest level of brightness seem WAAAAAY excessively bright? Like to the point that its harder to see the image? I'll probably stick to lvl 1 anyways to conserve batteries most of the time but still.....

- WraithTwo -

If someone's running at Lvl 4 you can assume:

A - They're playing outside in glaring sunlight.

or

B - Trying to get a tan.

It does seem to wash out the display, and IMO, 2 seems like the best compromise between brightness and battery life.