Nintendo DSi Matte - Black

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by: Tiff (United States)
on: Saturday, 23-October-2010

Favorite Color.
Bought to play a Favorite Game. (WarioWare: Touched!)
Great Graphics!
Great Audio!
Awesome Features: WIFI, Camera, Downloadables, SD port


Id recommend this handheld to anyone.

by: R. Jungles (United States)
on: Thursday, 21-October-2010

To get it to work with my linksys router I had to set my tranmission settings to 2mb. Now everything else using the wireless router is slow. It sucks that nintendo cant connect to the router with default settings. If you want to use wi-fi you may have to get another router just for the dsi.

by: Tree (United States)
on: Thursday, 14-October-2010

You Gotta love the DSI i probably collect them now Since they came out they been big hit.

by: Robert E. Taylor Jr. (Houston TX)
on: Wednesday, 13-October-2010

Got it for my daughter 11th birthday. She was very happy. she could not tell that is was used.

by: Tany Harris (Ipoh, Malaysia)
on: Sunday, 10-October-2010

While waiting for the 3DS to be released, I thought Id make a review.

I dont know how I could have lived without Nintendo DS system before. I had DS Lite (metallic rose) for a year before it was stolen from my bag. Then I had a hard time deciding which version to buy to replace the stolen one because Im a DS addict and simply could not live without a DS anymore- either the DS Lite or DSi. I was skeptical with DSi at that time because I didnt think the upgrade matters much and thought the slightly bigger screen wouldnt make a difference ...boy was I so wrong. After surveying, researching and testing the console at game stores, I found that bigger screen does make a difference! That would also mean the upgrade (DSi XL/LL) would look so much better. I decided to get a pink DSi. I was going to get the red one because I thought pink is too striking & ugly but boy was I wrong again. The actual pink color is much more beautiful than in the picture here.



++~*THE CONSOLE*~++
I fell in love with the bigger and brighter screen compared to the slightly smaller & dimmer DS Lite. The buttons have changed too. I wish the volume control was retained like the old one, because now you cant mute your DS before turning the system on. I couldnt secretly turn it on during a boring lecture class before without hearing the beeping during the warning screen but not a huge problem for me. The matte feel is great too and no longer attracts ugly fingerprints. The location of the turn on button also is better as I used to always turn it off accidentally. Longer stylus is also a plus because the DS Lites one is too small and actually hurts the fingers if you play games such as Elite Beat Agents or Taiko no Tatsujin series.

Also you can switch games without turning the system off first unlike DS Lite. The wii-like menu is a huge improvement from the old dull interface.



++~*EDUCATION*~++
Contrary to beliefs, the DS system can be a GREAT way to learn. Theres a lot of educational titles for as young as 2 to as old as 100 years old, seriously. You can give to young kids to start with their development before preschool. They can learn ABC, think creatively, learn numbers etc all in fun ways. For teens, theres a lot of preparation titles for SAT, etc. For adults, dont let your brain become rusty. There are a lot of brain training games so you can improve your brain, boost your memory just like it used to be during school days. Of course there are also good games and bad games. If you happen to buy shovelwares (crap games), dont blame the system. Blame the game makers. There are also simulation games like taking care of virtual babies and pets to love simulation for adults where you can have your own virtual girlfriend (Love Plus+). Also for the business minded, you can play tycoon games, for stress reliever some time management or puzzle games or for those serious gamers, you can go for serious titles like Final Fantasy, Harvest Moon, Zelda, Pokemon, etc. Basically it has every type of games for every individual. Its also an awesome tool for learning language..mainly Japanese! Im into Japanese language and I found DS is a great way to have fun while learning at the same time.. (have you seen how cute Japanese learning games are?!?!)



++~*THE PROS & CONS*~++
There are a few things you need to be aware off and take into consideration before buying:

1. The camera quality isnt that great. It looks great in the DS, it looks ok on computer but under dark or fluorescent lighting, pictures will turn out horrendous. But its fun as it has many camera setting and you can use the stylus to draw/decorate your pictures. I also love the facebook feature where you can straight away upload your edited pictures to your facebook from your DSi.

2. DSiwares are region locked. So are DSi exclusive games. So beware of this before buying. All DSiwares you buy in the store are locked to your system. So if your DSi dies, the DSiwares goes with it. If you want to sell your console for a new one yet keep your purchased apps, youd have to send it to Nintendo for them to transfer it to new system. I find this a major flaw. Its not a smart move to make them nontransferable. Should your DSi die or get stolen, youre the one at lost. However currently, I heard a rumor that this is no longer applicable for the upcoming 3DS. Well see.

3. DSi has an improvement in terms of connection. It used to only support WEP encryption but now can support WPA security..however games still retain the WEP so its a big hassle to keep switching the setting in my router. Also do note that DSi uses WI-FI to connect. So it can connect to wifi hotspots like starbucks. But unfortunately there are some people that somehow could assume you could plug and play the internet connection to DSi with a MODEM. No, you need a router so you could use wifi at home. You could also use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB connector (discontinued, but you can still find it). Any standard router that allows you to access internet through Wi-Fi is fine.

4. Browser is so-so. You can use it to open facebook but do note that it has no flash support. It also lacks memory, which means youd constantly get out of memory error and would have to refresh the memory often after loading a few huge sites.

5. Hardcore gamers may want to stick to other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Xbox. Its well known that graphics on DS arent impressive due to its hardware limitations compared to PSP but it is however much more interactive because of the touch screen.

6. No GBA slots so you can keep your GBA games away or stick to DS Lite/Phat. You cant also enjoy games like guitar hero that utilize the GBA slot to play the game with their guitar controller.

7. You can use the SD card to store & play your music HOWEVER only AAC format audio ONLY..which means only mp4, m4a or 3gp format only. It does not support mp3. This can be solved though provided you know how to use google and search. There are also other ways & extensions to let you watch videos & tv on your DS.

8. Battery life is shorter with highest bright setting compared to DS Lite. Roughly around 2 - 3 hours.

9. Camera feature not fully utilized. While there are some DSi enhanced games that uses the camera, it still lack good games that fully utilize it. There are DSi exclusive games but unfortunately, not that good. Still waiting for a revolutionary exclusive games that uses the camera feature fully.

------------

So my advice..

++AGE RANGE & LEARNERS - DS is a great learning tool for kids. You can buy this for you kids or grandkids even under the age of 5 together with educational title to develop their mind. A great product to keep yourself busy and stress free too. I consider DS system more of a learning gadget than a gaming system. VERY useful for language learners too because DS can be used as a pocket dictionary. A real electronic pocket dictionary is much more expensive, and for Japanese learners, its much easier with the touch screen incorporated to practice writing hiragana/katakana/kanji the correct way (e.g. Tadashii Kanji KakitoriKun teaches you the correct way to write and gives the score of how precise your kana and kanji writing are)

++UPGRADE - If you own a DS Phat, its wise to upgrade for new added feature. If you own a DS Lite but still plays GBA games, stick with DS Lite. If you prefer bigger screen (especially for older people), go for DSi XL/LL. It makes text reading much easier (especially for novel games & Japanese games). HOWEVER, even though DSi has no GBA slot, you can however buy a flashcart (thats all I can say here). The additional flashcart allows you to play homebrew games created by independent game makers but it also has a feature where you can play downloadable GBA games if you have the original game (not condoning piracy). Its the only way for GBA lovers to still own DSi but still able to play GBA games.

++NEW BUYERS - My honest advice is to wait. While DSi is an awesome system, but 3DS is coming out soon. You can enjoy 3DS games while at the same time enjoy old DS games as it has backward compatibility. Best of both worlds.

by: Jotone (United States)
on: Friday, 8-October-2010

This product was as expected, in better condition than thought! My 8 year old daughter plays it everyday and says she couldnt have gotten a better birthday present!She loves it.

by: Victoria E. Spangler (United States)
on: Tuesday, 5-October-2010

My daughter loved the step up from the nintendo ds to the dsi. Seller was fabulous!

by: CecilSaxon (United States)
on: Monday, 4-October-2010

Super fun and incredibly durable. My 4yr old loves this thing. Sound recording and turning herself into a chipmunk is her favorite.

by: Sams Dirty House (CA)
on: Monday, 20-September-2010

once again i get a DS i had a ds phat but i stopped portable gaming cause i really didnt have time cause of work but now i got this and its hella fun! thanks your site

by: harsh (United States)
on: Monday, 30-August-2010

Product came as described and much faster than the estimated delivery date. Had one question for the seller and he responded right away. Would definately buy from him again.

by: Chloe (United States)
on: Monday, 30-August-2010

I got this in febuary for my birthday and i love it. You can take picture, Play games, Download games from dsi shop, you can listen to music, record your voice and make it sound funny, go on the internet, you can have rainbow in pico chat, and more.
it does not have a gameboy slot though so you cant play guitar hero for ds. But other wise this is the best.

by: Andrew (United States)
on: Sunday, 29-August-2010

Ive had the ds for a while and it is great fun, theres so much to do but they arent susceptible to failures, mine had a faulty touch screen and I had to get it repaired at nintendo, everything went real easy and worked out in the end.

by: J. Hartley (Vegas)
on: Monday, 16-August-2010

Got this fast and my daughter loved it! It was new in the box, no problems! thanks!

by: M. Nickless (United States)
on: Tuesday, 3-August-2010

my 9-year-old daughter LOVES her DSi. I was leary of getting her one, but since I dont have to activate the web browser component and she just play games, its wonderful. a LOT more choices than the Didj she had. and since she and other friends with a dsi or ds can do a game share, that makes it even more fun for her. we also find the camera warping component entertaining!

by: Immortal95 (United States)
on: Monday, 2-August-2010

I have to say overall that this product is great. I ordered three games with the nintendo DSI and I love all of them. I previously had a Nintendo DS Lite and it was great and all, but this DSI is a lot better compared to it. The screen is brighter, better looking, and about 10 percent bigger. It does easily scratch if you get the pen and write things on it, but nothing a screen protector cant help. I also bought a screen protector with this and it has taken all of the damage of the stylus and is still working great. I recommend this product for all ages.

by: dsczimmerman (United States)
on: Sunday, 25-July-2010

I bought this as a used product, and it looks great and works great. Thanks so much for the fast shipment.

by: Sue (United States)
on: Wednesday, 21-July-2010

The dsi is the most obsolete handheld gaming system of its time

>very thin makes pocket storage a breeze
>camera makes close images very high quality
>alot of memory space
>recomended for ages 5-100

by: Minerva R. Hodis (Sequim, WA USA)
on: Wednesday, 21-July-2010

I was amazed by all the things my granddaughter could do with this game. She especially enjoys taking pictures of people and morphing them into silly pictures.

by: dana (United States)
on: Wednesday, 21-July-2010

I used to be a really avid gamer, but i started enjoying them less and less and less after the PS2 came out. I got maybe five games for that, and i liked them, but then i began to find my interest seriously waning, especially with the new emphasis on what i consider Xbox-y games (i.e. shooting things and driving cars). So i really had not played much of anything video-game-wise after maybe 2003.

However, i recently had a renewed interest in Pokémon and a few other game series that i knew had been released on the DS, so, after playing around with a friends DS Lite and another friends original DS, i decided to buy a DSi. Im really glad that i did, because i dont think i would have ever progressed past my 2003 mind set if i hadnt.


Not only have i enjoyed several remakes of games id already played, like Pokémon SoulSilver and Final Fantasy IV, but ive been surprised by the huge library of original non-remake games out for the DS that im actually interested in. This is in contrast to the PSP, which seems technically superior in several ways, but has an incredibly mediocre selection of games. Out of the entire international library there are only maybe three or four PSP games i could ever be bothered to play, whereas with the DS ive literally got dozens queued up for playing as soon as i finish the ones im on.


Anyway, regarding the console itself:

PROS

- The touch screen is much nicer than it might seem. I initially thought it was a gimmick, but after using it ive come to appreciate it. Its especially nice when youre feeling lazy, since you can control many games at your own leisure with just one hand.

- The screen quality and brightness is great, and the brightness can be controlled via hardware at any time, unlike on the older releases. The screen is larger than the ones on the DS and DS Lite, which is over-all a good thing (but see below for one down-side).

- Although i dont personally use it, its nice to know that i have an entire library of downloadable content available through the DSi store thing. It also has a browser thats pretty OK in a bind.

- Sound quality seems good, although i think i liked the DS Lites might be a little better (?).

- I like the LED indicators on the DSi more than the DS or DS Lite. Not only do they look nice, but theyre more informative. You no longer get your battery indicator taken over by the WiFi activity light when youre playing over wireless.

- Battery life is good, although ive heard its slightly worse than the DS Lites.

- Non-DSi-exclusive games (which is nearly all of them) have no region locking, so playing imports from any region is super easy.

- Again, the game library is great and if i had to pick one top feature of the DSi it would be this.


CONS

- The DSi has no Slot 2, which means you can NOT play Game Boy Advance games on it. I personally dont have a problem with this, since i didnt like very many GBA games, but it could be a deal-breaker for some.

- It is not as ergonomic as the PSP. Its basically just a box, there are no grips or curves or anything. Also, the button placement is a little weird. I dont have large hands, but even i feel slightly cramped when using it. Its almost like it would be better if the buttons were up where the speaker grilles are. If you do have big hands you might want to get the XL.

- I hate the included stylus. Ive always hated all of the DS styluses. Theyre too short and skinny and the little top thing digs into my hand constantly when im using it. I purchased my own third-party PDA styluses instead.

- Although the screen quality is great, and 99% of games look fabulous on the enlarged displays, there are a few minor issues. You can expect occasional jaggedness or slight blurring. One particular thing that ive noticed is that, when playing Pokémon on the original DS, it is very clear when there is only 1 HP remaining on the health bar; however, on the DSi, the little red sliver of HP becomes practically invisible due to the up-scaling. Its mildly irritating.


- Although the layout and responsiveness of the DSi menu system are better than the DS and DS Lites, aesthetically it looks really horrible. Text is incredibly jagged and ugly and everything just looks really blurry and poorly rendered. I almost cant believe Nintendo even released it like that, it just looks awful.

- Although the DSi supports WPA, for some unfathomable reason they decided to make it so that each individual game has to implement their own wireless security protocol support. In essence this means that although you will see WPA support touted as a feature of the DSi, IT IS COMPLETELY USELESS. You CAN NOT use WPA with 90% of the games released for the DSi, including newer ones like Pokémon HG/SS. WEP was deprecated before the DS was even released, so i find this a little ridiculous.


- Nintendo removed the auto-boot feature (where the console will automatically load whatever game is in the slot when you turn it on). This is a regression from the previous DS systems, presumably done to discourage piracy or something.

- You still cant turn off the annoying health and safety warning.

- The cameras are totally worthless, the photos they take are of even poorer quality than ones from a cheap mobile phone. Ive seen exactly one instance of the cameras use that i thought was worthwhile (a Japanese DSiWare game that uses it for head tracking), but otherwise i feel like theyre useless and unnecessarily inflate the price of the system.

- Although its an improvement over the one on the original DS, i still dont like the volume slider. Theres not enough control, i constantly feel like its either too loud or too quiet.


I list more cons here because i assume the negatives are more useful to people, but overall i would really recommend it, its been a fabulous investment for me despite the handful of problems it has.

Also, to anyone who is worried that it would be a bad idea to purchase a DSi now that the XL -- and eventually the 3DS -- is out, i say dont be. The DSi is still perfectly good and in fact there are several reasons you might want it specifically over the XL (size being the main one; the XL has almost twice the overall dimensions of the DSi, which makes it less portable).

by: gail stallings (Reese, MI, US)
on: Tuesday, 20-July-2010

It was so easy and efficient to order on your site and it was cheaper than in the local stores!!!