Nintendo DS LITE : Buyer's Guide and Review

If you are looking to buy a handheld gaming system this holiday season either for yourself or for a gift you have come to the right place, for this system is the one to buy. The Nintendo DS Lite currently offers the most value out of any handheld video game system on the market now. It costs 129.99 and plays all Nintendo DS games and Game Boy Advance games. This system is not compatible with game boy games from the gameboy color line and older. I will now answer some common questions relating to the purchase of this system:

What is the difference between the DS and the DS Lite and why should i buy the DS Lite over that cheaper Used DS sitting on the shelf right next to it??

I own both the original DS and the DS Lite and i want to say that the DS Lite is totally worth the extra money to purchase. It features higher quality and brighter screens, a battery life of almost 3x that of the original ds, plus its smaller, light and much much better looking than the original. The screens on the original ds are much too dim and often cause an unwanted glare when playing, and there is nothing you can do to fix this problem, plus they make game graphics look blurry and pixelated. The screens on the DS lite are of a much higher quality, plus there are 4 brightness levels so you can adjust to the situation you are playing in and to your comfort. There is little or no glare with the screens on the DS lite while playing indoors. I have not really been able to test this system while playing outdoors because i do not have a need to play this system while outside. Also the screens make the ds graphics and colors really stand out, and do not make the graphics look like they are pixelated, blurry or have unwanted lines in the display. The touch screen is also more durable than that of the original ds because they included an extra layer of coating on the screen to help prevent scratches.

You should not purchase that cheaper used ds on the shelf right next to it because you do not know where that used system has been, also the store you are purchasing it from most likely does not clean or test the system beyond the "its working" point. So you may end up with a system with severely diminished battery life and many scratches on the outer shell and touch screen. I know for a fact that ebgames/gamestop and gamecrazy do not clean or test their systems beyond the "its working" point, so take that into consideration. A used ds currently goes for around 79.99-89.99 at most major used game retailers, however they do not check the battery to see how far it has been depleated. The Nintendo DS contains a rechargable battery that is built in, and over time, usually several years of use, the battery life will begin to diminish. A replacement battery typically costs 15-20$ with shipping as an additional cost, and if you purchase a used system you may have to purchase a replacement battery right away, making the used system not such a great value after all! Bottom line: Do not let a store employee sucker you into buying a used system because they say its a better value, because it is not a better value, take it from me, i know my video games, and i am here to help you make the most of your money.

Why should i purchase the Nintendo DS lite over the Game Boy Advance SP that is sitting right next to it on the shelf, the GBA SP is a cheaper price??

Simple answer, the Nintendo DS Lite plays BOTH Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS games, it is like getting 2 systems in one! This makes it a tremendous value that will last a very long time and this is not a gift that your giftee will put down quickly due to the massive selection of current and upcoming games availible for it. Nintendo has almost stopped producing game boy advance games, there are really only a few good releases left for the system if any, the system is nearly outdated and obsolete, so its not worth spending 80$ for the game boy advance when you can get the latest system for a bit more. If there are any game boy advance games that your giftee wants to play, he/she can do so with this system, plus have access to the whole library of current and upcoming ds games as well. Many game boy advance games can be purchased cheaply for around 5-15$ as well so they make perfect gifts for small incentives. New game boy advance games cost around 19.99-34.99 and you will find that new nintendo ds games will cost around the same price, of course there are many lower priced DS games availible as well.

The only thing the DS does not do is allow you to play game boy advance games with a friend or multiplayer since there is no gba link port on the system. This should not be a big deal as i have found that most GBA games multiplayer features are lacking at best.

As for multiplayer on the DS, its totally wireless and does not require you to buy anything extra for if you and a friend already have your own DS systems. For some games, each player must have a copy of the game in order to play, however many games offer multiplayer with only one game cart. This is a really nice feature of the system because not everyone has to own the same games in order to play against each other. Check the back of the package to see which type of multiplayer game play the game you are purchasing offers.

There is also online play over the internet with select games, again check the package to see which games offer internet gameplay. If you need any information about online play you can check http://www.nintendowifi.com , you can also find a list of games that offer internet gameplay on this website.