Vivek’s Blog

I’ve had my DS for almost two weeks now so I thought it was appropriate to pen my thoughts on this console. I waited twice to buy it. Once, for a redesign that would take care of some minor issues with the original DS and then again for a color other than white. White’s good and all but honestly, with everyone including Apple slapping that shiny white on iPods and iMacs it has become sort of annoying. And then those iPod accessories, again designed to fit the looks of the player are also usually white. So, I wanted something different. I saw Japan had a Black and Navy Blue DS to go with the White so I waited.

Finally, Nintendo decided to release Black and Pink on September 12. I rushed (well, all right, I ambled) to the EB store in the mall here to place a pre-order for the black DS. Then, I spent a week deciding what games I wanted to get with my DS. I knew I wanted to get Mario Kart for sure but couldn’t settle on a second one. Finally, I decided to get Mario Hoops 3-on-3 which came out a day earlier. So off we went to the mall on the day and picked up my DS with the games. Also got a year-long replacement guarantee from EB - just in case.

Got back to the room and quickly unpacked the DS and fired it up. The black, sleek, DS Lite is sexy. The bright screens stand out against the black background. The button setup is simple. You get four keys on the right (A, B, X, Y) and an 8-way D-Pad on the left. There are shoulder buttons, on on either side plus a Start button and a Select button. These two have been moved over to the bottom right and are fairly tiny. Can be hard to press at times but you rarely need them anyway. The power button is along the right side while the volume slider is on the front side. The microphone is located between the two screens while the stylus sits nicely on the right underside. The package also includes an extra stylus plus the charger. You can actually get yourself a miniUSB-to-USB cable to charge it from a USB port. It takes about 4 hours for a full charge but you can play games while you charge it.

After initial setup, you need to turn off the DS and then you restart it with a game inside to start playing. The basic menu lets you choose between the game in the DS slot, GBA slot, PictoChat, or Download Play. Pictochat lets you use the wireless to chat with images you can draw with people around you. You can also play certain games multiplayer without actually owning a cartridge for you system by using “Download Play.” At certain retailers, you can download content for your games. I popped in Mario Kart DS and it looked SO MUCH better on the Lite than it did on the original DS. The buttons feel a little loose but you get used to them real quick. The stylus feels good in the hand and works flawlessly. The tiny speakers fake surround sound pretty well. The GBA slot has a cover when you are not playing any GBA games. The battery lasts for 5-8 hours depending on what you run on it. For graphically-intensive games such as Mario Hoops, it will top out around 6 hours. WiFi use cuts the life short but not drastically. With regular games like Mario Kart, you can easily get 8-9 hours out of it. Wonder what method CNET used whn they declared the PSP as having greater battery life than the DS.

The system has two processors, either of which can power either screen. Each screen displays 262k colors and as it well-known, the bottom one is a touchscreen. While a lot of games use the touchscreen to show useful maps, more and more games are actively using it. For example, games like Starfox and Mario Hoops make extensive use of the touchscreen and demand a certain amount of dexterity with it.

Short Game Reviews:

1. Mario Kart: This is a really fun racing title. For those who have played Mario Kart on the N64/GCN/GBA will take an instant liking to this new avatar. It even includes tracks from previous titles if you want to relive those good times. There are a number of game modes that promise endless fun. Under Single-Player, you have Grand Prix, Time Trials, Vs., Battle, and Missions. All are well-done and the unlockables will keep you going for hours and hours. Certainly one of the best games for the DS and a must-buy even though it came out a year ago!

2. Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Mario has been in a number of sports titles like Soccer, Tennis, and Baseball. With Hoops, he invades the world of basketball with his pals. The game looks absolutely gorgeous and is another fun game to play. The game uses the touchscreen for an innovative control scheme. Other than moving your player on court or switching players, everything is controlled by the stylus. Gameply mechanics are good except for the clumsy switching system. It’s ok when you switch to the wrong player on the easy mode but when it happens in hard, the game punishes you with a high-scoring basket. That is pretty much my only gripe about the game. If you want to see what the DS can do, then this is the game you need to get.

Both games support wireless multiplayer and two DSes connect seamlessly with each other. There is no lag and you can’t tell you are playing wirelessly. It’s great if you can get 4 players together for a game of Mario Kart!

I knew the DS had great potential when they first announced it but I had my doubts due to the bulk and two-screens. However, the DS has come out with flying colors and the DS Lite has pushed the envelope further by offering a sleeker package. The selection of games is way better than the PSP and as an added bonus, you can play old GBA games. At an affordable $130, this system is a great buy and games are cheaper than other consoles. The DS is great for a quick game in between classes or if you are bored. With the CF/SD media player attachments on their way, the DS gets expanded functionality. If my DS were a lady, I’d make love to her. Wouldn’t you?