 "Great First Generation DS!" | 2009-11-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A27G9LMQTMND03 |
Like the above says,the first generation of the DS was pretty good though it had some problems, It was an overall solid performer.
This first model DS gets points for having a tough exterior (very hard to crack the casing) although the 3 hinge setup proved to be a troublesome mistake from Nintendo,with so much opening and closing,as well as everyday abuse from youngsters,the ends of the hinge(s) would crack rendering the DS pretty much unusable. Another negative point would be that the screens only had one brightness setting! (the PSP had 3 or 4 out the gate) One thing that was a smart move on Nintendo's part was to include GBA functionality,making the transition from GBA to DS so much more easier though on a side note with no cover or no game in the GBA port the unfilled hole felt rather flimsy. One thing I personally didn't like was that the top of the case reminded me of an extended GBA SP. At the time,I was amazed that the DS had the graphical power of a N64 (hence the few N64 ports we got) I was actually disappointed that Nintendo never ported over Zelda:Ocarina of Time to the DS.
Nintendo remedied all the above problems with the release of the DS lite,it had a one piece hinge design,4 brightness settings,dust cover for the GBA slot,and improved speakers. Although IMHO the case was not as durable as the regular DS.
Nintendo again upped the ante with the DSi,bigger screens,improved speakers yet again,stronger case,etc... But,and this is a big but,they removed GBA functionality from the DSi,I can only guess they had assumed everyone who's buying a DS at this point wont care much to play GBA games.
Overall,at this point in the game,I cannot recommend the DS when there is the much improved DSi (or if you want a GBA slot the DS lite)
To summarize.
Pros:
+Durable Case
+Wide range of colors
+As powerful as an N64
Cons:
-Weak hinge
-Only 1 brightness setting
-bulky
-No accessories available at retail stores
-Overall dated look (imo)
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 "love the DS" | 2009-11-04 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2B0N6P1PUXE2J |
| The DS was delivered promptly and hassle free, very happy with the service and the DS was in the conditions described by seller. happy to do bussiness again. |
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| "Reliable" | 2009-08-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A15RVXM7Y5SV5T |
I've had my DS since the Christmas of '05. It is a very reliable and sturdy handheld. I have had no problems with it. The hinge still works great (not weak at all). It does have a few scratches on the outside but that's to be expected after using it for almost four years. The screens are still in fantastic shape. Not scratched.
I have used a friend's DS Lite and was not impressed. They feel flimsy.
The only slight issues I have with the DS is that it doesn't seem to have a very long battery life. This isn't too much of an issue for me, however, because I tend to play it plugged in anyway. The placement of the power button is a little troublesome at times, but I haven't actually accidentally pressed it yet, so it works for me.
Considering the price and product differences, I would suggest an original DS to most people. If you have the money for a DS Lite, great. Get one. But if you want to save some money, an original DS is a great option. |
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 "Don't buy this peice of junk" | 2009-03-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1Q4AJLXY064TI |
| Ok first of all i've never owned a ds, I'VE OWNED TWO OF THEM! AND THEY BOTH BROKE!!!!!!! The Ds is badly designed and is prone to break in a year. My dad told me that because there's a little hinge and a big hinge the little hinge takes all the weight, so every time you open it it becomes closer to breaking. This is a peice of junk and it should not be purchased! Take my advice and buy the Ds lite, my sister has had one for about 3 years and it's not even close to breaking. The Ds lite has a brighter light and it's easier to carry around. |
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| "GET A DS BECAUSE THEY ROCK!!!!!! ....or: the tale of two ds-es" | 2007-07-17 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
the nintendo ds is an awesome game console. it plays games and allows you to chat with friends. it will play both ds games AND game boy advance games. i have a silver ds. i don't have a lite, but the original is a prize for me considering how much effort i put into getting one with a five dollar allowance. i would have got one with my own allowance, but instead, on christmas day a few years ago(i think two years) BEHOLD!!!!! A SHINY, BEAUTIFUL, SILVER NINTENDO DS EMERGED FROM THE CAMOFLAGE OF IT'S CHRISTMAS PAPER WRAPPINGS AND WAS MINE!!!! MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!! my saintly parents had bestown upon me the silver beauty that is the nintendo ds! and since then it has been a commonly used device. i play it all the time! and one year later, last christmas, an electric blue ds was bestown upon my little brother.... but that's another story.
i would also like to tell you about pictochat. you use the stylus to type or draw pictures. i also found you can drag and drop letters. just pick any letter, number, or symbol, tap it and hold onto it and drag it to where you want it. if you go to the system settings place you can choose
1. a color. whatever color you choose will be the color of your pictochat window.
2.a username. your name will show in the top left corner of your window and any messages you send.
3. a phrase. you can type in a phrase, and in pictochat you tap your name and the phrase will appear. at the top of your screen, your friends' names will appear. tap their names to see their phrases.
ds to ds pictochat has a very short range, as does all the ds to ds activities i've done on games like animal crossing (buy it) and nintendogs (also buy it). from that i know ds to ds is short range. i have never done wi-fi, but supposedly you can play with anyone around the globe.
anyway, there's a lot more good stuff to know but it would make my review really really long, so in conclusion...
GET A NINTENDO DS!!!!! (OR A LITE, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER TO ME!!!!!) |
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 "Ridiculous clunky design" | 2007-05-23 |
| - Reviewed By lazulinesea |
It really didn't make any difference whether or not it was a capable console with fantastic games. The fact of the matter was I couldn't bring myself to spend 129+ USD on such an ugly thing. The casing looks outrageously cheap and is extremely poorly designed (the faces are not flush with eachother when the DS is shut). As for the specs, it's not too shabby. It's basically a SNES stuffed into a fairly small handheld console. Fairly small being a major flaw of design.
Nintendo has long been looking for every single way in which they could shrink their gameboy series. From the Gameboy, to the Gameboy color and from the Advance and from there to the SP and micro. For whatever reason, they felt that an unusual geometrical design which nearly rivaled the size of the original Gameboy would be suitable for their supposedly non-replacement for the Gameboy (which has not seen a successor up to this date).
The bulkiness alone strayed me from purchasing this system. If you're considering buying this for the 30 dollar savings (for a USED model), don't even think about it. I do not know a single person who plays the DS. I have not seen a DS in public for over a year. Simply put, the DS Lite is the only thing that one is willing to be seen with today. Anything else would be original sin. Unless you're a non-conformist to the extreme, don't waste your money on this block which looking back now looks like a false-start for the system just so that Nintendo could double their profits considering everyone that I knew owned the original ds has "upgraded" to a lite. |
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