Should I get DS Lite or DSi?

EliteLamer

I just started playing my Fat DS a ton and started to wonder if I should sell my Mario cart editon DS for a lite or DSi. I could pick up a pretty good condtion DSlite for about 75, with case and two games or buy a new DSi with no games for 179.oo (my zero does not work on my iboo( I looked a review and it said that the DSi has 5 hours less battery life and the cam sucked on it pretty bad. Now the cpu is upgraded but what does this mean for me? Are some games just going to play better on the dsi down the road..

Or should I just keep my Nintendo DS.. Maybe its stupid but the only thing got me thinking about a DSlite and dsi is damn this thing gets heavy after hours of playing Elite Beat Agents and Sonic rush.

Bionic Monkey

DSi also has a larger screen, wireless that isn't WEP, and a matte finish. But, it also lacks a GBA port. Dunno if that's really worth an extra $104 to you.

Spoit

For a $100 difference? The Lite. The DSi does have nice features, but not twice the price nice. And the step from a fat to a lite is a worlds of difference, while the jump to the dsi is like the difference between the SP and micro

slash000

The DSi's battery life isn't as bad as the rumormill and idiot newsblogs make it out to be. The official specs of the DSlite, on level 3 brightness, are 7-11 hours, whereas the DSi's battery life on medium (which is roughly the equivalent of the DSlite's 'level 3' brightness) is 6 - 9 hours; and that battery can be extended somewhat by disabling the wifi from the menu. the 5 hour number comes from the specs for the lowest brightness level, which few people really use.


That said, it sounds to me like your can get a DSLite for a much much much better deal. $75 for good condition with 2 games? really? That's awesome!

maximumzero

The only reasons not to get a DSi are thus:

-You want to play GBA games or any DS software that uses Slot-2 (Guitar Hero, Ubisoft's Walking Trainer software, Anything using the DS Rumble Pak, etc.)

-You want to save $40 or more.

slash000

The DSi is nice because it's slimmer, has bigger better screens, and it allows for DSiWare, which is getting/gotten some pretty cool stuff. I think it has a better stylus too. Much better audio speakers as well. Also the Dpad is better. It's true that it has 2 cameras and supports music playing and audio recording; but the cameras are VGA and not worth much, the audio-player doesn't support MP3, and the audio recording is limited by length.

So mainly you're getting a DSi for:
Slimmer
Bigger better screens
DSiware
better dpad
better speakers


And the offchance that games will start being DSi-only... which isn't likely to happen any time soon...

EliteLamer

Well I dont care anything about GBA games. Kinda skipped over that gen and have no gba games.

Its more than 4o more. Its like 1oo more as people are getting rid of there dslites flooding the market.

slash000

What are the two games you get with this $75 dslite?

EliteLamer

How much better do you think a dsi only game would be?

maximumzero

I wouldn't bother with a used DS Lite, myself.

Screens all scratches and hinge cracks and shit.

EliteLamer

slash000 wrote: »

What are the two games you get with this $75 dslite?

Mario cart and pokemon. I of course have mario cart but I suppose I could get 1o for it or something

slash000

If you do get the used DSlite, test the shoulder buttons thoroughly. One of the faults of some early/launch DSlites was that the shoulder buttons would stop working. The trick was literally to blow onto them and they'd start working, not unlike old NES carts. But then the button would stop working again. Also, there's always the chance that the older ones traded in were produced before the hinge crack thing was fixed. Newer Lites are produced after the manufacturing process was corrected so as to prevent hinge cracks, but I guess you never know when the Used one was bought.

Other things to check like screen scratches are pretty quick and easy to check on of course.

But the potential "hidden" defects would be the shoulder buttons and the possibility of a cracking hinge.

EliteLamer

Damn didnt know that dslites had so many problems early on.

slash000

EliteLamer wrote: »

Damn didnt know that dslites had so many problems early on.

Yeah, i don't remember the details, but essentially in the manufacturing process, some of the system's casing components were being constructed too tightly together, putting stress on the hinge. Pretty shortly after launch this error was corrected as it was a simple matter of tweaking the manufacturing of the Lites so as not to put so much stress on certain parts.

The shoulder button thing is weird. I think it's a launch unit issue as well. There are lots of random stories on the web on how to temporarily fix the shoulder button problem. It involves blowing on the thing. Some guides out there explain it. Others recommend a permanent fix by disassembling it and resetting a certain spring.

Also, the very first batch of Lites had very common Dead Pixel issues. This issue was also quickly fixed with subsequent batches of Lites, but the launch supply of lites many of them had dead pixels or brightly miscolored pixels.


So loook for that too

Vegan

maximumzero wrote: »

The only reasons not to get a DSi are thus:

-You want to play GBA games or any DS software that uses Slot-2 (Guitar Hero, Ubisoft's Walking Trainer software, Anything using the DS Rumble Pak, etc.)

In the case of being a weeaboo like me, you can add Slide Adventure: Mag Kid to that list.

TheLawinator

I got my DS lite at launch, still serving well although there is a hairline crack on a hinge. Wondering when it's going to finally snap.

maximumzero

Vegan wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

The only reasons not to get a DSi are thus:

-You want to play GBA games or any DS software that uses Slot-2 (Guitar Hero, Ubisoft's Walking Trainer software, Anything using the DS Rumble Pak, etc.)

In the case of being a weeaboo like me, you can add Slide Adventure: Mag Kid to that list.

Also the paddle controller for Space Invaders & Arkanoid.

Also that Tony Hawk moton game.

Foxtail

Get a new DS Lite if the saving is significant enough. The only issue I have with it is the sometimes small text on games like Chrono Trigger. Size is fine, not an issue (well, not enough to spend money on an upgrade).

Vegan

maximumzero wrote: »

Vegan wrote: »

maximumzero wrote: »

The only reasons not to get a DSi are thus:

-You want to play GBA games or any DS software that uses Slot-2 (Guitar Hero, Ubisoft's Walking Trainer software, Anything using the DS Rumble Pak, etc.)

In the case of being a weeaboo like me, you can add Slide Adventure: Mag Kid to that list.

Also the paddle controller for Space Invaders & Arkanoid.

Yeah! I totally need one for my Space Invaders. Just... not the pink one.

maximumzero

It's $60 but I'm tempted to buy it anyway.

Drake

EliteLamer wrote: »

Well I dont care anything about GBA games. Kinda skipped over that gen and have no gba games.

Its more than 4o more. Its like 1oo more as people are getting rid of there dslites flooding the market.

There are a lot of really fantastic GBA games out there and the vast majority are dirt cheap. I get a ton of mileage out of the GBA slot on my DS since money is really tight for me these days. Also it's nice to have two games ready to go in the same system.

Just something to keep in mind.

jothki

I'd say just keep the DS, and upgrade to a DSi when the DS is no longer viable for whatever reason. I never bothered to get a Lite, and my DS has held up fine.

The DS's library is at a point where you don't need to consider GBA games, in my opinion. If there are some that you particularly want to play in the future, that's something to consider, but if you can't think of any game in particular that you know you'll want to play (I'm pretty much at that point), don't worry about it.

Darlan

A DSLite or DSi wouldn't be a bad purchase at all at this point, but I wonder how many years (certainly not months, I would think) until we see the "true" next generation, and whether it will even be backwards compatible, given the unique hardware of the DS.

Just things to consider.

Steev

I also have the original DS and I've also been considering getting a Lite or DSi lately. Do they also have glare problems when trying to play outside on a sunny day? That would be a big factor in my purchase. Not that I really play games outside on a sunny day, but I get that glare problem in far less extreme cases too.

I'd probably go for the DSi to future-proof my purchase, but I hate losing the GBA slot. On the other hand, I can't remember the last time I played one of my GBA games.

Lindsay Lohan

According to Cheapassgamer - Mario Kart is a $20 trade in at Gamestop, Pokemon is $8 - essentially the Lite would end up $50 for you so I would say go for it over the DSi. Eventually you could get $50 for it on Craigslist if you decided to go DSi.

skdmrklcy

Lots of good info here, I have been thinking about picking up another DS for my fiancée. She always complains when I take mine with me to work. I also want to check out a few multi-player games. I have been torn between another DS Lite, or a DSi. I assume they are compatible with each other in that regard.

jlrx

Keep the original DS and get a DSi when you can. Why go backwards? If you like what you will miss on the DSi, you keep the original DS and you save yourself the $75 dollars it would cost you, while still playing everything the same. The only reason to really change is to go for the newer DSi, the camera, and software, as well as the DOWNLOADS. There will be some really cool stuff you can download on the DSi, as time goes on it only gets better.