Miles Tormani said:
But here's the thing. None of those (with the possible exception of a very select few Game Boy Color games, but mainly because they would've been impossible to look at on a black and white Game Boy) forced you to upgrade. The DSi is already looking like it's going to overrun the market with exclusive (read: non-DS playable) games.
I'm sorry, but since when does it look like the market is going to be overrun with DSi-exclusive games? To my knowledge all the currently announced big titles are made for the original DS.
(Oh, and did you know that the the GBC's processor had twice the speed of the classic Game Boy's? And four times as much memory?)
Miles Tormani said:
All because people want to use a slightly faster processor and extra RAM. It's still the same 64-bit system (allegedly) as the the DS and DS Lite, and the graphics processor hasn't been upgraded. Is there really anything processor-wise the DSi has over the the DS Lite aside from the extra speed and memory?
For starters, Nintendo has never claimed that the DS is a 64-bit system. Both the ARM9 and the ARM7 are 32-bit RISC CPUs. Secondly, the DS doesn't have a specialized GPU, but uses the two main CPUs for both regular calculations and graphics.
But, really, I believe that just like with the GBC, the DSi-enhancements won't be used with most of the game releases. Maybe for optional extras, while still leaving the main game compatible with the original DS. It has, after all, a much larger established user base.
Miles Tormani said:
I don't need the 256MB internal memory in particular; the cards that the games come on are perfectly capable of saving. The only thing I need the memory for is to save my internet settings so I don't have to set them up every single game.
Well, I'm sure going to take advantage of DSiWare the and Virtual Console once I decide I can afford a DSi.
Miles Tormani said:
What I'm trying to say is that due to the DSi not technically being the next generation platform, is there a good reason I should have to upgrade?
This really sounds awfully familiar to what people were saying about the Wii...
But, really, no. You don't
have to upgrade. Or rather, sidegrade. I thought Nintendo made it fairly clear that the DSi isn't a replacement for the DS Lite, but a sort of complement.
It's mostly for people who either want a more Wii-like handheld experience, or who don't already have a DS Lite and don't care about the GBA slot. That's why if someone decides to get his first DS in the near future, and doesn't care about the GBA slot, s-/he should definitely get the DSi despite the slightly higher price tag.
As for people who already own a DS Lite? (I don't. I still have my original DS.) Wait and see if something interesting comes up later on. But don't entirely dismiss the machine because you're grumpy about the changes to the hardware.
Miles Tormani said:
Playing a game designed for DSi on a DS Lite would only realistically give me slowdown.
...Or entirely freeze the game when the DS Lite runs out of memory. This isn't like with a PC, where it can shuffle data over to the virtual memory on the harddrive.
Miles Tormani said:
The slightly larger screen isn't a factor. There's no case of, say, someone being unable to play Super Mario Galaxy on their old tube TV with a coax cable just because someone else has a fancy HDTV with component inputs.
No, the larger screen isn't a factor. But would you expect to be able to play Super Mario Galaxy on a Gamecube? I mean, if the 'cube could read DVDs.
Miles Tormani said:
Take also into consideration the loss of accessories with the crossover. The DS had a rumble pak (and other features such as using a Boktai cart to have solar power in Lunar Knights) that connected through the GBA port. The smaller port on the DS Lite meant for a new rumble pak being required (through presumably mainly for aesthetic purposes). Replacement of the GBA slot with a SD-card slot means you can't even do that anymore. All because they didn't just put the SD card slot on, say, the side of the system. Why? Because Nintendo wants us to buy their GBA games again off the Shop Channel, which simultaneously destroys the connectivity these games had.
The real main reason to get rid of the GBA slot? Piracy. It's way too easy to make flash carts based on the old GBA cartridges. Making room for the SD-card slot is just an excuse so they don't have to talk about the piracy issue.
Now, personally I don't own any of the GBA slot expansion packs for the DS. And, like I said, I don't have a DS Lite. Nor did I ever get a GBA SP or a Game Boy Micro. Isn't it funny, though, that I never traded up with my GBA, yet here I am representing the DSi? My point? Well, I suppose I don't have one, but I am getting a DSi, and I'm keeping my DS Phat just in case I'd ever want to play GBA games on it.
Miles Tormani said:
There's really nothing I get over the standard DS (or Lite) aside from better single-game multiplayer (which still doesn't matter because the damage has already been done to Kirby Superstar), especially considering how much is lost with the system transfer. And as someone who already bought the system once, the main choice to avoid wasting money is a trade-in. And considering all this, like hell I'm doing that. Especially since it's not a new Gamecube graphics-capable system that happens to be backward compatible with the DS.
Personally I'd consider a trade-in to be the true waste of money. But that's coming from someone who's only sold one single console ever, and it was his Game Boy Pocket as a trade-in for the Game Boy Color.
But as I mentioned before, the DS Lite to the DSi is a sidegrade, not an upgrade. My personal recommendation is that new consumers go straight for the DSi, while anyone who owns a DS Lite waits with the sidegrade until the DSi-exclusive software library makes it worth either replacing or complementing your Lite with a DSi.
DS Phat users, like me, could probably also benefit from complementing their DS with a DSi relatively soon.
