The Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS
System – $129.99
Dual Screen, Touch Screen, WiFi Capable, GBA Compatible

Nintendo has been kind of the portable gaming market for a long while. Even when its hardware was “inferior”, such as the case of the color Game Gear vs. the black & white Game Boy, it still manages to come out ahead. It’s pretty simple. Where many companies focus on bigger better faster hardware, Nintendo has always been known for game play; especially when it comes to its first party titles. That and efficient use of batteries probably helps. The Game Gears ate batteries like delicious sweet free candy.

The first game boy took 4 AA Batteries. Later models would decrease this to two. The DS takes the perfect step in the right direction in that it needs zero batteries. It has a rechargeable battery pack built right in. Unfortunately in an emergency case this battery cannot be replaced with conventional batteries. If you loose charge in your DS, you’re out of luck.

That’s not all it includes built in. The Nintendo DS features a microphone, WiFi capability, Game Boy Advance compatibility, and of course two screens. We’ll run through these features in a bit more detail as well as cover some other important points.

Firstly, let’s look at game compatibility. One of the neatest things with the DS is that it can hold two games at once. Previous system changes kept the same basic footprint for all carts, only adding tabs or changing the length of the games in order to prevent them from being played on older model system. The DS carts are considerably smaller than the previous GBA carts, almost half the size. As a result, they require their own slot. DS carts are stuck in the top of the unit, GBA carts are stuck in the bottom slot. This does prevent a slight problem of having a hole in the bottom of the unit when no GBA cart is inserted but if you’re like me, you’ll just keep a game in there at all times anyway.

The GBA slot also functions for peripherals. There are plans by at least one company for a large capacity drive that will attach via the GBA slot. It could also lead to GBA and DS games that can link up and cause special things to happen when inserted together. The system is not compatible with Game Boy, or Game Boy Color games however. There is a tab in the slot that prevents the older games from even being inserted.

The backwards compatibility works decently enough. You can set up the system to display on either the top screen or bottom screen as is comfortable with you. The backlight on the DS is better than the GBA so you can actually play your old games in the dark now as well.

Let’s move on now to the beef of the DS’s gimmicks, the touch screen. It’s a neat addition and adds some interesting game play elements. However in the 4 games I’ve played for the system the touch screen seems more or less superfluous and extra. Mario 64 DS and Princess Peach have loads of mini games that use the touch screen but they are just that, mini games, they aren’t necessary for the main game. Princess Peach’s vibe system could easily have been functional without the touch screen support through menus of some sort. The in game map is nice, but it doesn’t require a touch capability to function. Phoenix Wright allows you to navigate case files with the touch screen nicely but all of these functions are more functionally mirrored with the regular physical buttons.

I’m not completely writing off the touch screen here, but considering Nintendo itself hasn’t really given us a real solid requirement for the touch screen yet, it comes off as a rather pointless feature. As time goes by however I am confident there will be better use of this screen.

The DS also has a built in microphone. It’s worth mentioning because it’s there but it strikes me as generally pointless and given that I personally prefer to play my games without the volume turned up I definitely don’t want a game that’s going to require I scream at It in order to proceed. Princess Peach requires you to blow into the microphone to make bubbles shoot at enemies while underwater. This control set up is both awkward and stupid.

The second big feature of the DS is WiFi capability. To use the WiFi you of course really need a high speed internet connection, but the available Nintendo WiFi USB dongle means you don’t require a wireless router. The DS is compatible with some types of WiFi encryption but not all. I had to reconfigure my router in order to get my DS to connect so some familiarity with configuring your router may be necessary. The connection is really solid and seems to extend around forty feet (your distance may vary depending on your router). I did have some difficulty initially connecting at long distances however.

There are only a handful of WiFi Capable games available but more are being produced as time goes by. Online interaction could be handles better however. The single WiFi game I’ve played has no ability to choose opponents or game. The game picks them for you. This is something likely independent of the DS itself however.

The games and Nintendo can and DO tracks stats however. All you have to do is register your DS online by following simple steps on Nintendo’s WiFi website and the site will track your game information automatically. It’s a nice feature given how many people like to keep a record of such things.

For those who can’t connect to the internet, the DS still features a good old infrared port game play. Many multiplayer compatible games even allow you to simply download the necessary information to your opponent’s DS meaning you don’t each need to have a cartridge in order to play.

So is the DS a good system? Well there is a reason Nintendo is the king of the handheld gaming market, and the DS is certainly a good example of it. You might be disappointed by the lack of compatibility with older GB games but it’s fairly forgivable with the entire library of top notch GBA games available as well as new and quirky DS only titles available, the Ds certainly has it’s gaming needs met. The 130 dollar price tag is fairly reasonable for all that this package holds as well.