Nintendo DSi Comments by Tom Bramwell

Another defence eh?

DSi specific releases?

So is it a DS2 as such which is backward compatibe? in that sense.

Still a no sale for me.

But I use my R4 to run emulators - it's the best Spectrum emulator ever, right down to the same screen resolution - and that's the removal I object to!

It seems neither one thing or the other to me.
I'm not entirely sure of the point of it.

That article did seem quite defensive of the Dsi but I still can't see how they can justify the increase in price when the originals technology is years old now anyway. It's just greedy.

No GBA slot = no sale.

I know it's just the nerdiest part of me, but my brains going "Faster! More memory! I need one!". I want one anyway so I have 2 in my house for multiplayer stuff, but now I know it's technically better I'll have an easier time justifying it to myself.

What a load of arse. They're charging 50% more than the other one has been for many years for essentially the same tech. And they haven't got much better at quick European releases. Phoenix Wright 3 took over a year to make it over here. They've added a slight performance upgrade to bring it somewhere near the current norm several years late and are charging over the odds as a result. This in the same week that Apple have decided that an extra 180GB of HDD space on an 18-month old machine justifies a £200 price increase. At least Nintendo, unlike Apple, aren't pulling the original version to give no alternative.

Thanks for that, Tom.

I cant believe people whining about Nintendo and Sony updating their DSs and PSPs.
No one ever says a word about Apple and their almost yearly update of the Ipod.

If you think about it for a while, its the exact same thing.

If you can defend the DSi, you are a hopeless Nintendo fanboy.

Quoted! woot!

I think...

Um, Krelle plenty of people complain about Apple's updates and price hikes all the time.

About the price;
It should obviosly be about the same as the "old" DS was before the DSi came out. Which it is. Atleast where I live.

So no complaints there.

I still havnt got a DSi, but I can see myself picking one up in a year or so, when/if DSiWare becomes a big thing.

Damn Volkswagen and their endless updates of the Golf!

Wastelander:

They do? Sorry, ill rephrase that.
"No one I CARE ABOUT ever says a word about Apple and their almost yearly update of the Ipod. "

Thanks for the notice (:

The main point is no 3rd party developer is going to touch those cameras with a barge pole, when 85million members of your market wont be compatible with the game.

There may be some use for them in a quirky none gameplay essential way, or some of the DSI download games only available to the new DSI owners may use them.

FUCK OFF TOM YOU STUPID COCK BASTARD BITCH!!!

Oh, sorry, I got caught up in mood...

Tom, you speak the absolute truth. It's just a slightly unfortunate situation.

I own a Golf! Stop dissing it!

Ok, having read the article, which is well argued, I'm still far from convinced.

"you are an important part of Nintendo's plans, but you're a core gamer, so you're fickle, and when the DSi reaches the tipping point, you'll be there in a flash"

I'm not sure I'm going to need it in the future. For me the loss of the GBA slot is more significant than the additions. Perhaps when we see DSi only games I might take notice as you suggest, but I've resisted the lure of the PS3 this generation despite there being a handful of games on it that I want, and it's a similar situation with the DSi. The existing updates and those in the future aren't enough to offset having to shell out for a new console. My DSLite is great, thanks.

What about the 3rd party games writers? Are they now expected to abandon the Lite as anything written specifically for the Dsi won't work on the Lite or, as I would do, make the games for the Lite and port to the Dsi and so make buying the Dsi pointless.

Only a stupid firm would make a product to compete against itself and upset a vast amount of it's product users.

/sets irony-mode to on:

Dear EG staff,
You let 360 win nearly all the face-offs, call LBP game of 2008 and now this?
Do you people even know the meaning of the word bias?!

/switches irony off

I cant believe people whining about Nintendo and Sony updating their DSs and PSPs.
No one ever says a word about Apple and their almost yearly update of the Ipod.

If you think about it for a while, its the exact same thing.

You might want to look that up and see why:


September 2003 - 20GB and 40GB for $399 and $499
July 2004 - Click Wheel 20GB, 40GB for $299 and $399
October 2004 - iPod Photo 40GB, 60GB for $499 and $599
February 2005 - Click Wheel 20GB for $249
June 2005 - Color (Photo + Click Wheel) 20GB, 60GB for $299 and $399
October 2005 - iPod Video 30GB, 60GB for $299 and $399
September 2006 - iPod Video 30GB, 80GB for $249 and $349
September 2007 - iPod Classic (refreshed interface) - 80GB and 160GB for $249 and $349

Every year Apple bring out a new iPod, but apart from the first model of the Photo (which was in addition to rather than instead of the standard line at first), they've never put the price up. The original Photo came out and a year later they upgraded it to the Video and knocked $200 off the price. They're not as kind with their computer lines, which is why everyone is bitching about this week's massive price increases to the Mini/iMac lines for negligible improvement, but with iPod each revision usually launches with far more features for less money. Not exactly the same as removing features people like (region-free, R4, GBA slot, ability to play Guitar Hero), adding features nobody wants that could easily be done another way, and adding a 50% price increase for it.

They don't trust their customers to make choices and take the steps to provide the experience and choice of titles that that person wants to enjoy. This is just a part of Nanny Nintendo's mis-phlosophy. Or, at least, measures that I can understand the wisdom and sense in their implementing - but would rather not have to contend (faff about) with myself. In the same way as parental controls: If Nintendo had included their safeguards at that level, it would be fine, but this stuff is just illustrative, as it is, of a company that only offers a sideways nod, every other season, to their longtime fans. I can't even see a reason to want one of these things on the software side: Where are the titles?

Leave region locking back in the museum of video games, where it jolly well BELONGS. I'm also unimpressed that they've stopped me from being able to play "It's Mr Pants" (and other GBA gems) on this new thing, and, yeah, I have to agree with the first poster in noting this as being ANOTHER defence for the system, to add to the sixteen [!] I've already spotted on other media sites today.
It's no advertorial, though, and I found it a good read.

I bought a DS from the US when it first came out. I upgraded to a DS Lite eventually. But I haven't bought any new DS software for yonks.

I really can't see myself buying one of these unless there's some sort of trio of killer AAA games for it. And I look at the DS release schedule for the past 12 months and I can't see it happening any time soon.

Bottom line is I'm not going to get one yet because I have a perfectly functioning DS, but when that breaks down I may as well replace it with a DSi.

These comments pages make me laugh.

The non-use of the R4 is of no impact to me. I'm not a pirate, see. And I don't go by this whole emulation thing because that's STILL piracy.

The loss of GBA slot is of no importance to me because, let's be honest, GBA games are OLD. And I buy NEW technology to buy NEW games. If I want to play GBA games I'll pick up a GBA for about £8.

DSi games, too, will NOT JUST BE DOWNLOAD ONLY. There will be cartridge releases. Specifically with reference to gamesprogrammer: Did 3rd party developers not touch colour when the GBC came out? Cos that was a similar scenario...

The DSi already shows its potential before it's out: we're getting Rhythm Tengoku as DLC. An obscure (yet undeniably awesome) Japan-only game of limited appeal to most gamers is being localised and released via the Internets. That alone makes me want to buy one.

It appears Amazon got the best price with £146.80 and a select game for £10, unfortunately none of the available games are worth that price.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-DSi-Con...

Japan will get new colours soon, i actually prefer blue over white or black.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/rele...

Overpriced my ass.

I may get one much further down the line, but there's nothing there for anyone with a DSLite to upgrade for.

As for Nintendo's release policy in Europe; that's typically been poor. I waited over a year for Wario Ware: Twisted and then just got it on import.

Pass for me. GBA slot is a big thing for me as I still have plenty of GBA games to finish and enjoy playing them on the commute to work. The downloadable content so far does nothing for me either.

"No one ever says a word about Apple and their almost yearly update of the Ipod.

If you think about it for a while, its the exact same thing."

Uh, it's almost precisely NOT the exact same thing:
Original 1st generation iPod - $499, 10GB, monochrome LCD screen, size of a housebrick

iPod Nano - $199, colour LCD, music and video playback
iPod Classic - $249, 120GB, colour LCD, music and video playback
iPod Touch - $299, 16GB, colour LCD screen, touch sensitivity, apps, WiFi, mail, web browsing etc etc

So: cheaper, better built, better technology, more functionality, more capacity, smaller.

How the fuck does that compare to the DSi which uses off-the-shelf 'withered' components and yet - somehow - ends up being $30 more expensive than when the DS launched in 2004?

Well actually the DSi is to the DS what the Wii is to the Gamecube. It has a native DSi mode and a compatibility mode. The CPU is actually quite a bit faster and there is a lot more RAM. So far the native mode is only used for photo manipulation and similar thing which require the additional processor power. I very much doubt Nintendo will allow developers to use it in games. Maybe if they're DSiWare only.

Oh and Opera uses the native mode as well.

I've noticed Journalists trying to justify the existence of the DSi all over the place. Truth is (and it was touched on in the article) the region locking makes the DSi NON portable to other contries and removes the point in getting one. The cameras are useless and the music functionality laughable. Was it even mentioned that all the extras of the DSi are redundant the moment you put a ds cartridge in the thing?

I may be cynical but, this seems to be a very transparent grab for money from nintendo.

There is no region locking. Only DSiWare is region locked, just like WiiWare.

I love my DSi, it has brought me no end of fun. I love the camera to bis! ^_^

it's called inflation. your money isn't worth what it was back in 2004.

The only upgrade that interests me is the WPA2 WiFi conectivity. I think it's appalling that Nintendo which are so preoccupied with protecting you from yourself with stupid friend codes and the like will only allow you online with either no security, or security so bad it's pointless using it (WEP). Essentially if you take your Wii or DS online your essentially sharing your network with anyone who wants it (unless you do what I do and use a USB to ethernet adapter for the Wii and your neighbours open WiFi on the odd occasion you want to use the DS online).

The technology's not worth what it was in 2004 either.

There is no region locking. Only DSiWare is region locked, just like WiiWare.

THERE IS. IT WILL BE ON CARTRIDGES TOO.

There is one unknown quantity in all this, however, and that's the question of region-locking on DSi-specific software. Nintendo has said that this is down to a mixture of embedded communication functionality and parental controls across regions
See?

but it's on the level of what it was back in 2004... similar to apple's offerings. old crap for a top premium. It just works :)

Backwards compatibility to older platforms like GBA should really not be a sticking point.
If you want to play old games, have an old console, if you want to play new one, have a new one.

@Widge

Backwards compatibility to older platforms like GBA should really not be a sticking point.
If you want to play old games, have an old console, if you want to play new one, have a new one.

That's only a valid point if your old console doesn't look and function 90% the same as your new one now isn't it. All you've done is highlight just what a rip-off the DSi is.

Want to play games both old and new? Stack your consoles to the roof and have the cables make your tv look like medusa's head ...

I would say the DS/DSi would be way ahead of old Mr GBA. Its about the same step up from SNES to N64.

If the DSi wasn't supporting DS games, then I'd be a bit miffy.

BC is awesome, its nice to have a machine that has it... but when you have a catalogue of shiny new goodness available, then hit that. Launch catalogues have got a bit better recently too!

The DSLite may be on sale alongside this at first but it's bound to vanish. I don't believe they plan to genuinely push forward with both. Don't get me wrong. I would like a DSI but the price point is too high. It just is.

Very nice article. Got me thinking... I can imagine the sort of games Nintendo can cook up with a console with a mic, camera and touchscreen.

good to know they doubled the CPU speed in preparation for DSi specific games. Still not a reason to buy one of these _now_ though. Maybe next year or so.

But the REAL reason for the DSi was to stop the huge impact of the R4, which is everywhere now.

I dont recall anyone telling Nintendo to fuck off at the price of the Wii or Gamecube so to say they cop it with each console release is bollocks.

However 150 for the DSi is worth a fuck off Nintendo.