The Pocket Gamer Report: The DSi Goes XL

Do we really need a DSi XL?

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From the article:

Both the Kindle II and Sony's PRS 505 E-Reader system have established that there's a significant demand for e-readers, and with the DSi XL priced at 20,000 Yen (£134 or $221) it's likely that it will be significantly cheaper than the Kindle (£250 or $259) or Sony's PSR-505 (£250 or $369) when it touches down on US and European shelves.

Just a tip: in Europe we work with the euro currency, not with pounds ;)

Woem:
Just a tip: in Europe we work with the euro currency, not with pounds ;)

wait your talking english but don'nt want us to use pound conversions now imm confused

Still got the original DS. Still will have it come the end of the year.

d088y:

Woem:
Just a tip: in Europe we work with the euro currency, not with pounds ;)

wait your talking english but don'nt want us to use pound conversions now imm confused

He's Belgian, but has very good English, like many people here who are foreign.

Anyway, OT - I've always been a major hater of minor console upgrades, such as the DSi, PSP Go, DS Lite, and Gameboy Micro.

And I get really annoyed at how sometimes these things seem to be anti-upgrades - for example, the DS Lite and Gameboy Micro - yeah, congratulations, you made it smaller. Now how are we meant to play it with big hands? Another of these anti-upgrades was the DSi, and its lack of GBA slot, which made it so that if you had a DSi, you also had to fish out your Gameboy Advance, or even another upgrade, the Gameboy Advance SP (which wasn't so bad, as i had a much needed backlight) if you wanted to play any good classics.

This upgrade is also an anti-upgrade - they have changed the size, but not the resolution - surely this just means that the games will look even more pixelated than they already are? I can see the benefit to older gamers, but most of them, to be honest, wouldn't play games much anyway - my grandparents have a DS, and barely go on it at all!

SirBryghtside:
And I get really annoyed at how sometimes these things seem to be anti-upgrades - for example, the DS Lite and Gameboy Micro - yeah, congratulations, you made it smaller. Now how are we meant to play it with big hands? Another of these anti-upgrades was the DSi, and its lack of GBA slot, which made it so that if you had a DSi, you also had to fish out your Gameboy Advance, or even another upgrade, the Gameboy Advance SP (which wasn't so bad, as i had a much needed backlight) if you wanted to play any good classics.

This upgrade is also an anti-upgrade - they have changed the size, but not the resolution - surely this just means that the games will look even more pixelated than they already are? I can see the benefit to older gamers, but most of them, to be honest, wouldn't play games much anyway - my grandparents have a DS, and barely go on it at all!

Wow.

Well, I own a DS Lite and refused to buy the original DS because the screen brightness was so horrible that you couldn't play them in normal light conditions. However, I'm not a fan of the small screens and the size of the unit (from a controller perspective) is too small for my hands. I actually can't play some of the games for more than half an hour before my hands begin to cramp a bit.

I didn't see a need to buy the new DSi, but I'm actually quite interested in buying a new DSi XL because, quite frankly, I find the thing too small to play comfortably and have abandoned buying new games for the DS over the last year or more.

I don't know how giving customers more choices in how they play their DS games is a bad thing.

As a side note: if they actually changed the resolution, the current games would have to play in a smaller window with a big thick black border of empty pixels. What would be the point?

It's an interesting tactic they're taking with the DSiXL, what with actively designing it to appeal to an older crowd. And people wonder why these guys have managed to survive so long.

Echolocating:
I don't know how giving customers more choices in how they play their DS games is a bad thing.

The real reason I hate them is because so many of them are pointless, yet get so many sales, thus deterring Nintendo from innovating with their consoles.

As a side note: if they actually changed the resolution, the current games would have to play in a smaller window with a big thick black border of empty pixels. What would be the point?

I really meant a console upgrade, where ordinary DS games are still playable with a 'black border of empty pixels' just as GBA games are on an ordinary DS, but with an actually new console with better-resolution games.

I've come to a stage where I can really identify each pixel in a handheld.

SirBryghtside:

And I get really annoyed at how sometimes these things seem to be anti-upgrades - for example, the DS Lite and Gameboy Micro - yeah, congratulations, you made it smaller. Now how are we meant to play it with big hands? Another of these anti-upgrades was the DSi, and its lack of GBA slot, which made it so that if you had a DSi, you also had to fish out your Gameboy Advance, or even another upgrade, the Gameboy Advance SP (which wasn't so bad, as i had a much needed backlight) if you wanted to play any good classics.

This upgrade is also an anti-upgrade - they have changed the size, but not the resolution - surely this just means that the games will look even more pixelated than they already are? I can see the benefit to older gamers, but most of them, to be honest, wouldn't play games much anyway - my grandparents have a DS, and barely go on it at all!

Ummm, last time I checked the DS Lite is still being sold alongside the DSi. If you really want to play GBA games all that much you can just buy a DS Lite instead of a DSi. And personally, I have no problems with the DS Lite despite the fact that I have large hands. Nobody forces you to buy the DSi if you don't want to. Unless you really wanted access to the DSiWare so much, but in my opinion, the DSiWare is largely underdeveloped at the moment.

And nobody forces you to buy the XL DSi either. It's made for one audience only. Namely people who honestly desire a larger screen. People who have their eyes worn out quite a bit by playing on a normal DS. They are the XL DSi's audience. Nobody else.

Woem:
From the article:

Both the Kindle II and Sony's PRS 505 E-Reader system have established that there's a significant demand for e-readers, and with the DSi XL priced at 20,000 Yen (£134 or $221) it's likely that it will be significantly cheaper than the Kindle (£250 or $259) or Sony's PSR-505 (£250 or $369) when it touches down on US and European shelves.

Just a tip: in Europe we work with the euro currency, not with pounds ;)

Actually that is only true for the Eurozone, not all of Europe.

Its strange enough to market as it as an e-reader when the psp and iphone already does this with free user made content. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has already established custom software for the ds for it to be used as an e-reader =P

SirBryghtside:

Echolocating:
I don't know how giving customers more choices in how they play their DS games is a bad thing.

The real reason I hate them is because so many of them are pointless, yet get so many sales, thus deterring Nintendo from innovating with their consoles.

Okay, but I think we're seeing the age of choice with systems and you're just not used to it. Not every new version has to be a new system. Not everybody can conform to the ergonomics and aesthetics of one design. I loved the original Xbox controllers, and that actually sold me on the system. You don't hear me complaining about how Microsoft made a smaller controller though.

SirBryghtside:

Echolocating:
As a side note: if they actually changed the resolution, the current games would have to play in a smaller window with a big thick black border of empty pixels. What would be the point?

I really meant a console upgrade, where ordinary DS games are still playable with a 'black border of empty pixels' just as GBA games are on an ordinary DS, but with an actually new console with better-resolution games.

I've come to a stage where I can really identify each pixel in a handheld.

I can identify the pixels too, but it strains my eyes with small fonts. I know you would like to see a higher resolution instead of a larger pixel size, but how does that make the DSi XL irrelevant again? Because it's not a new system? Huh?

I already lost fat in Nintendo as a gaming company with the iDS er. I maen DSi but this is just a kick in the crotch! did Nintendo forget about the people who want to be the lone hero or saving the princes?

What's the point with bigger screens?
I mean if you have 1 like 60X80 res stretching it would make it look like buggers and dead ho... ho... never mind, my point is. With the resolution of the Ds anything bigger than 2" will look like bricks, the ones you shit.

Woem:
From the article:

Both the Kindle II and Sony's PRS 505 E-Reader system have established that there's a significant demand for e-readers, and with the DSi XL priced at 20,000 Yen (£134 or $221) it's likely that it will be significantly cheaper than the Kindle (£250 or $259) or Sony's PSR-505 (£250 or $369) when it touches down on US and European shelves.

Just a tip: in Europe we work with the euro currency, not with pounds ;)

Hint : pocketgamer.co.uk

slipknot4:
With the resolution of the Ds anything bigger than 2" will look like bricks, the ones you shit.

A MILLION TIMES THIS!

I don't know why I still read these. It's a little painful to read about Nintendo and Sony from the rose-tinted glasses of this pro-Apple crowd. Oh, and

Has anyone ever complained about the DS's screens being too small? In fact, is one the DS's strengths not its dinky portability?

Yes. Old people in Japan have. So Nintendo decided to cater to their needs by increasing the screen and stylus-size.

...could prove to be a key selling point for the older demographic.

Not could. Will. See above comment for reasons why.

*sigh*

A fourth version of the DS? Is that some kind of record for incarnations of a handheld?

UltimatheChosen:
*sigh*

A fourth version of the DS? Is that some kind of record for incarnations of a handheld?

Nope. PSP got four first.

Heart of Darkness:

UltimatheChosen:
*sigh*

A fourth version of the DS? Is that some kind of record for incarnations of a handheld?

Nope. PSP got four first.

PSP doesn't count because it's really just cheese you can take outside.

Heart of Darkness:
I don't know why I still read these. It's a little painful to read about Nintendo and Sony from the rose-tinted glasses of this pro-Apple crowd. Oh, and

Has anyone ever complained about the DS's screens being too small? In fact, is one the DS's strengths not its dinky portability?

Yes. Old people in Japan have. So Nintendo decided to cater to their needs by increasing the screen and stylus-size.

...could prove to be a key selling point for the older demographic.

Not could. Will. See above comment for reasons why.

You would think the hurry up and die cards the government is passing out would be more important to Japanese seniors than a bigger DS lite.

That was pretty quick wasn't it? It wouldn't seem so preposterous if they'd keep the thing at $125 instead of raising the price with every iteration. Maybe then some of us could buy old systems for cheap

No, and we didn't need DSi in the first place.

Rigs83:
PSP doesn't count because it's really just cheese you can take outside.
-video snip-

PSP: I have a family to feed.

No, I have a DSLite and it's served me well, I'm going to wait for Nintendo to release the 5th version of their handheld since time shows that'll likely be the last possible version. I love Nintendos GBA and DS but I hate their methods, re-release the same handheld with improvements that should have been there for the start (or some cases not at all.

I got suckered with the GBA then had to upgrade to the GBA SP if I wanted to see anything without sitting on the sun. I thankfully skipped the DS (the first one is ugly I knew they'd have something new soon) and grabbed the DSlite which is a nice improvement, but the DSi? No, DSiLL (or XL) hell no, not worth the money, I like the lite juuust fine.

I've learned to skip on Nintendos first handheld incarnation for the second or possibly the third, it's always what the first one was missing.

Having played a friend's DS a while back, my old age of 21 years has caught up with me, and I can't stand to stare at a tiny screen anymore than I use to.