DS vs DS Lite

DS vs DS Lite

Feature

When I first heard about the new DS Lite, I was a bit skeptical.

Is it really worth it to upgrade?
DS vs DS Lite
When I first heard about the new DS Lite, I was a bit skeptical. Here’s Nintendo with their awesome handheld system. The thing is selling faster then any other electronic device in Japan right now yet the PSP is not even close. Yes, Japanese people just love their DS and rightfully so. It’s a wonderful handheld that has plenty of 1st class games that you’ll play over and over again. So then, why am I skeptical when Nintendo announced plans to make a DS Lite? It’s simple, really. It just sounds like a way for the ‘Big N’ to rake in on its popularity. Just like when they released those Game Boy Pocket Color’s years back in a bunch of ugly colors.

So the intention here is that Nintendo wanted to take the Nintendo DS and make it glow. I’ll be the first to admit that the original DS’s design isn’t exactly... stellar. It’s downright ugly. But who cares, it still plays your games and plays them just fine. This is why I wasn’t interested in the Lite. So what did they do to our DS?


  • Smaller, sleeker design

  • Lighter

  • Brighter Screen

  • Improved Battery (to accommodate the brighter screen)

  • Moved the Microphone to the center

  • Power switch moved to side

  • Stylus is bigger and also moved to its side



I’ll go over each improvement one by one.

DS vs DS Lite
Smaller, sleeker, you bet. There is a definite, definite improvement over the original DS. With the original DS, I would actually get a little bit embarrassed. I mean... the thing looked pretty dumb and I felt silly playing it. Not as bad as say, a Virtual Boy, but silly nonetheless. With the new Lite, that feeling is gone. Instead, you get a feeling of pride whipping out the DS Lite. This thing is just plain cool. You’ll start to look for excuses to open up your DS Lite because as soon as you do, all eyes will be on you while you’re racing in Mario Kart DS.

As the name implies, the DS Lite is lighter then the original. It’s smaller and more lightweight. Holding the DS’s, one in each hand, you won’t notice anything amazing. Where the improvement really shines is in the top half of the DS. The old DS had a lot of ‘meat’ in the top half which made it uncomfortable to hold while, say, standing. DS Lite will give you no such feeling. Instead the top half is so light that it feels like there is nothing there at all.

The last 'major' improvement is the screen. The screen isn’t any bigger; it’s not any different from the old DS. The difference is the brightness. If you were like me, you might say "My old DS’s screen is bright enough! Why would I want it brighter?" Comparing the old DS’s brightness levels to the DS Lite is unfair. The DS Lite REALLY bright. It’s almost too bright. The screen is so nice that it actually makes the games look better. This alone makes it worth the purchase. The screens are awesome. You’ll be amazed. Just look at the difference in this picture.

Now, I’ve already covered the big stuff. The brighter screens, lightweight aspect and the sleek design of the DS Lite are all fantastic, but there is more, albeit, small stuff. But there is more. I should mention that they have put a new battery in the Lite to accommodate the brighter screen. The unfortunate part in this is that you need to retire your GBA SP and NDS battery chargers since they are no longer compatible. I have like, 8 of them, that I had to get rid of, which was a bit disappointing. Another change is the microphone. They added it to the middle of the unit. The LED’s have been moved to the upper right hand corner and the power switch as been moved to the right hand side. This was big with me, personally, as I can not count how many times I had accidentally powered off my original DS because I thought that it was the start button. Speaking of which, the start and select were moved to be underneath the ABXY buttons instead of above them. Another interesting thing about the DS Lite is that it supports the e-Reader for the GBA. It’s interesting because the original DS did not. That’s because the DS Lite won’t hold a GBA cart like the original. Instead, GBA carts now hang approximately 1 cm out of the DS Lite, which is a bit disappointing if you like to keep a GBA game at the ready like I used to. On that note, the ‘expansion port’, also known as the GBA slot no longer hangs empty. Nintendo has included a blank cart to keep in the DS Lite to make sure that the DS Lite is always stylish.

So... all in all, is it worth it? With all that you get in this package it’s hard not to recommend this. Again, I was very skeptical about the DS Lite. I went into this expecting a shrunken down Nintendo DS. Instead I got a fabulous remake of a great handheld. It’s totally worth it to make the upgrade. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let me give you one last nudge to persuade you. If you were to keep the brightness on your Nintendo DS Lite all the way down (which is STILL brighter then the original DS), your batter life will be 15-19 hours long. That’s a lot of portable gaming. You could use your DS from takeoff to landing from LA to Japan without it running out of juice. So go out and pick up a DS Lite. You’ll thank yourself for it when you do. I know I did.