Hi, I'm back on the site after being away from here for quite a while, will try and visit more often...
Hi, I'm back on the site after being away from here for quite a while, will try and visit more often and try and catch up with everyone. Sue
Member since:08.02.2005
Reviews:17
Members who trust:12
My DS was the best present that I got for Christmas this year, its fabulous. In fact I cheated slightly as I was given it to test when it was 1st purchased and have been playing it constantly since. This has been a godsend to me over Christmas as I have been ill in bed for most of the Christmas period and it has helped keep me amused. It is also good for keeping you occupied when you can't sleep at night.
Well what is the Nintendo DS? DS stands for Dual Screen, it is a Hand held Games Console, similar to the Game Boy Advance, but so much more powerful. It has two screens a top screen and the bottom screen, which is also a touch screen (that comes with a small stylus, that looks like a pen to use on the touch screen), this is what makes the DS unique. The machine currently comes is three different colours the original silver, baby Pink (which I have) and Baby blue.
********** Controls ********** There are various ways to control the DS, the standard Control pad this is the same as most handhelds. Then there comes the special controls created for the DS the unique touch screen and microphone. The microphone is excellent for Nintendogs you sit there shouting at the machine telling your puppy to do something, very enjoyable but I don't think I'll use it in public. Nintendo have come up with other uses of the microphone, which are very interesting. For example in one game that I have you use the microphone to bow dust off an object and in another to blow bubbles.
What about the touch screen why is it so special? Well, It allows you to do so much more with the console and allows you to play more PC based games than most consoles do. In some games you can use the
touch screen in the same way that you would use a mouse on the PC, which means that game play is much easier. The machine lends itself perfectly to point and click adventures as well as lots more. It can be used as a directional control, to write or draw something and even as a PC mouse.
************* Game Play *************
Playing a game is extremely easy, the games come in small cartridges, which slot into the back of the machine and switch on. Games are also saved onto these cartridges. The DS has some backward compatibility in that it allows you to play Game Boy Advance games. The system has a large slot at the front of the machine to take the Game Boy Advance games. The only difference when playing a Game Boy Advance game is that you only use the top screen, the bottom or touch screen cannot be used for these games. Games load quickly and easily and save menus etc are easy to access.
The DS also has wireless capabilities, which can be utilised in may ways and makes game play much more exciting. The major advantage of this though is the multiplayer capabilities. These all use the wireless system, there are 2 ways that you can play multiplayer games all dependant on the game you are playing. The 1st is the standard where every play needs a copy of the game, but some games allow Download Play. This is where only one player needs a copy of the game and they can temporarily download the game on to their friend's machines to play the multiplayer game. Also in games like Nintendogs and The Sims 2 you can use the Wireless mode to swap objects with your friends who have the same game.
Nintendo have recently created greater versatility with the Wireless mode with new games such as Mario cart DS. In which you can use the Wireless mode to connect to the Internet Via your PC or a Wi-FI hot spot. By connecting to the Internet with these new games you can complete with people all over the world over the Internet. I can not rate the Internet option yet as I have not tried it, but from reports in magazines etc it is excellent, although a lot of the Wireless hot spots are not up and running yet and there has been an availability problem regarding the USB Wi-FI adaptors for PC's on the run up to Christmas.
The wireless system can be used for Nintendo's inbuilt chat system picot chat that allows you to communicate to other people with in the wireless radius. In which you can use the touch screen to type out messages or write or draw something using the stylus as a pen to send to your friends.
********************* Sound and visuals ********************* The sound plays through 2 small speaks on either side of the upper screen. The sound quality is excellent and the DS has a headphone socket so you don't disturb people when you are playing games on the go.
The quality of both screens is excellent and the Majority of the Ds games available make really good use of this, but there are a few games based on old PC games where the graphics are very pixcilated and out dated.
*********** Portability *********** As the DS is a portable system the portability of it is extremely important. There's not much point in a system that is too heavy to carry or is easily damaged. Well luckily you won't find this problem with the Nintendo DS. Its very light, fold in have when not in use protecting both screens and seems very durable. You can buy separate carry cases to keep your DS safe if you feel the need. It comes with a charger and the battery seems to have quite a long life (upto 10 hours, the battery does not last as long if using wireless mode), whereas the PSP only have 4-6 hours of battery life for game playing. There are other accessories that you can buy to make sure your DS is always charged, there are in car chargers and portable power packs. There are even cases to keep your game cartridges safe.
***************************** Price and Value for money ***************************** As with most things the price varies widely depending on where you buy them from, but if you are buying on the net you can expect to buy a console with one game for less than £100, in the shops this can be about £110. Don't buy from catalogues I have seen them in there for £150 with out a game. I think they are excellent Value for money. The RRP for the games is £29.99 and you will see them in the shops for this price. You can usually buy one on the net for around £24.99 on the net, with a few special offers of around £17.99 on certain games. Don't bother buying second hand games just yet, as the system and games are quite new the second hand games seem to be in store for around £19.99, not much of a saving really.
************* Conclusion ************* I would say that this is an excellent system, the console has a versatility that other machines do not have. There is a wider variety of games than other consoles as it is a much more versatile machine. I would recommend anyone to buy one, they are great for kids and grown-ups alike. I would not consider buying anything else. In fact we love it so much we're getting a 2nd one for my Husband.
I believe that the DS is much better value for money that the PSP, you may not be able to play films on the DS, but who wants to have to buy all your films again in UMD format so that you can watch them on the PSP. If you want to watch films on the go get a Portable DVd player or a multimedia player, you can get a bigger screen and more battery life for your money. If you want to play games on the go get the DS, there are a wider variety of games and loads of fun ways to play them.
Size (when closed): 148.7 mm wide, 84.7 mm long, 28.9 mm tall Screens: A backlit, 3-inch, semitransparent reflective TFT colour LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution and .24 mm dot pitch, capable of displaying 260,000 colours. Touch screen also has a transparent analog touch screen Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's proprietary format; wireless range is 30 to 100 feet, depending on circumstances Other features: Embedded PictoChat software that allows up to 16 users to chat at once, embedded real-time clock, date, time and alarm Sound: Stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, depending on the software Battery: Lithium ion battery delivering six to 10 hours of play on a four-hour charge, depending on use
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Plenty of storage space, for media. Good Games, Great for partys, with singstar. Very Reliable. (-) Sometimes the optical drive, breaks; but not very likely, my 60gb still working after 2 1/2 years.
Packed with features and thinner than ever: 12% thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite with a ... more
bigger, brighter 3.25" screen Two 0.3 megapixel cameras, Nintendo DSi enables you to manipulate the images you capture with 11 photo lenses and face recognition te...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Packed with features and thinner than ever: 12% thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite with a ... more
bigger, brighter 3.25" screen Two 0.3 megapixel cameras, Nintendo DSi enables you to manipulate the images you capture with 11 photo lenses and face recognition te...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Dimensions: L22.9 x W4.8 x H12.4cm Compact (2/3 as large) and lighter (20% lighter) than ... more
the original DS Lite Dual screen Voice recognition Wi-Fi connectivity Brightness can be adjusted over 4 levels to adapt to any lighting and reduce energy consumpti...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Dimensions: L22.9 x W4.8 x H12.4cm Weight: 817g Compact (2/3 as large) and lighter (20% ... more
lighter) than the original DS Lite Dual screen Voice recognition Wi-Fi connectivity Brightness can be adjusted over 4 levels to adapt to any lighting and reduce ene...
Postage & Packaging: £3.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Nintendo exclusive content, touch screen (dual screens), innovative software, superb sound, great graphics Disadvantages: size (could have been smaller).
MotoAthan 07.03.2005 (07.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nintendo DS
Advantages: Innovative, Great battery life, Dual Screen, Touch Screen, Wi-Fi, Easy to use Disadvantages: Not the best looking console, Some may not like change!
Dogbert 28.03.2005 (29.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nintendo DS
Advantages: Wide range of games, cheaper than consoles, portable and light weight. Disadvantages: Cannot play films, store or play music on the DS unlike the Sony PSP console
f1insidetrack 10.01.2008 (24.10.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of NintendoDS Lite
Jan 4th, 2006
exceptional by (11%):
very helpful by (89%):
