The DS Lite

[omnitarian]

I really wanted to wait for a colored DS Lite, but I couldn't resist. Anyway, here's my first impressions.

Love:

• The slender design. It fits into your pocket without any unsightly bulging. The clamshell is great, too- the system is "seamless" when it's closed. The original let you play peekaboo with the buttons when it was closed, and that's just silly.
• Brighter screen! You'll have no idea how awesome the screens are until you see it for yourself. Compared to the lite, the DSheavy feels like you're playing with sunglasses on.
• New stylus and touch screen. The new stylus is awesome, it no longer feels like you're playing with a children's toy. The touch screen is great, there's no more blatant plastic sheet covering it up; yet the touch screen still feels incredibly hardy and scratch-resistant, perhaps eve more so. Dragging the stylus across the screen feels kinda iffy, though. Not as... smooth.

Notlove

• Argh, the speakers are terrible. The sound is muffled pretty bad, and it's not very loud, either. The Lite was definitely designed with headphones in mind.
• New buttons. The layout is good (oddly, the control pad does not line up with the ABXY buttons, but that's not really a concern). My big complaint is the new buttons themselves. They seem to have reverted to the GBA buttons, which feel a lot less responsive. The control pad is real "jiggly", too. My little Animal Crossing guy was beebopin' all over the place. Getting him to move diagonally took a needlessly concentrated effort.

Bottom line... sadly, the Lite doesn't feel like a complete 1-up from the original DS. I'm not going to say that you shouldn't trade up to a DS Lite... but I would definitely be cautious of the move if your budget is tight.

[Dreddz]

Also, Zeldy, isnt it out in UK yet? Weve had it here in NZ for a week or two already

The DS lite has been out here for a while too.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I've had the pleasure of playing it, but I'm waiting for color models before getting one myself.

New buttons. The layout is good (oddly, the control pad does not line up with the ABXY buttons, but that's not really a concern). My big complaint is the new buttons themselves. They seem to have reverted to the GBA buttons, which feel a lot less responsive. The control pad is real "jiggly", too. My little Animal Crossing guy was beebopin' all over the place. Getting him to move diagonally took a needlessly concentrated effort.

The new buttons and directional pad feel much more comfortable to me.

[Rostum]

It was only recently released here in Australia, and I think it's the only one on the market now, not too sure. But I really do want to get one. ^.^

[Yamaneko]

Australia/NZ had theirs avaliable the 1st of June. The UK gets theirs next week in black.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I'm hoping to get this soon, I don't yet own a DS and my sister and I will both be getting it for a late birthday gift. I'm rather excited about it, many DS games I've been wanting to play.

[Sylvie]

Does anyone know how much I would get If I traded in a regular DS, almost perfect condition, and an SP (which has some scratches on it but it still works fine) At EB Games?

[~SapphireStar~]

The DS lite has been out here for a while too.

Its not released in the UK till the 23rd of June.

[Clouded Sky]

Does anyone know how much I would get If I traded in a regular DS, almost perfect condition, and an SP (which has some scratches on it but it still works fine) At EB Games?

I can tell you this much. I traded in my DS at Gamestop two weeks ago (they're owned by the same company now, EB and GS) Anyway, I got $50 for it. Whatever. I suppose. Well, $55 with the GameStop Card. In any case, the Lite would be worth it if it's not a terrible blow to your finances. The regular DS screen doesn't even seem backlit compared to the new one.

[omnitarian]

I've had the pleasure of playing it, but I'm waiting for color models before getting one myself. The new buttons and directional pad feel much more comfortable to me.

It's not really a comfort issue, it's more of a performance issue. There's actually no problem with the Lite's D-Pad... until you have to move diagonally. The original DS's D-pad allowed quick and easy 8-directional movement just by rocking your thumb. The Lite's D-pad requires a lot of effort to move diagonally, which trips me up. It's not an issue on New Super Mario Bros. and the like, but it makes games like Animal Crossing and Advance Wars very awkward to play.

[edczxcvbnm]

I picked up a few other games. Metroid Pinball(the Mecca of pinball games) and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow...I can't wait for Portrait of Ruin.

Trauma Center was a pretty easy game up until the final boss. I just can't do it...yet

[Sephex]

Trauma Center was a pretty easy game up until the final boss. I just can't do it...yet

I haven't gotten to the Final Sin yet, but I am having trouble with those missions as well! Argh!

[Dreddz]

The DS lite has been out here for a while too.

Its not released in the UK till the 23rd of June.

oops, I was confused, its just that lots of people have gotten a DS lite around my area, I'd assume they ordered online.......

[JKTrix]

I actually found the diagonals to be easier to use, though this is primarily based on Metroid Prime. In that game, your thumb is almost exclusively on the 'Up' button to move forward, so on the original DS when I wanted to move diagonally I had to move my thumb a little more that I was comfortable with. Luckily, the Lite arrived about a week after I picked up Metroid Prime, and the modified D-pad design eliminated that problem for me. All I have to do is 'rock my thumb' like omnitarian said, while still holding up on the D-pad (instead of having the thumb in the center of the pad) and I get those diagonals just fine. Though I can see how it can seem wonky if you're used to holding your thumb in the center of the pad.

[~SapphireStar~]

oops, I was confused, its just that lots of people have gotten a DS lite around my area, I'd assume they ordered online.......

No probs, you just got me mega excited there!