DS Lite to be killed off
MAKER OF RENALLY-INSPIRED games consoles Nintendo might be about to stick a bullet in the back of the head of its popular DS Lite hand-held.
Nintendo's UK general manager David Yarnton has told MCV that if the new DSi takes off there will be no reason for the DS lite to live.
The DS Lite hit the shops more than three years ago and has been doing very well. However the DSi, which will be released in April, has more features.
Yarnton said it was really up to the market to decide whether or not the DS Lite was dead kit walking, however he thinks they will go for the DSi over the older technology.
He thinks that some DS Lite users will upgrade, straight away, but he thinks that people that were thinking of getting the Lite will be convinced by the extra features on the DSi to buy that instead.
Yarton added that the DSi will have different consumer types who want it as the different functionality opens the platform up to more consumers.
The DSi comes with two cameras, a bigger screen, a DS specific download service, an SD card slot, and music playback functions. µ
L'Inq
MCV
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The DSi doesn't include the big ol' slot in which you can plug Gameboy Advance games or accesories, such as the fret for Guitar Hero: On Tour.
If by new features, they mean:
Region Locked
Abandonment of the GBA Cart Slot
Future Firmware Updates, al-la the S0NY PSP
and One crappy useless Camera
Then I for One welcome the old NDSL
Bigger screen is worthwhile, and better for the minority that don't have a DS; but is it worth the extra 50 over a lite ? Or 20 less than a Wii ?
I'll also be willing to bet the flash cards cards won't work in the DSi either.
It'll be a hit, but have a slower uptake than the Lite; unless some killer DSi only titles appear.
I think most DS units are probably purchased by parents. So when they see they can get a DS for $50 less (or more since they may soon be discounted) they won't really care about the new features.
And yes, there are flashcards out already that are compatible with the DSi.
Wait.. there are people who don't use SuperCards with their DS to play music?
I'm waiting for these to come out, so the price of USED DSs will come down. I'll get a couple more for my household so we can all play mario party, mario cart, goof off with pico chat, etc.
Oh, and homebrew/supercards/etc... you know how many second graders have DSs? Ask around at a birthday party or PTA meeting. Parents are buying these for ther kids, and they couldn't care less about homebrew.
I'm sure another guitar hero adapter will be worked out.
@Michael - hang out at walmart for a few minutes, and when you see a soccer mom buying a DSi for her third grader, try this for a pickup line:
'you know, sweet thing, the DS Lite is a smarter buy. With a DS Lite you can play a game you bought in Japan. But not with a DSi, 'cuz it's region-locked."
Then watch her eyez glaze over, right before she buys her DSi with the bigger screen and two cameras.
The difference between a geek and a dork? A geek knows a thing or two about technology, a dork thinks everybody cares.
Awesome name, by the way. :)
... I come here just to read the comments.
Mike you made me laugh.
You might be surprised how many parents know about torrents and that they can save a fortune on indulging their kids with a little accessory purchase. Getting a couple hundred DS games is about equivalent to downloading a season of a half-hour US TV series in terms of bandwidth.
The kids themselves catch on pretty early. During bus rides I've overheard what appeared to be ten-year-old children discussing their latest torrent acquisitions.
The DSi is subject to cracks but with firmware upgrades Nintendo can at least try to fight the problem by making pirating games more work. While they don't have the same luxury of capacious storage media as Sony on the PSP, they can make it so new game releases only play on firmware above a certain number, as that would only require a tiny bit of code. This would be onerous for isolated people with no internet access but that is a increasingly tiny segment of the market.
I use my DSL for 楽引辞典 and that's it, so there's no way I'll go buy a DSi that can't work with Japanese soft. Too bad.
....4 of the 5 games I play on my DS Lite are GBA games.
Looks like I wont be upgrading.
I'm not sure if this "article" should have "Advertisement" across the top, or "Direct from the dept of the bleedin' obvious"
Me, I'm happy with my DS Lite, and come the arrival of the DSi, and the credit crunch slump, I'm looking forward to picking up another for my other half at a bargain basement price.