Nintendo - DS Console Review

I’ve had my Nintendo DS for a few years now.  I have been very impressed with the innovative touch screen technology,  which responds extremely well.  Some games do not really utilize it, but it adds a unique gameplay experience to the ones that do. While the graphics for the DS may not be as visually impressive as those of the Sony PSP, I still prefer the DS because of the better selection of games.  While many of the PSP games are basically remakes of PS2 games, the Nintendo DS has many original games which are not available on another system.  The sound isn't as great as the PSP (the occassional voices in some games are pretty bad) but the music is usually decent.

The game selection for the Nintendo DS is very extensive, although I still do not think the system has many quality RPGs.  There are many simulation and puzzle type games available which makes this an excellent system for people that enjoy games such as Harvest Moon and the Sims.   The second screen is often used as a map which makes navigating your character much easier in RPG and adventure type games. 

Many DS games do offer some type of Wi Fi play.   This may be useful for games with a multiplayer option, but I haven’t been very impressed with the Wi Fi perks available for RPGs and Sim games.  For example, in Final Fantasy III the WiFi allows you to unlock some items which would otherwise not be available in the game.  This seems totally pointless and I would rather they would have just included the items in the game to begin with. 

Based on my experience I would recommend getting the original Nintendo DS rather than the DS lite.  I have heard numerous stories about the L and R buttons breaking on the more fragile DS lite.  And I do not think that the regular DS is that heavy or cumbersome. 

All in all I would highly recommend the DS if you are looking for a portable gaming system.  Its relatively inexpensive and has huge library of games to choose from (especially considering that you can play Nintendo Game Boy Advance games with it).