Nintendo DS Lite - Black

I'm gonna be honest here. I have EVERY version of the Nintendo GameBoy EVER created. I kid you not. From the really thick and clunky ugly gray colored one with the purple A-B buttons, to the "we're copying off the Sega Genesis PlayGear body" Gameboy Advance first incarnation... to today's wicked cool DS "I'm in love with it" Lite. I am a GameBoy fiend-ess.

Actually, the DS Lite is the hottest electronic handheld video game device in Japan right now. (It's more popular over there than the PSP is, actually, whereas the PSP is more popular than the DS Lite is over here. Got it? Yeah.) Personally, I think each platform has it's own strengths and weaknesses, that make both of them, well... you're just gonna want to have 'em both to play with. Like I do.

When The first incarnation of DS came out, it was much heavier - with a thicker case, the screen light was less luminous (it didn't shine as bright), and the screens were smaller. There were also a few other things that (kept losing that darn stylus) drove gamers nuts.

So, after hearing the many complaints from mass market video gamers (like yours truly), Nintendo went back to the DS drawing board and did a little redesigning. They ended up with: the DS LITE.

DS LITE has a much thinner and lighter-in-weight case. It's smaller in its overall size, as well, making it much more of a pocket Gaming Device, more like a PalmTop PC, really. It also comes, as a bonus, in three colors: Onyx (black); Ice (white); and Blush (pink). The viewing screens on the top have and the touch screen on the bottom half have been enlarged a bit, which it great. Less eyestrain, and more room to write messages with your stylus (a problem with the former DS). The viewing light in the screens is also much brighter, so now you can realy see what's going on in a darkened environment. The button placement has been changed, too. They've been placed to fit your hand's natural position when it holds the game device, evened outfrom the touch screen, parallel wiht each other, so you won't end up with cramps after playing for long periods of time. The sound has even improved. It doesn't sound like your listening inside a tin can anymore, thanks to speaker re-placement.

They even redesigned where the stylus is kept. It's now pocketed and locked in into the base of the DS Lite, safely tucked away, camouflaged, where it won't catch on anything, or just fall out, like it used to do. AND, they supply you with one extra stlyus, just in case you do lose it. Bonus!

The DS Lite can play old GB, GBC, and GBA games (Legacyware games - uh - old Gameboy games) and new GBA games from the larger cartridge slot on the base of the DS Lite. When not in use, the DS Lite comes with a fake, plastic, removable cartridge to insert to keep that slot protected from dust and debris. Cool, huh? the top slot is used for playing DS/DS Lite Touchpad games. And with all the new touch-screen enabled games coming out for the platform, well...

The touch screen also enables you to send written messages and pictures over Wi-Fi to other DS/DSLite users, via a chat utility called "Pictochat" that comes standard already loaded in.

However, unlike the PSP, you can't play MP3s or store files on the DS Lite, or play Homebrew or emulators. And, with the PSP, you can't use an interactive touchscreen. But, both are Wi-Fi. Like I said earlier, give and take. You might as well get both. There are plenty of games out there to satisfy users of both platforms...