Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 367
 Nintendo DSi: Great System. Kids Have Played With This Continuously! April 5, 2009
A. Stagg (Virginia, USA)
174 out of 189 found this review helpful
Overall, I really like the DSi and think it is a huge improvement over the DS & DS Lite, however, I wish they had released the device with more games and applications that take into account the new camera system. We also own a DS Lite and my kids are playing with the new version more than they ever did with the older version.
First, the device feels great to hold. I bought the black version and the brushed surface gives the DSi a textured feel that is very comfortable to hold and makes you feel confident you won't drop it.
Setup could not have been easier. The DSi connected with my wireless network on the first try, upgraded the software with no problems, and then downloaded the Opera browser and the WarioWare Snapped game immediately. No problems using my 1 GB SD card (I will be installing a larger SD card soon).
The screen on the DSi is .25 inches bigger than the DS lite. Overall the colors on the screen seem a bit crisper to me and "pop" a little more on the DSi.
The Opera Browser works great, though the screen is pretty cramped and they don't appear to have released a flash player for it yet, so forget streaming YouTube or similar video at this time. The Wii also did not have the Flash Player when it was released, so we can hope that flash will be arriving soon for the DSi as it did for the Wii.
I only wish they had released the game with more titles that take advantage of the camera system. The WarioWare: Snapped is a nice game, but a bit cantankerous. Make certain you use it against a high contrast wall. It's a simple game, but entertaining. Still, I would have hoped for a couple more games that used the camera system to better effect. Hopefully soon.
The applications for the camera and the recording applications are great fun and my son is having a great time playing with them. Still, I wish they had released the device with more overlays and templates; I am guessing more will released in the near future. Nevertheless, my kids really like playing with the sound and video gadgets and have had a great time with them...need to remember to get them headphones... ;-)
So, overall, I highly recommend this game system, but advise patience while Nintendo releases more games and applications for it. There are still plenty of DS Lites on the shelves, but I'd advise getting this system unless you really want to be able to play your older GBA titles which do not play on the new system.
I also highly recommend getting the Dsi Nerf Armor - Blue/Black to protect the system. Works great if you can find it, otherwise try Nintendo DSi Thrustmaster Metal Case-Ocean Blue which fits nicely, but is PLASTIC not metal as advertised.
Week of 13 April Update: Nintendo released two more titles to the DSi shop that are available for download. Have to admit some disappointment so far in this aspect of the game system. So far, nothing available that evokes much excitement. Still, I'm optimistic that the game titles will follow soon.
To date (04 JAN 2010), the following downloads are available:
1. DSi Opera Browser -Free
2. Birds & Beans - 200pts
3. Brain Age Express: Math - 800pts
4. Master of Illusion: Funny Face - 200pts
5. Maters of Illusion: Shuffle Games -500 pts
6. Aquia - 500pts
7. Warioware: Snapped - 500 pts
8. Mixed Messages - 500 pts
9. Dr Mario Express - 500 pts
10. Master of Illusion Express: Deep Psyche - 200 pts
11. Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics - 500pts
12. Paper Airplane Chase - 200 pts
13. Animal Crossing Clock (not a game) - 200 pts
14. Animal Crossing Calculator (not a game) - 200 pts
15. Real Soccer 2009 - 800 pts {looks like a good one/ 1-4 players, customize aspects of the game using the DSi camera.
16. Art Style(tm): PiCTOBiTS(tm) -500 pts (looks like another good one)
17. Photo Clock -200 points
18. American Popstar: Road to Celebrity - 800 pts
19. Mighty Flip Champs! - 800 DSi Points {this looks like fun!!)
20. Mario vs. Donkey Kong(tm): Minis March Again! - 800 pts
21. Mario Calculator - 200 pts
22. Mario Clock - 200 pts
23. BOXLIFE - 500 pts
24. SUDOKU MASTER - 500 pts
25. Art Style: BASE 10 - 500 pts
26. Brain Challenge (48 mini-games) - 800 pts
27. ZENGAGE (a puzzle game) - 500 pts
28. Sudoku Student - 200 pts
29. Art Style: precipice(tm) - 500 pts
30. Facebook Connect -- FREE!!! {Facebook integration}
31. Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters - 800 pts
32. Brain Age Express: Sudoku - 500 pts
33. Guitar Rock Tour - 500 pts
34. Pop Solo -500 pts
35. Puzzle League Express - 500 pts
36. Clubhouse Games Express: Family Favorites - 500pts
37. Art Academy(tm): First Semester - 800pts
38. Oscar in Toyland - 800pts
39. MySims Camera - 200 pts
40. Clubhouse Games Express: Strategy Pack - 500 pts
41. Art Academy: Second Semester - 800 pts
42. Dragon Quest Wars - 500 pts
43. Thorium Wars - 1000 pts
44. Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon(tm) - 500pts
(October 19 - DOMO EXTRAVAGANZA WEEK!!)
45. Crash-Course Domo - 200 pts
46. Hard-Hat Domo - 200 pts
47. Pro-Putt Domo - 200 pts
48. Rock-N-Roll Domo - 200 pts
49. White Water Domo - 200 pts
50. The Royal Bluff - 500 pts
51. Sudoku - 200 pts
52. Sparkle Snaphots - 500 pts (uses camera)
53. Viking Invasion - 800 pts
54. Battle of Giants: Dragons - Bronze Edition - 800 pts
(NOVEMBER 9, 2009)
55. Electroplankton - Trapy, Hanenbow, Red-Rec, Nanocarp, and Beatnes - 200 pts each
56. Bomberman Blitz - 500 pts
(NOVEMBER 16, 2009)
57. Art Style(tm): DIGIDRIVE - 500 pts
58. Arcade Bowling - 200 pts
59. Robot Rescue - 200 pts
(NOVEMBER 23, 2009)
60. Castle Of Magic - 500 pts
61. myNotebook: Blue - 200 pts
62. Electroplankton Luminarrow - 200 pts
63. Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule - 200 pts
64. Electroplankton Lumiloop - 200 pts
65. Electroplankton Marine-Crystals - 200 pts
66. Electroplankton Varvoice - 200 pts
(1 December)
67. EA's Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes - 800 pts (uses camera!!)
68. Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe - 200 pts
69. Sudoku Challenge! - 500 pts
70. Bookworm - 500 pts
(7 December)
71. Rayman - 800pts (hooray!!)
72. Ball Fighter - 500 pts
73. Pop Island - 500 pts
74. Army Defender - 200 pts
75. myNotebook: Red - 200 pts
(14 December)
76. Littlest Pet Shop - 800 pts
77. Miami Nights - 800 pts
78. Bejeweled Twist(tm) - 500 pts
79. Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam - 500 pts
80. Master of Illusion(tm) Express: Matchmaker - 200 pts
(21 December)
81. UNO - 800 pts
82. Dragon's Lair - 800 pts
83. Hot and Cold: A 3D Hidden Object Adventure - 800 pts
84. High Stakes: Texas Hold'Em - 500 pts
85. myNotebook: Green(tm) - 200 pts
(28 December)
86. The Oregon Trail - 800 pts
87. SUDOKU SENSEI - 500 pts
88. Glow Artisan - 500 pts
89. Master of Illusion(tm) Express: Psychic Camera - 200 pts
90. Arcade Hoops Basketball - 200 pts
(04 Jan 2010)
91. Trajectile - 500 pts
92. Animal Puzzle Adventure - 500 pts
93. Hell's Kitchen Vs - 800 pts
There are pros and cons, BUT... the pros win! April 5, 2009
Scott M. Thompson (Missouri, USA)
91 out of 101 found this review helpful
I bought a DS Lite two weeks ago. It was a hasty purchase, and after I bought the device I later read about the DSi coming out. I read ALL OVER the internet about this thing. I evaluated all pros and cons. Yes, I would like to play GBA games - but I have a GBA. Yes, I would like more battery life - but there are more brightness settings. The main selling points that finally got me were the slightly bigger screens, the matte finish, and the DSi shop. Therefore, I ended up returning my DS Lite a couple of days later for only a half-refund (Gamestop I love you) and signed up for the DSi pre-order. I bought the DSi during the midnight launch party at my local Gamestop.
After getting the DSi - I feel confident I made the right decision. The black matte finish is very nice. I actually prefer it over the shiny finish because you leave less fingerprints everywhere and the texture is nice. ALSO, the new menu format for the DSi is a vast improvement over the DS Lite. Although only slightly larger, I am definitely happier with the larger screens. Sure the battery life may not be as long as the Lite, but DSi brightness settings are amazing. The brightest setting on the DSi stumps the Lite's brightest setting.
I am an adult gamer and the cameras and music interactivity of this device do not really excite me - but they are nice features. Do not expect to start a professional photo studio with pictures taken from cameras. They are for fun and not professional photos - the resolution is comparable to cell phones of 5 years past.
I am mainly excited about the DSi shop. There are rumours floating everywhere about a virtual console being released and the DSi shop providing "classic" GBA and even GB games in the future (and maybe more systems?!). This would more than justify the lost GBA slot. Nonetheless, the DSiWare games and apps will be coming out every week - and I am sure some great things will come out of this.
The SD/SDHC slot is another great feature on this device. I can see this slot being very useful down the road when more and more games and apps are made available at the DSi shop. The internal storage of the DSi is pretty slim - so this is well needed.
I did my research. There are pros and cons for buying the DSi over the Lite. I weighed them, and then weighed them again. The verdict: PROS = 70, CONS = 30. This is based on the lost GBA slot, the battery life, the expensive price tag. If you are new to the DS community like I am, it would only make sense to jump right in with a DSi. If you are a diehard Lite fan with a tight budget, you may want to wait a couple of months and see if the DSi shop starts a virtual console. Overall though - I am very happy with this little guy.
A nice upgrade! April 20, 2009
J. Peplinski (Michigan)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
I've had a DS Lite for YEARS and it was getting pretty beat up so I was ready for an upgrade...was planning to wait until the DSi had been out for a few months, but a great trade-in deal lured me in yesterday. So, here are my first impressions:
BIGGER/BRIGHTER SCREEN: I didn't think this would matter very much, but it actually looks great. My old DS games look brand new, I'm noticing background details that I never paid attention to before. Yes, keeping it super bright will wear out the battery much faster than the DS Lite. BUT, unlike the DS Lite, it is easily adjustable. I sometimes play in a dark room (i.e. before going to bed) and turning down to the darkest setting is easier on the eyes plus wears out the battery much slower.
CAMERA: It's not a powerful camera, it's a toy. Which is fine, I have a camera for taking photos and don't need another one. I like having personal photos to greet me when I open it up to play a game, but I probably won't use the distortion & sticker features. Might be fun for kids, nothing more than a novelty for adults.
SOUND: It definitely has better speakers, which I like for the My Language Coach games and things like Let's Yoga which was hard to hear on the DS Lite (yeah, I can use headphones, I'm just too lazy). I haven't yet tried putting my own music on an SD card and using the DSi as a player; that's why I have an iPod. Could be fun if you don't have another music player though.
INTERNET: Since I don't have a smartphone, this is my first handheld web-surfing device and I LOVE IT. The browser is a FREE download and works better than expected It does not support a flash player so you won't be able to watch any videos, and some websites (Facebook, boo hoo!) are memory hogs that don't load properly. But I've been surprised at the number of sites I can visit! I can check my email, the weather, play online sudoku, shop, twitter, etc. VERY impressed at the interface, it is very easy to use.
DSiWARE SHOP: So far there aren't a ton of options available, but there will be lots games in the future! They are inexpensive and easy to download so far. Through the end of June, Nintendo is giving 1000 points for anyone to use for downloading games (games "cost" anywhere from 200 pts to 800 pts) which is a nice way to try out the current offerings. I downloaded Aquia yesterday and can't put it down; Dr. Mario Express is due out today so I'll be even more obsessed.
MISSING GBA SLOT: I don't have any GBA games so it's not an issue for me, I understand it is an issue for some. Hopefully they will eventually offer some classics in the DSi Shop in the future for all of us to enjoy. I never used it before so I won't miss it now.
I was very hesitant to jump on the upgrade bandwagon too early, but I couldn't be happier with the DSi. It has some great features and great potential, it is a LOT of fun and I just adore it!!! So glad I bought it!
Is the DSi for you? April 8, 2009
Daniel V. Velazquez (San Diego, CA USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
The DSi comes out a few years after the second DS model, the DS Lite. Unlike the DS Lite, which had a lot of obvious improvements over the original model, the DSi's changes are less obvious. The major one is the ability to download games over the Nintendo shop. Some games might be free, other starting at 2 bucks and up, this really has a chance of being the best feature on the system. Add that to another hidden change, the CPU is twice and fast and has 4 times the Ram of the DS and DS lite. This means newer games can be enhanced and offer anything from better graphics to bigger levels.
The cameras are fun even if they are low res (.3 megapixels) but can be manipulated in many funny ways. It can also record voice and play back music, but not in .mp3 format, you'll have to use .acc files. Another thing that might not be obvious but is an improvement is the sound. The new speaker are way better than the old ones.
The lack of a Game Boy Advance slot is kinda bad if you have a lot of GBA games, but personally whenever I want to play those games I use my older systems. Just know that some games like Guitar Hero on DS won't work on the DSi (for now).
So if you don't have a DS, you should really consider getting this version. It has many things that could change the way we play games and will be around for a while.
I love it.(: June 28, 2009
Mikki58 (Eastern Shore, Maryland)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I am a 14 year old girl & I got my DSi yesterday.
I'm usually not a big "gamer."
The DSi is the ONLY gaming system I have.
I love it.
So far, I only have one game: New Super Mario Bros.
I have had so many laughs already with the distorting tool on the camera. The camera takes really great pictures.
I love the blue color of the DSi.
I love the texture of it too.
So far, I have no complaints. I love it. I'm so glad I got it, and would reccomend it to anyone, and any age.
Good job Nintendo (:
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