Should you buy a DSi?

Keeping abreast of modern technology is a constant battle with your conscience. Each month seems to bring a new gadget that does something ever so slightly better than a gadget you already own, and it’s all too easy to get swept along with the hype and make purchases that aren’t strictly necessary, only to rue your hasty choice when your credit card statement arrives some days later.

Nintendo’s forthcoming DSi is a case in point. While it’s far from being an all-new console, it does offer some tangible improvements (and, some might argue, drawbacks) on the existing DS Lite hardware.

But is it worth picking one up?

Allow us to put your mind at rest by briefly skimming through the various positive and negative aspects of this new machine. Hopefully by the time you’ve digested this feature, you’ll be better placed to decide if the DSi is the machine for you, or if you’re happy to stick with what you know and hold onto your trusty DS Lite (or, if you’re a stubborn traditionalist, your aging DS ‘phat’).

Aesthetic appeal

Let’s be honest here, the original DS ‘phat’ looked like it had fallen out of the ugly tree and sustained disfiguring injuries on every branch on the way down. The DS Lite proved to be a facelift of truly epic proportions, granting fans the machine they probably should have gotten from day one.

The DSi isn’t quite as drastic a design change, but it does look (and feel) more agreeable. The matt surface ensures that nightmarish smudgy finger marks will be a thing of the past and the slimmer frame (12 per cent thinner, fact fans) makes the system even more portable.

Technological advances

The most striking improvement in terms of hardware is the presence of larger screens - 3.25 inches in size, up from 3 inches on the DS Lite.

These displays now accommodate five brightness settings (the DS Lite had four) but it’s worth noting that thanks to all this technological tomfoolery battery life is approximately 9 to 14 hours on the lowest brightness setting - a drop from the 15 to 19 hours of its ancestor. This is because the DSi uses a 840mAh battery instead of a 1000mAh variant, as was the case with the DS Lite.

Elsewhere, Nintendo has included the ability to ‘hot swap’ games, which means you no longer have to power down the system to load up a fresh title. Under the bonnet there’s more RAM and the CPU is also more powerful, which logically means that the machine is capable of hosting more advanced software.

Nintendo has hinted that DSi-specific games will make an appearance, but common sense would suggest that developers will ignore the additional power and continue to cater mainly for the existing DS Lite hardware - at least until the DSi gains a significant foothold, anyway. In short, don’t expect to see a dazzling standard of graphical opulence from day one.

Import fanatics might also want to note that DSi software is likely to be region-locked, meaning that US and Japanese games won’t function on a UK DSi.

Here, there, DSiWare

Arguably the biggest news relating to the DSi is the ability to download games (known as DSiWare) via a wireless internet connection and store them either on the console’s internal memory or an SD card.

A similar proposition to the iPhone’s App Store (and Nintendo’s own WiiWare service), it is hoped that DSiWare will allow small-scale developers to create truly innovative titles. Games are purchased using special ‘Nintendo Points’ and the company has instigated a tiered price system, with the simplest games being offered as free downloads.

The response to the selection of Japanese software seen so far has been somewhat muted, but DSiWare is only likely to show its true colours when the western launch occurs.

Whatever your opinion of downloadable gaming, you have to admit that the potential is incredible; imagine a new 2D Mario or Zelda, for example.

Smile, you’re on camera

The two cameras - one located on the outside of the DSi case and the other on the inside - have garnered plenty of attention since the spec of the machine was revealed.

You take photos and them upload them to the Wii’s Photo Channel, where they can be viewed in all their low-res glory on your TV set (providing you own a Wii, of course). It's also expected that some DSiWare software will make use of the cameras, and while it’s not supported at present, video chat is also a possibility.

However, given the low megapixel count, it’s unlikely that the DSi will replace your trusty digital camera. In fact, most mobile phones feature more impressive snappers.

Music to our ears?

The addition of music playback - hardly a revelation when you consider the PSP has boasted the same functionality since day one - is another addition in the DSi’s armoury.

Sadly the device is only capable of playing .AAC files, but it does come with one of the coolest media players yet seen (it showcases neat visualisation options based on classic Nintendo games, like Super Mario Bros).

In all honesty, the act of converting .MP3 files into .AAC format isn’t exactly difficult and the inclusion of an SD card slot means that casual music lovers might see the console as an attractive ‘all in one’ solution, but we can’t see Apple having nightmares about the DSi anytime soon.

The boy is gone

In order to make the DSi even slimmer than its already svelte predecessor Nintendo has been forced to make some painful sacrifices.

The GBA slot - which not only granted access to hundreds of quality Game Boy Advance games but also allowed users to bolt on cartridges that added features such as motion-sensing and force feedback - has been jettisoned.

Some might argue that GBA gaming on the DS was never that popular and that DSiWare could possibly be used as a way of getting those same games onto the device instead, but losing this functionality seems like something of a step backwards to us. It means no Zelda: Minish Cap, no Fire Emblem and no Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow.

If you’re a big fan of your GBA library or you’ve recently purchased the DS version of Guitar Hero then it’s worth bearing in mind that neither of these will be an option if you buy Nintendo’s latest handheld.

The end of piracy?

Like the PSP, the DSi will be subject to periodic firmware updates. While these updates are ostensibly a way of improving the functionality of the machine, adding new features and removing any bugs that might appear, but they’re also a method of keeping the DSi locked down and preventing homebrew coders and pirates from running when Nintendo deems to be ‘unsavoury’ code.

As we’ve already discussed, piracy on the DS is pretty widespread at present. The proliferation of Flash carts like the R4 combined with the ease of downloading DS ROMs from the internet has resulted in an entire legion of gamers that don’t actually pay for their entertainment.

Predictably, industrious hackers have already found a way of cracking the DSi firmware but this dubious freedom will only last until the next update. Clearly if you possess a black heart and intend to avoid using the usual retail channels by continuing to download pirated software, then upgrading to the DSi might not be an attractive option.

The conclusion

After reading these points you should hopefully have a pretty good idea of whether or not the DSi is the machine for you. While it offers some real benefits over the existing hardware, it clearly has its fair share of drawbacks - the removal of the GBA slot being possibly the most lamentable, although over time this might be balanced out by the introduction of quality downloadable software via the DSiWare service.

If you’re still unsure then our advice is simple - do nothing. By retaining your current machine you’ll only be missing out on the promise of DSiWare, which, given the rather unimpressive nature of the service thus far, isn’t exactly a tragedy.

Of course, all the cool kids might mock you for not having the latest tech, but if you can live with that abject humiliation then it would be prudent to sit tight and give it a few months. By that point the DSi’s position within the industry should be a little clearer.

The DSi is due for release in the US and UK in April, priced at $169.99 and £149.99 respectively. You can expect an exhaustively in-depth Pocket Gamer hardware review around the same time.