The Nintendo DS and i

The Nintendo DSi marks the third iteration of Nintendo's popular handheld since its original release in 2004. Seeing as over 100 million units of the Gameboy's dual-screened little brother have been shipped worldwide, chances are you already have one. Is it worth it to shell out $169.99 for the upgrade or is the DSi merely another way Nintendo will further line its pockets? It's a little of both, but know one thing - it's more than just a DS with a camera.

Hardware

At first glance, it's immediately apparent that the DSi is sleeker, thinner and all around sexier than the two previous versions, the DS and DS Lite. The DSi measures in at a 2.95 inches wide by 5.39 inches long by .74 inches thick, and weighs in at about 4 grams less than the DS Lite (for a total weight of 214 grams with the stylus). By comparison, the DS Lite was 2.91 inches wide, 5.24 inches long and .85 inches thick. The DSi is a little longer, but not by much, and it's definitely worth it to accommodate the larger 3.25 inch LCDs - the DS Lite's screen was only 3 inches across. Both the DSi and its predecessors are capable of displaying 260,000 colors. These may seem like minor differences but they do matter, especially when straining your eyes over a tiny handheld screen. The changes are a huge plus for the DSi.

You may've noticed I haven't been making comparisons to the original DS - because, let's face it, the original DS was a monster. Unless you're really going to miss the Game Boy Advance slot, upgrading should be a no-brainer.

Speaking of which, the removal of the GBA slot is probably the biggest deterrent for purchasing a DSi. Without the GBA lot, the DS "Guitar Hero" series is unplayable and the console no longer supports the DS Rumble Pak - both the required the additional slot. Also, most people probably got rid of (or lost) their GBAs once they got a DS. Well, your games are now useless.

But while the GBA port is gone, Nintendo found space to include an SD Memory Card slot, a useful addition that can serve many purposes. With the DSi's built-in camera, you can save pictures onto a SD card and transfer them to your computer or Wii. You can also save DSi Shop games and game save files to the card, but filling the 256 MB of internal memory with saves and games alone would be hard.

The charging time for the built-in battery remains comparable for both the DSi and the DS Lite, clocking in at about three hours. But once charged, the DSi won't last as long, averaging a couple of hours less in battery life depending on the brightness settings.

Built-In Software

The DSi comes with some cool software right out of the box, and Nintendo even gives you 1,000 points for use on the digital Nintendo DSi Shop - which you will need a WiFi Internet connection in order to access (for more details, check out the sidebar on page 7). So even if you haven't invested in a game, there's still plenty to do on the DSi.

The DSi's menu has been made more stylish and resembles a mini-Wii aesthetically. Besides a settings menu and a slot where a game icon would appear, there are options for the DSi camera, DSi Sound, the standard PictoChat and the aforementioned Shop. Also, whenever you download a game, it'll appear on the menu.

DSi Sound is at its heart a music player, but it also functions as a voice recorder and a pretty complex sound editor. Users can adjust pitch, playback and add filters, but unless you read the guide it may seem a little overwhelming.

DSi Shop is perhaps the best addition to Nintendo's handheld moneymaker. Already pretty successful on the Wii, Nintendo offers third- and first-party software for Nintendo Points, which can be purchased in local retailers like GameStop or through your console with a credit card. So far, all software has cost 200-800 points, the equivalent of $2-$8. The interface is easy to use (again mimicking the Wii) and should provide plenty of terrible ways for companies to score quick cash off of gamers, along with the occasional quality title. Happily, a few worthwhile titles are already available.

Camera

The DSi features two VGA cameras (one on the outside and inside) at a whopping .3 megapixels each. In case you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm - most cell phones are two megapixels and up. Even if you don't have a digital camera or a camera phone of some sort, the DSi's camera is really not worth it using for straight photography - but it's what you can do with the snaps you do take that makes the .3 megapixels almost worthwhile.

The software features many distortion and editing effects that you control with the stylus that are fun to play around with, at least for a little bit. There are 11 different lenses, including mirrors, distortion, graffiti and the ever-so-creepy merge lens. Ever see one of those photo booths that will show you what yours and your significant other's baby would look like? It's like that, but creepier. There are also some frame and stamp effects you can apply over the photo, and some of them are cute in a tacky way.

The camera also has a calendar in which you can add memos or reminders, but why it's buried in the camera software is beyond me.

Intangibles

Comfort is a big deal with handhelds, and if you have bear paws for hands like this reviewer, the new, sleeker design may make it uncomfortable to play after extended periods of time. The matte finish, however, feels good on the fingertips and prevents fingerprints from showing up like they did on the glossy DS Lite.

Sound is a big thing when it comes to handhelds and the DSi can be pretty loud at its highest volume setting - without distorting the sound. With headphones on, the DSi provides some pretty good surround, too. For example, if you're playing "Pokemon," all sounds for the opposing player come in through the right ear and the left for your character.

The DSi feels durable, but not as much as the original DS. You should be all set just as long as you're careful not to drop it down a flight of stairs.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, if you're still holding on to your original DS, it might be time to seriously consider an upgrade. It's a bit trickier if you have the DS Lite, and it really depends how much you really care about what some might call minor add-ons. The DSi Shop is definitely a huge draw, and whlte it and should allow third-party companies and Nintendo to churn out a whole lot of shovel ware, it should also showcase some genuinely fun mini-games at a decent price. Meanwhile,and the camera and DSi Sound are fun diversions when you're bored of what the DS Lite has to offer.