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DSi Reviews

What the Reviews Are Saying About the DSi

As you would expect the DSi reviews are mixed - here are the main points;

Camera

The camera reviews range from "the only bad point for me is the camera" through "although the camera is not that high quality it is still very impressive" up to another reviewer picking the 2 cameras as one of the best points of the DSi as they thought that Nintendo would release games based around the cameras. The reason a lot of people will criticise the cameras is that we've become used to having 5 to 8 megapixel cameras in mobile phones now, which makes a 0.3 megapixel VGA camera (or even two of them) sound like something from the Stone Age. Nintendo's answer is that the DSi games console isn't trying to compete with mobile phones for camera quality - the strength of the console is the functions associated with the camera (such as 11 types of lens simulator in the software) and the creative effects included for playing with the images. The same goes for the AAC music player - coupled with the microphone and and the separate pitch and speed controls it's all about getting creative - not being the world's best music player.

Screens

We haven't seen anything negative about the DSi games console screens, just lots of comments about the high resolution and "great graphics" and the clarity and brightness of the screen. As the LCD screens are 3.25 inches instead of the DS Lite's 3 inches this is one of the areas where the DSi definitely wins.

Size and Feel

As the DSi games console has been slimmed down compared to the DS Lite that is one of the main positives in the reviews, for instance;

"Good points - thin, light, feels well built"
"It's light and thin, yet feels unbreakable so well built"

One reviewer finds the new thin feel very flimsy and wonders "if it would take the knocks it's bound to get without the screen breaking".

The new matt finish gets a thumbs up - "instead of the glossy finish that the DS Lite had, which made it all sweaty and stuff, a matt finish has been added which means it is like the inside of the DS Lite all over".

Another thumbs up goes to the addition of the SD card slot (as seen in the picture above), which as one reviewer points out means "compatibility with the wii is now an option with the new SD card slot on the side".

Of course the main complaint seasoned gamers have in DSi reviews is the lack of a Game Boy Advance slot, meaning the peripherals for games like Guitar Hero on Tour are no longer usable. We feel that this won't matter when people look back in 6 months time - the DSi games console is slimmer and lighter for it, and the ability to download a whole range of games from the DSi Shop via the browser will more than make up for it.