Nintendo DS ($149.99; nintendods.com)
Sometimes I think they must be putting something in the water over at Nintendo HQ.
There’s no doubt about it, Nintendo puts the big “Ns” in “iNNovatioN.” The past year has been no exception: from the bongo-controllers of “Donkey Konga” to their newest, and most unusual, handheld system which epitomizes the phrase “thinking outside the box.”
Well, two boxes, really.
The “Nintendo DS” is the quirky marriage of a Game Boy Advance SP and a Palm Pilot. Not only are there Dual Screens for the “DS,” but the lower screen is touch sensitive, bringing new areas of interaction and game design never seen before.
The three inch screens are the same as the GBA’s, but use of true LCD backlighting is a leaps and bounds improvement over the front-lit-by-candlelight screen of the SP. This improvement is most noticeable when playing GBA games on the, smartly, backwards compatible DS. The old GBA titles look absolutely stunning with the DS makeover.
DS games look even more stunning since the graphical capabilities of the DS arev equivalent to the Nintendo 64. This is the greatest graphical advance in portable gaming (for at least another three weeks until Sony releases its Playstation Portable), and graphics which looked a bit fuzzy on the original N64 benefit from the smaller screen resulting in a sharper image. However, with N64 capabilities, the DS is already beginning to see its fair share of games which are nothing more than sub-par ports of games that came out almost ten years ago.
Also unfortunate is that the DS does not have an analog controller like the original N64 which is critical for 3D gaming. The touch screen does a decent job of attempting replicate the analog control, but comes nowhere near the precision of an actual joystick.
With built-in 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity, the DS is able to wirelessly link up to other DS’s up to one hundred feet away for multiplayer. The wireless connection is great for using the embedded instant-messaging “Pictochat” software with friends when you either can’t, or don’t want to talk to them directly. I can only imagine how many wireless conversations are going on in high school classrooms these days with equipment like this. In my day, we had to hurl a note across the room when the teacher’s back was turned.
Kids have it so easy these days.
The pack-in demo of “Metroid Prime Hunters” allows everyone to test out the upcoming multiplayer shooter right out of the box- a rarity for game consoles these days.
Now the moment of truth: should you buy it?
The system itself is packed with goodness for a relatively affordable price. Being able to play GBA games on such a splendid display is reason enough to upgrade from your old GBA SP. Although much bigger than the SP, the DS is still reasonably portable, so if you have a large GBA library, getting the DS is a no-brainer.
Purchasing the DS independently of that is more of a soul searching effort. So far, the launch titles have been lackluster and there still remains to be a killer-app for the system.
The integration between the two screens and the introduction of the touch screen creates amazing potential for developers, but with such a unique integration, it remains to be seen whether it will be accepted and successful.
And although neither company will admit it is in competition with the other, Nintendo faces some stiff competition with the imminent release of the much sexier and more powerful PSP.
Like all Nintendo products, the DS is family friendly and is the only place to find Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link on a next generation handheld, which in it of itself will be a huge selling point to some.
By no means is the DS the right system for everybody, but can be the perfect system for somebody. It is definitely a unit to experience, but by first safely testing it a local game store before deciding to take the plunge.
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