Nintendo DS Handheld Console

Comprised of duel screens (hence the name DS), the main selling point is probably the lower touch screen. With the aid of the pen-like stylus, it is possible to interact with games through touching this screen to complete tasks, or whatever the games requirements are.

While this sounds like a fairly basic form of gameplay, the enjoyment and addictiveness of such games as Wario Ware Touched and Polarium cannot be put into words.

Another nice feature is the microphone, that allows, from what I have seen, the user to do such things as blow out a candle, for example.

Other than the two launch titles mentioned above, the other high profile release has been Mario 64 DS, a conversion of the Nintendo 64 classic. Although the touch screen abilities of this game have been limited to a series of extra mini-games, the main game is still fantastic and will last for a very long time (as I'm sure those who played the original will know). It also adds 3 new characters to play as, plus an extra 30 stars to find.

Finally, the DS' multiplayer capabilities are brilliant, with the ability to connect to up to three DS' wirelessly, and in some cases with only needing a single game cart between you.

The only concern I have for the DS' future is that many games developers will feel obligated to make use of the DS' features, and therefore turn their attention away to another, simpler format.

I'm sure Nintendo will continue to give it maximum support, with future games from classic franchises such as Zelda, Mario Kart and Advance (DS) Wars.

The Nintendo DS is not a gimmicky machine, it is a work of genius, something that Sony and Microsoft still need to understand. Buy one now!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment

But this is a machine that very quickly endears itself to you.

The touch screen is genius - responsive and in the right game, a joy to use. At the moment, it can often feel too much of a gimmick and not enough of practical use, as games have been slow to utilise it in any meaningful way. However, there are the likes of Tiger Woods 2005 and WarioWare Touched that implement the touch screen and microphone brilliantly, and hopefully this will continue with new games.

The screens may not be large, but they have good backlight and are comfortable to look at for extended periods. The folding design protects the screens beautifully and keeps them nice and clean too. The speakers are surprisingly powerful, and the sound quality that the machine can produce is impressive. Battery life from the lithium-ion battery weighs in at around 8 hours or so, with a 4 hour charging time that's not too bad for a handheld.

The design of the console is good enough, but it can still be a bit cramped if you have adult-sized hands. Thumbs of steel are still the order of the day, as they have been for all other Nintendo handhelds, if you want to play for an hour at a time!

Build quality, despite the perhaps misleading feel of the plastic, is strong and feels pretty drop-resistant. Nintendo are now using cards rather than cartridges for games, and these cards are also tough and the complete lack of moving parts adds to the console's overall strength.

There is built-in wireless networking for multiplayer gaming with other DS consoles, although I have not, as yet, tried this out. It is also backwards compatible with GameBoy Advance games, which is handy as DS software so far has been a bit slow in coming forward.

Graphically, DS games are a mixed bag. The console itself can handle pretty decent 3D at a good speed. Unfortunately, a few too many DS games are almost straight GBA ports and this laziness leaves us with sprites and flat 2D action. Hopefully, upcoming games will be more impressive. Certainly, games such as Super Mario 64, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and FIFA 06 are massive leaps ahead of Nintendo's older handhelds.

With the release of the Sony PSP, it is too easy to try and compare the two and then find the DS wanting. Graphically and sonically, it is an inferior machine. But it leaves the PSP standing with its control systems and potential for original games.

I think it is a little unfair to criticise the DS for not playing movies, music, etc. Nintendo have never wanted the DS to do that - and besides, how long will the appeal last of buying a movie for £15-20 that you can only play on a 4 inch, fairly dark, screen?

The PSP has a winning design and it looks great, but the big, shiny screen is just begging to be scratched. Something the DS' clam-shell design should help avoid.

The DS is also a bit lighter and smaller than the PSP and the tiny cards that games come on are a fraction of the size of a PSP disc. Most important of all, it is nearly half the price, has a huge back catalogue of GameBoy Advance games and new games tend to be slightly cheaper than PSP.

The DS has been out for a while now, and Nintendo need to get more games on the shelves. It is a more than worthy successor to the GameBoy line but without good software support, the DS is dead in the water. Having said that, the release schedule is starting to improve and there are now a number of (hopefully) quality titles on their way.

The Nintendo DS is a great machine and will live or die by its games. There are simply not enough at the moment, and the number of essential games can be counted on one hand. If that situation improves, the DS can grow to be one of the best handhelds ever. Technologically, it is a marvel. Time will tell if the games do it justice.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment

How the touchscreen works,

The graphic potention of the ds,

Why it is my faveourite hendheld.

So first why is the ds is so cheap you ask. One reason this is that unlike the psp you do not have all the media devices already built in, so that if you do not want these extra things, you do not have to pay extra money something you are never going to use. You can purchase an mp3 player add on, a movie player add on and many more things yet to come.

The touchscreen is located on the lower half of the ds, and can be used with a stylus or thumbstrap (included with ds). The stylus is made of special material that leaves no scratches on the screen. The stylus can be cliped onto a small hole on the back of the ds for safe keeping. The thumb strap is also attachable to the back of the ds and is an alternative to the stylus. The touch screen is mainly used for either: items selecting, moving and steering. On alot of games where you can use the touychscreen to move you can just use the d-pad to move. But the touchscreen does give more precise movements if you get used to it.

The graphic potentional of the ds is actually higher than you may think. the graphics I must admit are not as good as the psp's but the ds is capable of gamecube graphics in cut scenes and nearly capable of the gamecube graphics in gamepay.

The ds is my favourite handheld because for one thing it produces gaming experiences on one has ever seen before now with it's touch screen and microphone. Also nintendo games always are very different from each other and never copy anyone else.

Overall I give the ds 9.5/10 The only reason it does not get ten is because the graphics are slightly worse the psp's.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews   Was this review helpful to you?

Report this | Permalink Comment Comment