When Nintendo first released the DS handheld system in November 2004, its two screens, touch-screen capabilities, and built-in microphone made it a curiosity. These features, used intelligently by developers, led to the DS triumphing over Sony’s more powerful, but more traditional, PSP. For all the innovation it packed, though, the clunky DS lacked an attractive aesthetic, an oversight that Nintendo sought to fix with the redesigned DS Lite. While it offered all the same features and abilities, the DS Lite was stylish and streamlined - more of an adult tech device than a kid’s toy. Three years later, the Lite has cemented the DS’s status as the most popular handheld gaming device of all time, with close to 100 million systems in gamer’s hands worldwide. Now Nintendo has released the DSi, the latest revision to the hardware. It’s got plenty of new features, but is it different enough to be worth the upgrade? Let’s take a look.

At first glance the DSi doesn’t seem much different from the Lite. Size-wise they’re roughly the same, though the DSi is a tad thinner. The most apparent physical difference is the way the system feels – instead of the Lite’s iPod-like glossy smooth plastic finish, the DSi has a matte finish with a slightly rougher texture, almost like frosted glass. The volume control has changed from a slider to a pair of volume up/volume down buttons, and the power slider on the side of the system has been replaced with a power button below the d-pad. Speaking of the power button, it can be tapped to soft-reset the system back to the main menu from any game or application, which is handy. Also nice is the ability to hot-swap game cards – that is, change games from the main menu without having to turn off the system first.

Each of the DSi’s screens is a quarter-inch bigger than those on the Lite (3.25 inches instead of 3), but the difference is hard to spot unless you’re doing a side-by-side comparison. I was more impressed with the improved DSi speakers, which despite being smaller physically are noticeably louder than the Lite’s – Elite Beat Agents fans rejoice.

 
Another minor change: the DSi has 3 LEDs above the d-pad – one to show the power is on,
one to show when you’re broadcasting wirelessly, and one to show that the system is charging.

Powering up the system brings you to the DSi’s completely redesigned front-end menu system. Icons line up horizontally and can be scrolled through quickly, each accessing a different function. Much like the “channel” setup on the Wii, the icons here can be rearranged to suit the user’s preference. The Settings menu has been taken directly from the Wii’s, with four pages of options, and while most of the Lite’s features are intact, the option to auto-boot your DS game is mysteriously absent.

 
The new user interface lets you slide through your icons quickly, either via stylus or the d-pad.

Those knowledgeable about hardware tech might be interested to know that Nintendo made some improvements under the hood. The system’s CPU clock speed has doubled, from 67 to 133 MHz, and the Lite’s 4 MB of RAM has been quadrupled. While these improvements won’t be obvious to users, it does make the device significantly more powerful for developers.

The most hyped new feature is the system’s pair of digital cameras – one on the hinge of the system, pointed at the player, and one on the reverse side of the top screen. Each captures a 0.3 megapixel image, which can be saved to the system’s 256 MB of internal memory or an SD card, which can expand the system’s memory up to 32 GB. Once saved, your pictures can be manipulated in a variety of ways – you can stretch and distort the image using the touch screen, add text and pictures, mess with the colors, and a lot more. There are 11 different “lenses” available, and while some don’t work quite as well as promised – I could never get the Color lens, which supposedly would let you add a Sin City-style splash of color to an otherwise black-and-white pic, to function as advertised – you can have a lot of fun messing with your snapshots. When you’re done, you can share the photos wirelessly with other DSi owners, or you can transfer them via SD card to your PC. None of this functionality is going to replace your dedicated digital camera, but the cameras are quick, easy to use, and fun to play with.

 
The cameras have face-recognition abilities, so when you add humorous effects the system knows automatically where to apply them.

Also new to the DSi is the audio player/manipulator. Using your PC, you can add music to your SD card and play it on the DSi, provided the songs are in AAC format – no MP3s, sorry. You can also use the built-in microphone to record up to eighteen 10-second audio clips, and like the photo editor, these clips can be edited in a variety of ways. You can alter the pitch and speed in real-time, or apply one of twelve different filters that do everything from make it sound like you’re talking in a tunnel to converting your speech into trumpet music. You can even play these audio clips back while you’re playing your music, so clever DSi owners will be able to create their own unique versions and remixes on the fly. Again, the music player isn’t going to replace your iPod, but it’s a good option for people who don’t want to keep multiple digital devices with them all the time.

 
There are a variety of effects that can be applied to the audio clips you’ve recorded.

Nintendo has also added wireless Web capabilities to the DSi’s bag of tricks. Opera’s DS Web Browser is a free download, and works pretty well for a mobile web browser. Image-heavy sites give it trouble, but mobile versions are available for many major sites (including Yahoo, MySpace, and Facebook) that work great. More relevant to gaming is Nintendo’s DSi Shop, where users are able to download DSiWare games directly to their system. Much like the Wii Shop, Nintendo will be updating the DSi Shop often with new games to buy. While the selection is pretty limited right now, if WiiWare is any indication, DSiWare will be great for both wildly original game ideas and games that are fun but too limited in scope to deserve a full retail release.

For all its improvements, though, the DSi is not without its drawbacks. To add all the new hardware and still retain the system’s portability, Nintendo had to nix the DS’s Game Boy Advance support, so don’t toss out your SP just yet. The lack of a GBA slot also means that certain DS accessories aren’t compatible – yes, that means that the DS Guitar Hero games don’t work on the system. All the added tech must mean a bigger drain on the battery, as a full charge will last around 12 hours, compared to the Lite’s 15-20 hour battery life. And speaking of batteries, Nintendo has yet again changed the charger plug-in style, so if you’ve got universal or DC chargers it’s time to upgrade. Finally, the DSi follows in the Wii’s footsteps, in that new games generally require an up-to-date firmware. While these firmware updates will add stability and functionality to the system, they also put the kibosh on using any unauthorized flash cards on the DSi, so homebrew enthusiasts beware.

So at the end of the day, the real question is: is the DSi worth it? I say yes. If you’re a new DS owner, obviously this is the best, most feature-heavy version of the system. If you’ve already got a DS, that’s a little trickier. Nintendo’s already said that DSi-enhanced and DSi-specific games are on the way, not to mention all the downloadable games that will only be available through the DSi Shop. The bottom line is the DSi takes everything that made the DS great, and adds a ton of features that are entertaining and useful. Nintendo’s always had a knack for delivering great handheld gaming devices, and the DSi is no exception.

Pros:

• A nice design update to the Lite – the thinner profile, matte finish, better screens, and changes to power and volume controls are all improvements

• New user interface is intuitive and easy to customize

• The cameras are easy to use and give you tons of ways to edit/manipulate your pictures

• Sound player/editor is fun, gives you an alternative to carrying a gaming device and a music player

• Web browser works well, especially on mobile sites

• DSiWare promises exciting, innovative, and cheap games will be available all the time

• Future DSi-specific game cards means this is the DS to have from here on out

Cons:

• No more GBA slot means you’ll have to say goodbye to those games or carry two handhelds

• Neither the camera or the music player stands up to stand-alone devices of the same type

• Battery life’s taken a hit from all the new features

• No more support for flash cards means homebrew fans are out of luck

Verdict: 9.5
The DSi adds a ton of entertaining functionality to the already-great DS Lite. The system will really become a must-own when we start seeing DS games made with its abilities in mind, and when the DSi Shop fills up with captivating software. For now, though, it’s still the best handheld gaming device on the market today, and will put a smile on your face whether you’re a gaming newbie or a hardcore enthusiast.