Nintendo DS Lite Review
The DS Lite is a handheld gaming device manufactured by Nintendo. It was a redesign to the original DS, with two screens, WiFi Connectivity, and a lightweight attractive design. It was released in 2006, so it is now a nine year old device. But can it still compete with the handheld gaming systems of today? Lets see in our full written review of the Nintendo DS Lite!
Hardware:
The DS Lite is about 3 inches tall (when closed), 5.2 inches wide, and .85 inches thick. It is also very light at 7.7 oz. The design of the Nintendo DS Lite is extremely minimalistic and lightweight. It is fairly aesthetically pleasing, with nice angles and shapes. It is constructed entirely out of plastic, with the lid having a glossy finish. The rest of the gaming system is matte and has a slightly soft touch feel to it. As far as in hand feel, the DS has sharp corners which make it hard to hold for any long period of time. The hinge for opening and closing the devices clam-shell feels sturdy and make a satisfying clicking sound. With design and aesthetics out of the ways, lets take a quick look around the handheld. There is nothing on the left side of the device. The right side is home to the power switch and stylist silo. There is a volume slider, the GBA game cartridge slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. The top of the device houses the DS Card Slot, charging port, and left and right bumper buttons. When you open up the DS Lite, you are greeted by dual 3.2 inch screens, both with a 256x192 resolution. The top screen is a regular TFT LCD Display, while the bottom screen is a resistive touch screen. There are two stereo speakers on both sides of the upper screen. The speakers are of average quality. They sound decent, but they certainly won't blow your socks off. The area in between the two screens is home to a single microphone. To the left of the bottom screen there is a physical D-pad, while to the right there are a cluster of buttons that included the Y, X, A, and B buttons. Below this cluster we find the Start and Select buttons, both of which are immensely tiny. All of these physical buttons have a quite nice tactile response. They feel particularly satisfying to press, and they better, considering you will be pressing them often. Moving back to the DS's screens, the touch screen works well and accurately for the most part, despite the fact that it is resistive. Both screens are very bright and have true to life colors. But where the two screens really start to let the viewer down is in resolution. The 256x192 resolution is far too low and makes the screens look very unclear. You can easily distinguish individual pixels on the screens and they look extremely grainy. I understand the limitations Nintendo had to deal with at the time, but they should have put a little more effort into creating a pleasing screen that makes for a enjoyable viewing experience. Ok, let's now talk about internals; specifications. The Nintendo DS Lite does not pack much in this field. It runs a single-core 67 MHz processor coupled with 4 MB RAM. Internal storage is at 4 MB, but you won't be using this storage as your game saves are stored on the game card itself. The DS does, fortunately, feature Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection, which is powered by a WiFi card that supports 802.11 b and routers that feature WEP security (Sorry, not support for WPA or WPA 2). Despite the fact that Nintendo's handheld is not wildly powerful, it still manages to preform surprising well. The UI runs smoothly as do games. The handheld game system promotes a 450 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. The battery pack provides wildly impressive battery life, easily outlasting it's handheld competitors. In the end, the Nintendo DS Lite packs some decent hardware and aims to satisfy, but can't compete with the handheld gaming systems of today.
What's in the box:
- Nintendo DS Lite Handheld Gaming System
- Instruction Manual
- Pictochat Manual
- Wall Charger
- Warranty Info
- 3 Styluses
Software:
The Nintendo DS Lite runs Nintendo's proprietary operating system. It is extremely basic and does not include many features. When you first turn on the DS, you are greeted by the wonderful (not really) health and safety warning screen. This screen warns you about the dangers of gaming, blah blah. Hurry up and skip that screen and you're eyes will come in contact with the home screen or main screen, whatever you want to call it. This screen (or screens, technically since two different parts of the UI are shown on either display) is essentially the extent of the user interface the Nintendo DS implements. And it's pretty simple. A colored status banner with your name, the time/date, battery and other symbols is shown at the top of the upper display. Below this banner is a large analog clock that displays the time. Beside the clock is a calendar, which shows only a month view. Moving down to the bottom touch screen, we have icons which will lead to the DS game (if a card is inserted), the Pictochat function, DS Download Play, and the GBA game (if a game pack is inserted). Below these icons we are greeted with even more icons, for controlling brightness, settings, and the built in alarm. The brightness icon has the ability to toggle 4 different brightness settings. The settings icon, when tapped, opens the settings menu and allows one to change device settings, personalize the handheld, as well as calibrate the resistive touch screen. The alarm icon only turns the alarm on or off as you have to actually set the alarm in the settings menu. DS Download Play is Nintendo's multiplayer function and, when the icon is tapped, begins searching for other DS handhelds near you so that you can play a multiplayer game with that person. Located next to DS Download Play is the Pictochat icon, the one and only truly unique feature of the DS Lite's operating system. Pictochat is a messaging service that allows you to message other DS handhelds that are near you. It's similar to texting, except the person you are messaging has to be near you for the feature to work. When you tap the icon, you can enter a "chat room" and begin chatting with others. You can send text by using the software qwerty keyboard or send pictures by drawing on the touch screen with the stylus. Overall, the Pictochat feature is pretty nice and really helps to differentiate the DS from some of its competitors. And that is really it for the Nintendo DS Lite's operating system. It is pretty bare-bones and lacks features. In fact, you don't even need to navigate the UI to play a DS game. You can adjust some settings and have the player skip the UI entirely and just start the DS game from boot if you have a card inserted.
Gaming:
Now, gaming. Let's discuss gaming on the DS Lite. It is enjoyable. To say the least. The graphics are not wonderful, the audio is not great, but none of that really matters. The DS Lite captures the true spirit of Nintendo handheld gaming at its finest. The experience of gaming on the DS is very pleasurable. Just like the original GameBoy, the DS Lite features pure, raw handheld gaming. It isn't bogged down by gimmicks, it is just gaming as it was meant to be and that's really great. There are over a thousand games for the DS, so don't worry about not finding a game to play. In fact, most of the titles, including Mario Kart DS and Super Mario Bros DS play quite nicely on the Nintendo handheld. No frame-drops, no lag, just good old gaming. So to wrap it all up, gaming is decidedly wonderful, enjoyable, and engaging on the Nintendo DS Lite. There is nothing to get in the way of the pure handheld gaming experience.
Conclusion:
The DS Lite is an average handheld gaming system. On the plus side, it features an attractive and stylish design, a wide collection of games, a nice gaming experience, and Nintendo quality. But it is eight years old, so there are some negatives. The hardware isn't as powerful as it should be, the screens are low resolution, and the gaming system on the whole lacks features. The DS Lite just can't compete with its newer, more feature-rich competitors, including the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PS VITA. But does that mean the DS Lite is not worth picking up? No it doesn't. For the low price of just over $100, the Nintendo DS Lite is still worth a purchase.
*It is always possible that some specifications or facts may be incorrect. We try our best at MobileTechnology Reviews to provide accurate information, but we occasionally make mistakes. If you notice that something is wrong or incorrect, shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll fix it!
Hardware:
The DS Lite is about 3 inches tall (when closed), 5.2 inches wide, and .85 inches thick. It is also very light at 7.7 oz. The design of the Nintendo DS Lite is extremely minimalistic and lightweight. It is fairly aesthetically pleasing, with nice angles and shapes. It is constructed entirely out of plastic, with the lid having a glossy finish. The rest of the gaming system is matte and has a slightly soft touch feel to it. As far as in hand feel, the DS has sharp corners which make it hard to hold for any long period of time. The hinge for opening and closing the devices clam-shell feels sturdy and make a satisfying clicking sound. With design and aesthetics out of the ways, lets take a quick look around the handheld. There is nothing on the left side of the device. The right side is home to the power switch and stylist silo. There is a volume slider, the GBA game cartridge slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom. The top of the device houses the DS Card Slot, charging port, and left and right bumper buttons. When you open up the DS Lite, you are greeted by dual 3.2 inch screens, both with a 256x192 resolution. The top screen is a regular TFT LCD Display, while the bottom screen is a resistive touch screen. There are two stereo speakers on both sides of the upper screen. The speakers are of average quality. They sound decent, but they certainly won't blow your socks off. The area in between the two screens is home to a single microphone. To the left of the bottom screen there is a physical D-pad, while to the right there are a cluster of buttons that included the Y, X, A, and B buttons. Below this cluster we find the Start and Select buttons, both of which are immensely tiny. All of these physical buttons have a quite nice tactile response. They feel particularly satisfying to press, and they better, considering you will be pressing them often. Moving back to the DS's screens, the touch screen works well and accurately for the most part, despite the fact that it is resistive. Both screens are very bright and have true to life colors. But where the two screens really start to let the viewer down is in resolution. The 256x192 resolution is far too low and makes the screens look very unclear. You can easily distinguish individual pixels on the screens and they look extremely grainy. I understand the limitations Nintendo had to deal with at the time, but they should have put a little more effort into creating a pleasing screen that makes for a enjoyable viewing experience. Ok, let's now talk about internals; specifications. The Nintendo DS Lite does not pack much in this field. It runs a single-core 67 MHz processor coupled with 4 MB RAM. Internal storage is at 4 MB, but you won't be using this storage as your game saves are stored on the game card itself. The DS does, fortunately, feature Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection, which is powered by a WiFi card that supports 802.11 b and routers that feature WEP security (Sorry, not support for WPA or WPA 2). Despite the fact that Nintendo's handheld is not wildly powerful, it still manages to preform surprising well. The UI runs smoothly as do games. The handheld game system promotes a 450 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. The battery pack provides wildly impressive battery life, easily outlasting it's handheld competitors. In the end, the Nintendo DS Lite packs some decent hardware and aims to satisfy, but can't compete with the handheld gaming systems of today.
What's in the box:
- Nintendo DS Lite Handheld Gaming System
- Instruction Manual
- Pictochat Manual
- Wall Charger
- Warranty Info
- 3 Styluses
Software:
The Nintendo DS Lite runs Nintendo's proprietary operating system. It is extremely basic and does not include many features. When you first turn on the DS, you are greeted by the wonderful (not really) health and safety warning screen. This screen warns you about the dangers of gaming, blah blah. Hurry up and skip that screen and you're eyes will come in contact with the home screen or main screen, whatever you want to call it. This screen (or screens, technically since two different parts of the UI are shown on either display) is essentially the extent of the user interface the Nintendo DS implements. And it's pretty simple. A colored status banner with your name, the time/date, battery and other symbols is shown at the top of the upper display. Below this banner is a large analog clock that displays the time. Beside the clock is a calendar, which shows only a month view. Moving down to the bottom touch screen, we have icons which will lead to the DS game (if a card is inserted), the Pictochat function, DS Download Play, and the GBA game (if a game pack is inserted). Below these icons we are greeted with even more icons, for controlling brightness, settings, and the built in alarm. The brightness icon has the ability to toggle 4 different brightness settings. The settings icon, when tapped, opens the settings menu and allows one to change device settings, personalize the handheld, as well as calibrate the resistive touch screen. The alarm icon only turns the alarm on or off as you have to actually set the alarm in the settings menu. DS Download Play is Nintendo's multiplayer function and, when the icon is tapped, begins searching for other DS handhelds near you so that you can play a multiplayer game with that person. Located next to DS Download Play is the Pictochat icon, the one and only truly unique feature of the DS Lite's operating system. Pictochat is a messaging service that allows you to message other DS handhelds that are near you. It's similar to texting, except the person you are messaging has to be near you for the feature to work. When you tap the icon, you can enter a "chat room" and begin chatting with others. You can send text by using the software qwerty keyboard or send pictures by drawing on the touch screen with the stylus. Overall, the Pictochat feature is pretty nice and really helps to differentiate the DS from some of its competitors. And that is really it for the Nintendo DS Lite's operating system. It is pretty bare-bones and lacks features. In fact, you don't even need to navigate the UI to play a DS game. You can adjust some settings and have the player skip the UI entirely and just start the DS game from boot if you have a card inserted.
Gaming:
Now, gaming. Let's discuss gaming on the DS Lite. It is enjoyable. To say the least. The graphics are not wonderful, the audio is not great, but none of that really matters. The DS Lite captures the true spirit of Nintendo handheld gaming at its finest. The experience of gaming on the DS is very pleasurable. Just like the original GameBoy, the DS Lite features pure, raw handheld gaming. It isn't bogged down by gimmicks, it is just gaming as it was meant to be and that's really great. There are over a thousand games for the DS, so don't worry about not finding a game to play. In fact, most of the titles, including Mario Kart DS and Super Mario Bros DS play quite nicely on the Nintendo handheld. No frame-drops, no lag, just good old gaming. So to wrap it all up, gaming is decidedly wonderful, enjoyable, and engaging on the Nintendo DS Lite. There is nothing to get in the way of the pure handheld gaming experience.
Conclusion:
The DS Lite is an average handheld gaming system. On the plus side, it features an attractive and stylish design, a wide collection of games, a nice gaming experience, and Nintendo quality. But it is eight years old, so there are some negatives. The hardware isn't as powerful as it should be, the screens are low resolution, and the gaming system on the whole lacks features. The DS Lite just can't compete with its newer, more feature-rich competitors, including the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PS VITA. But does that mean the DS Lite is not worth picking up? No it doesn't. For the low price of just over $100, the Nintendo DS Lite is still worth a purchase.
*It is always possible that some specifications or facts may be incorrect. We try our best at MobileTechnology Reviews to provide accurate information, but we occasionally make mistakes. If you notice that something is wrong or incorrect, shoot us an email at [email protected] and we'll fix it!