dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/...945978.jpg
IGN report:
Quote:
January 26, 2006 - After weeks of rumor and speculation, Nintendo today finally revealed its expected redesign of the Nintendo DS handheld system. Called the DS Lite, this new design will be released in Japan on March 2, 2006 and cost 16,800 yen (about 140 bucks US.) The redesign retains all the functionality of the standard DS, but makes things smaller, lighter and brighter.
The modified dual screen handheld has been tweaked into a smaller chassis. The new unit measures up to 133 mm wide by 73.9 mm tall by 21.5 thick. (that's compared to 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.99 mm in the original.) DS Lite weighs 218g, compared to the 275 g of the original.
DS Lite's biggest new technical feature is its updated set of backlit LCD screens. The system is brighter overall, and will give the user the ability to select from four different levels of brightness for viewing and/or battery consumption. A few other cosmetic changes were made to the new DS Lite -- there's a new hinge design, the power light was put on the left side of the hinge and is visible while the clamshell is closed, the mic is moved to top/center while the speakers are more centered, the Select and Start buttons are set on the bottom instead of top, and the power button is no longer on the front, and all of the dark button colors are changed to whites and grays. The cute DS logo is also placed on the front. Basic functionality, otherwise, looks to be identical to the original DS.
I wont complain. Infact, the idea of brighter screen, less weight on my hands while I'm playing and the power switch being visable all the time makes me seriously consider getting it, despite my current DS being fine.
Woah woah. Smaller? My hands get cramped by the current button layout. x.x
I must admit that the colour scheme's pretty coo', the idea is kinda in keeping with all the other handhelds (even if it does feel a bit cheap letting everyone buy a new console and then selling a (marginally) improved version about a year later) and it's good for those who want a DS but don't have one (or are willing to go and by a second)...but nothing in it for me, really.
Dammit, I knew I should've waited to buy a DS. Nintendo are back to their old tricks. But I couldn't wait to play Sonic Rush. ;_;
Smaller is better though.. in some cases. The DS is a bit heavy and my hands get tired after playing any game on it for too long.
Hmm I hope they have some sort of deal for the poor saps who bought the original and now who want this Lite version. My hand gets cramps easily from holding that thing for more than 15 minutes...
My hand gets cramps easily from holding that thing for more than 15 minutes...
It's not a drawback... it's a FEATURE!
I want them to make the damn thing larger, so I can hold it without my hands hurting after only half an hour. The original 89 Gameboy is one of the only handhelds that doesn't hurt my hands even after hours and hours of constant gameplay.
Quote:
It's not a drawback... it's a FEATURE!
*cues "Take Me Out"*
Anyway, this style looks, funnily enough, a lot like some of the DS redesigns I saw on Joystiq when it was just speculation with some mock-ups... and it also looks a LOT like the Revolution controller (seriously, while the design's completely different, the D-Pad and buttons look like they were ripped right from it). Heck, I might get one eventually; I know I won't get a DS right now (bro has one, so might as well just pour money into the "finally start building that friggin' computer SH wanted" fund), so I'll probably have the option when I decide to go for it.
Screw that feature...at least it's a nice white. That gray color was ugly...too bad they can't release it in black...who secretly hopes for a throwback SNES controller design for the DS like the old school NES they had for the SP (That was cool)
Smaller is better though.. in some cases. The DS is a bit heavy and my hands get tired after playing any game on it for too long.
I have never had a problem. o.o Never.
Screw this DS Lite, it's ugly and they can't even spell "light". I heart my silver/black DS and I'll heart it until the end of time or until it blows up, whichever comes first.
I'd still take the Hot Rod Red for my DS. Although as long as they didn't make the screens any smaller(The DS and GBA already have small screens), I got no problem with the redesign, I just don't like the all white color sceme.
In the meantime I think I'll stick with my Gamepark 32 for my main handheld for a few more months.
Hmm...smaller = more convience for me. Now I think I'm glad I didn't buy a DS immediately.
~Neo
It looks like an iPod...not that that's bad *hugs his iPod Video*
Quote:
who secretly hopes for a throwback SNES controller design for the DS like the old school NES they had for the SP (That was cool)
The guys at Nintendojo had the same idea...and then some!
Nintendojo also talked about the DS's design flaws. The GBA sleep mode would have been perfect...And I never realized all this about the GB/GBC games... *consideres running down to his nearest game store and buying some GBC games...*
The problem with the DS' weight is that if you're playing a game where you need to use the stylus a lot (eg. Warioware) you end up holding the thing with one hand while you're using the stylus and it seems really heavy.
Still, this new one looks nice.
YAY FOR PROCRASTINATION.
Actually it looks better than the original.
The problem with the DS' weight is that if you're playing a game where you need to use the stylus a lot (eg. Warioware) you end up holding the thing with one hand while you're using the stylus and it seems really heavy.
Actually, I find the DS too light for me without a GBA pak and the weighted strap that came with the MKDS bundle.
Anyway, I really don't feel bad about buying a DS before this thing as it looks like it'd be far too miniscule for my hands. Although this adds a little credibility to the speculations that the DS will be able to be used as an optional Revolution controller.
Looks pretty good... My regular DS is working just fine tho. Huh. I'd have to try it personally before even thinking of buying it.
Nintendo: BETTER BUTTONS AND MORE COMFORT PLZKTHX.
really. The DS is almost as painful to hold as the NES controller.
Either way, new excuse for me to buy a DS :
So guess who's feeling snug now...
So i'll either be able to get a cheap original or this snazzy extra small one...
...
Damn, I've given myself the conundrum of choice... That's not good... 
Cheap original? From the way they're talking, they don't seem so far different in price...
I dunno. I still feel odd about this one. It doesn't seem...right. I don't know why.
...does it still do GBA? Eliminating GBA would cut down on some games (Kirby, Advance Wars, HM: Sprite's Station,) that use GBA games, but it would seriously reduce the size.
I say we beat the smug Swift with the clunky DS' we have...
No Avian, It still sports the GBA slot...This is just a redesign, not a brand new system...consider it more like the SP...the Lite has all the features of the original DS, with a smaller design and a better backlight...
Quote:
and it also looks a LOT like the Revolution controller (seriously, while the design's completely different, the D-Pad and buttons look like they were ripped right from it).
That's the same thing I was thinking when I saw it a IGN, SH; the white color even furthers the Rev illusion. As far of what I think about it, I think it looks cool and the looks makes me want to get it, but while my Electric Blue DS(with Sonic Rush skin) is in perfect order, I'm not about to waste 140 bucks on a redisgn no matter how cool unless there were to be any deals for those who have an original DS.(which won't happen)
Yeah. If there were decent deals, or my DS broke randomly, or if it spontaneously comusted, then I'd consider it after some breif hands-on time.
Yeah, I figured it would have the GBA slot, but there was talk around the release of the original DS about a slimmer version, and whether or not it would include the GBA slot.
(...which still makes me wonder who the heck would get a GBA Micro or Mini or whatever when they could spring the extra 30-40$ for the DS...)
It's maddening that Nintendo, the company that claims its main focus is innovation, constantly pours money and resources into small redesigns of hardware that's still in the infancy of its lifespan. We had three different Game Bay Advances (four if you count the SP with backlight) and now another DS.
It's called milking the cash cow called the greatest portable gaming system ever...
The original SP is actually frontlit. It has a blue-ish purple tint to it that washes out the color a bit. You'll notice if you tilt your SP frontwards, the screen becomes obscured by the light. The SP redesign, or "SP2" has a backlight that lets you view the games in their full colorful glory.
And while we're on the subject of GBA redesigns and such, let's not forget the big-screen GBA for your car, shall we?
I never really bothered to buy DS in the first place. It had tempting games (SM64DS, Sonic Rush, ect...) but I'm pretty much satisfied with NES, SEGA Genesis, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Gamecube, and my PC. (With roms) It wasn't that long ago that I was satisfied with NES, SEGA Genesis, and PC without roms...
Anyway, though I don't consider less than a couple centimetres smaller (even if in each of its dimensions) a significant change to a system (and as others mentioned it was too small for them already) the four different levels of backlight idea does sound interesting.
Nevertheless, I had a classic GBA when GBASP came out, and neither the backlight nor certain colour schemes (Eg. The NES style one) nor foldability convinced me to buy GBASP, so if I had a DS the improvements wouldn't make we want a DS Lite, and even though I don't have a DS I still don't want to buy a DS Lite. Having played DS for a few minutes is good enough for having tried it, and my GBA is good enough for portable gaming for me...
The major innovation for the GBA-SP was it's built in battery, which stopped you from needing AA's to power it, most see this as the greatest thing ever. The light was an added bonus.
Quote:
It's called milking the cash cow called the greatest portable gaming system ever
I must disagree. The DS is 3rd at best. The GP32 and GP2X both beat it handsdown.
Quote:
The major innovation for the GBA-SP was it's built in battery, which stopped you from needing AA's to power it, most see this as the greatest thing ever. The light was an added bonus.
Actually including a pair of NiMH AAs and the unit being able to charge NiMH using it's AC adapter would have been the greatest thing ever. I got an SP because of the light(and I think I would rather have the original GBA with frontlight then the SP.
I wasn't trying to list the things that others considered good about it, I was trying to list the things that I paid attention to when I heard about it. Besides, a friend of mine who has the GBASP ran down the batteries on it and didn't have a charger for the built-in battery. He had to wait until he could find one to play the games again.
In my opinion it's better to have AA batteries, something you can replace at any time, than need to rely on a built-in battery.
As for the rest of that, Craig, please check your PM for an important comment. And as I said in it I'll further explain later.
In my opinion it's better to have AA batteries, something you can replace at any time, than need to rely on a built-in battery.
I STRONGLY disagree with that. Having to pay 3 every 7 hours of gameplay is not good for someone who likes to be able to play whenever and wherever, especially considering that I'd need to have spare back-ups for if I run out, and I could run out between save-points.
With the built-in battery I get warned when the battery is low on power and if that is the case I am able to plug it into the power port long enough to save and then let it charge up again.
The only MAJOR drawback of this is charge time, and I'd rather have 2 hours with the console off (especially if it has a 7+ hour battery life like the DS) while I sleep and then wake up not needing to do so again until I sleep.
PSP however, yeah... the 3-5 hours you get on that is a bit of a waste.
I hate built in batteries. I want onet hat takes NiMH or alkaline AA batteries. That way, you can get an instant charge from any store in the world. ^^
The rate I game, it'd cost 15 a week to do so.
Not. Worth. It.
rechargable NiMH AAs for the win. No wasting money constantly on normal batteries, no being unable to play when the built-in battery dies, since you can keep an extra charged pair around. win-win. 
Not to mention that years down the road when the built-in battery no longer holds a charge and you can't find a replacement, you're basically screwed.
Quote:
Not to mention that years down the road when the built-in battery no longer holds a charge and you can't find a replacement, you're basically screwed.
You can order DS batteries straight from Nintendo, and it's unlikely they'll just stop selling them in a few years time...
At least, not until the DS2.
It won't be the DS2. It will be the TS, Triple Screen. Imagine Sonic Rush with 3 screens!
Quote:
At least, not until the DS2.
You mean GB4 a.k.a. GBXT a.k.a. Game Boy Extreme XTreme. No way they're dropping the Game Boy monniker for 'Dual Screen'.
Quote:
The rate I game
Ewwww, please tell me you did not just use the word "game" as a verb.
He did, Lee.
Craig, play with it plugged in and keep like four sets of NiMH batteries around.
That andd bargain shop AA batteries. I have a 24pack of AA batteries that cost me six dollars. Real cheap brand. But they work jsut fine. I tested it, they'd get maybe half an hour less on my CD player than those new batteries that are like $10 for two AA but supposedly last forever in highpower devices. Anyway, since my CD player averages 140 hours on two AAs, half an hour's difference is nothing.
Quote:
I don't know how people can prefer replacing batteries to plugging your SP or DS into the wall for an hour and a half.
Because you can plug your SP/DS into the wall in the middle of a roadtrip. Also changing batteries takes about 30 seconds. And with a good charger I can get 2 complete charges in 1 hour.
Isn't it cheaper to buy a 15 spare battery (giving you another 7 hours) and having that charged up, than to spend 3-15 a week on new batteries to keep the thing alive, especially when there is a high risk factor of playing with AA batteries (or 4xAAA batteries on Gameboy Pocket, which was hell itself) on games like Zelda and Pokmon due to unpredictable power out times.
I dunno. I just don't get it. If I were to chose between a camera with charge and battery, I'd take charge ANY day, and photography is my proffession. As long as you keep the right spare and the charger with you always, you'll never go wrong. Ever.
For the more cost-conscious buy a ton of NiMH batteries. Get a 15min charger and you can carry several day's worth of continuous battery life in a small bag or a pocket.
And save it when the light turns red, change the batteries, Craig. o.o
As far as my Gameboy Pocket and GBA go, there's no light which warns you of power-outage. First I noticed of this feature would have been the GBA-SP. I did, however, notice that the LED went out on the Pocket when it was running low. Not sure if that was a fault or not.
I guess my bias is mostly because I play my Game Boy at home, and when I use the GBP, I've got to plug it into a wall and remain fixed to that position (if I move I might knock the wire out), and that's no fun. Imagine training 6 Pokmon up to level 99 while pinned to the wall and afraid to move until save points.
Hence, the charge battery is a Gedsend.
I have a 1-hour charger and I think 12 NiMH 2100 mah batteries. I think the total cost was about $30. And that is fairly expensive and low capcity at the same time as far as NiMH goes from what I've heard.
Now if I was designing a Handheld:
I make powered by 2 AAs
Built in NiMH quick charger
Include a pair of 1800 mah NiMH AAs
Include the AC adapter
There you have it. The best of both worlds. You have the ability to change the batteries if they go dead, and you have the ability to charge while in the middle of a game.
Also since the Original/Pocket/Light/Color/Advance models of the Gameboy all use standard batteries they will playable longer after the Li-ions used in the SP/SP2/DS/DS-lite are have long been discontinue. By switching to Li-ions Nintendo has built planned obsolestance into their handhelds.
As far as my Gameboy Pocket and GBA go, there's no light which warns you of power-outage.
I'm not entirely sure whether or not there were multiple models made, but my GBA has a small LED above the A and B buttons with the word "power" written next to it, which stays green when the batteries are 'live' or whatever and turn red as they die, getting fainter as it does so. Not entirely accurate, but does give forewarning.
Unless of course you were referring to an actual strong warning that the power was gonna die within a minute or whatever, in which case this post is open to disregard.
*bumpage*
Ooh, look at the colors!
Crystal White
Ice Blue
Enamel Navy
Nintendo of Japan's DSLite presentation
I'm disappointed in the lack of Candy Pink, but I have a feeling that Nintendo will eventually release that color for the DSL since that was a pretty popular color.
Not that the US release will ever get that color without packing it with a bundle. And even then, they would foul the color scheme up somehow and release the bundle at a limited time only. Bah!
Here are some more pics:
OH NOS! GBA carts stick out 1 cm from the slot! BOMBA BOMBA DSLITE BOMBA!!!11! Eh. It is not too bad as there was a bigger eyesore concerning the GB/GBC carts to the GBA.
The battery life has also been greatly improved:
Quote:
15-19 hours on the lowest brightness setting
(which is supposedly about the same brightness as the current DS)
Quote:
10-15 hours on the second brightness setting
7-11 hours on the third setting
5-9 hours on the brightess setting
The charge time is also 3 hours.
In contrast, the orginal DS batter last 6-10 hours and have a charge time of 4 hours.
EDIT: Here's a comparison pic. Lookit those screens!
www.tintinphoto.com/tintinphoto/imgFiles/personal/755920uFprc.jpg
Quote:
I'm not entirely sure whether or not there were multiple models made, but my GBA has a small LED above the A and B buttons with the word "power" written next to it, which stays green when the batteries are 'live' or whatever and turn red as they die, getting fainter as it does so. Not entirely accurate, but does give forewarning.
So, in fact, does mine..... though it happily managed another couple of hours even after the light went red.
I had my GBA for less than a year. I went through over forty AAs. I was sooo happy when I smashed that thing with my locker and bought an SP.
Quote:
I had my GBA for less than a year. I went through over forty AAs.
The lesson there: Alkalines SUCK, BIG TIME. Nickel Metal Hydrate(NiMH) are awesome thought. Li-ion is better then Alkaline, but suck compared to NiMH.
