Caved and got the Mario red DSi XL special edition

[Blue Protoman]

I'll download ROMs and ISOs whenever I damn well feel like it. End of story. B)

 

[second exodous]

Woohoo! Got it! Actually it was hours and hours ago. Right now I'm just playing all the games I've been separated from for what seems forever, luckily I didn't let me nephew borrow those. It turns out it comes with no DSi points, I'm broke as far as the DSi is concerned. I have no idea how to get them either, I think they come in plastic card from from toy stores if I'm not mistaken. I've been reading reviews on the download-able games and none get that good of reviews, I'm disappointed really. Oh well, I didn't get the DSi XL for that I just got it to have a DS again. I paid about $40 more for this than I would have just getting a plain DSL again but it did come with a game and two of the brain age games I guess. The browser will come in handy I suspect, until I get my Pandora that is, I don't like Opera all that much.


One thing I have to say is it is more comfortable in my hands than the DSL was. The larger screen makes everything more pixely but I guess that is because it is the same resolution just with bigger pixels. Speakers are better I think and I'm sure Nintendo made sure of that now that it plays music. Fist day has been ok, I feel kinda bad that I got myself something like this right before Christmas but like I said I haven't gotten any electronics for a few years, whenever I got my DSL.


Also, China does not smell as good as Japan. Opening the box had a familiar smell but was overly plasticy. Now these are make in China and what is made in Japan is packed in China so it has a China smell rather than a Japan smell. I'm sure they are packed in a sterile factory but the smell is not the same as every other Japanese system I've gotten. I don't know, it was an important thing for me to smell the same smell I smelled when I opened the NES system one Christmas so long ago. The NES games also had the same smell as I recall. Even the SNES and it's games were the same also. This was just not the same smell, did not bring back memories like I thought it would.

 

[Prometheus]

Woohoo! Got it! Actually it was hours and hours ago. Right now I'm just playing all the games I've been separated from for what seems forever, luckily I didn't let me nephew borrow those.

Congratulations. (And I'm glad you didn't end up losing any games. :lol: )

It turns out it comes with no DSi points, I'm broke as far as the DSi is concerned. I have no idea how to get them either, I think they come in plastic card from from toy stores if I'm not mistaken.

Correct, although you can also buy them directly on the system if you have a credit card, too.

I've been reading reviews on the download-able games and none get that good of reviews, I'm disappointed really.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother with reviews (unless they happen to be from real people, and not shills :lol: ) - they're all a big sham, anyway. Just listen to what actual people have to say and you'll probably unearth some gems.


I'll recommend Aura-Aura Climber again, and also X-Scape/3D Space Tank. The latter of these two really deserved to be a retail title - it's a *fantastic* game, and any "reviewer" who would have the gall to say otherwise is clearly bad and wrong.

Speakers are better I think and I'm sure Nintendo made sure of that now that it plays music.

There's this brilliant Iwata Asks interview covering the development of the DSi XL, and they mention the speakers specifically in one part. Apparently they're the same as the ones in the standard-sized DSi (which are *incredibly* loud, I must say), but are in a larger enclosure which results in an even louder sound. I found that pretty interesting, for some reason.

 

[Blue Protoman]

There are actually a lot of good DSi games, exodus. Nintendo Life has a review of every one. And you can get DSi points directly on the store with a credit card.

 

[Orion4874]

Woohoo! Got it! Actually it was hours and hours ago. Right now I'm just playing all the games I've been separated from for what seems forever, luckily I didn't let me nephew borrow those. It turns out it comes with no DSi points, I'm broke as far as the DSi is concerned. I have no idea how to get them either, I think they come in plastic card from from toy stores if I'm not mistaken. I've been reading reviews on the download-able games and none get that good of reviews, I'm disappointed really. Oh well, I didn't get the DSi XL for that I just got it to have a DS again. I paid about $40 more for this than I would have just getting a plain DSL again but it did come with a game and two of the brain age games I guess. The browser will come in handy I suspect, until I get my Pandora that is, I don't like Opera all that much.


One thing I have to say is it is more comfortable in my hands than the DSL was. The larger screen makes everything more pixely but I guess that is because it is the same resolution just with bigger pixels. Speakers are better I think and I'm sure Nintendo made sure of that now that it plays music. Fist day has been ok, I feel kinda bad that I got myself something like this right before Christmas but like I said I haven't gotten any electronics for a few years, whenever I got my DSL.


Also, China does not smell as good as Japan. Opening the box had a familiar smell but was overly plasticy. Now these are make in China and what is made in Japan is packed in China so it has a China smell rather than a Japan smell. I'm sure they are packed in a sterile factory but the smell is not the same as every other Japanese system I've gotten. I don't know, it was an important thing for me to smell the same smell I smelled when I opened the NES system one Christmas so long ago. The NES games also had the same smell as I recall. Even the SNES and it's games were the same also. This was just not the same smell, did not bring back memories like I thought it would.

So, in your opinion, is the XL worth it or should one get the normal DSi? I only ask because I have been tossing the idea around of getting an XL but your statement about the pixels makes me think I should go with the smaller version. I love larger screens but not at the cost of resolution.


Then again, there is the 3DS's upcoming release.... :unsure:

 

[second exodous]

So, in your opinion, is the XL worth it or should one get the normal DSi? I only ask because I have been tossing the idea around of getting an XL but your statement about the pixels makes me think I should go with the smaller version. I love larger screens but not at the cost of resolution.

Then again, there is the 3DS's upcoming release.... :unsure:

I'd ask others, to me the DS never had the best graphics to begin with but when stretched they are a little more blocky. Take an emulator in windowed mode for example; the bigger you make the windows the more noticeable the blockieness is. When I had my GP2X I thought the Genesis graphics were amazing for the time and couldn't believed I didn't notice it before. One day I plugged an old Genesis into a 30 inch TV and noticed no, no they weren't.


The screen on the XL isn't that much bigger so it is tolerable. You will notice when you first turn it on and read the safety screen, the one you have to tap through, the letter are really blocky. After you play it for a while like I have been for a day you won't notice it as much.


Waiting for the next system is always a good idea, if you have a DS right now I would wait for the 3DS. I'm sure the 3DS will play all the games that the DSi can so there is not a lot of reason to buy right now. If it is a question between the DSi and the DSi XL I'd go XL, better battery life and better browsing experience when you use the web and if you don't have small hands the XL is more comfortable to hold.

 

[Blue Protoman]

I heard that you'll be able to transfer DSiWare to your 3DS.

 

[matzesu]

You can also By an Nintendo 3DS and play some Nintendo DS Games on it instead of Bying an DSi (DSi XL) if you have someone allready..


There are a lot of great DS Games like Mario 64, Dragon Quest 9, GTA Chinatown Wars, Harvest Moon etc...


The 3DS is kompatible to the DS/DSi...


But you need to wait about 3 Monts to get one..

 

[DaMummy]

anyone know of any places, preferably online, where you can preorder a 3rd yet? hopefully a usa one

 

[matzesu]

Amazon per exemple..? But at this time, the 3DS isnt Availabale until in 2 or 3 Months


Nintendo has planded to give us the releaseday on the Pressevent on 19 January in New York and Amsterdam..

 

[Prometheus]

anyone know of any places, preferably online, where you can preorder a 3rd yet? hopefully a usa one

There was a rumour that GameStop, in the US, were supposed to be taking reservations as of today (although I don't believe this is online). There's also a store that's been taking them in Canada for (I think) the last month or so, but I forgot the name of that one.


Myself, I'll be heading straight to Amazon as soon as we get the release date confirmed, and paying extra for the quickest delivery they offer - that way it ought to arrive on launch day. I'd love to attend a midnight launch thing, which I was lucky enough to do with the Wii, but since that time the chain I used to shop at was bought out, meaning that we have only one national video game chain store, which I don't shop with. (I'm sure most gaming Brits remember the great retro games massacre of 2008. )

 

[second exodous]

I'm sure most gaming Brits remember the great retro games massacre of 2008.

Wait, so they just trashed all the old games? All the NES carts and SNES carts? Every game below the PS2? That doesn't even make any sense. Besides, was all that recycled or just burned/put in a land fill? I would have dressed up like a hippie and started a protest saying that if they aren't recycled then they can't destroy them. The cost to recycle all of it would have forced them just to sell it off.


I can't find anything else about it, was it done because one of the big 3 thought retro was cutting into their sales?

 

[Prometheus]

^ Your guesses are all wrong... My understanding is that it was apparently done because the parent company got tax breaks for it, for destroying "electronic waste" (this becomes less surprising when you know a bit about their views on gaming). Personally, I still think they would have been better off donating it to kids' hospitals and suchlike, myself - surely that would have been a far more beneficial usage, since they were intent on getting rid of it all anyway.


On a brighter note, my information about GameStop in the US, and their Nintendo 3DS pre-orders, was correct. Apparently you need to put down a $50 deposit, but you can indeed pre-order one as of today.

 

[matzesu]

I would preorder mine from Amazon Germany, i dont think i dont get an unit at day one, because the 3DS would be a bit more expensive than the ds, so not all peaple are enable to buy one on day one...


i hope so.. :rolleyes:

 

[DaMummy]

well this means im going to gamestop tommorow, and promotheus, please let me know as soon as you see a pre-order page on amazon

 

[second exodous]

I'm going to hold off on the 3DS myself, in retrospect I guess it was kinda silly to buy a XL now. Oh well, I have this and a Pandora coming so I might not get the 3DS until it has been out a year or more. I might hold out until the second revision of it comes out, I'll see, but since I just got this I'll hold off for at least a little while.

 

[DaMummy]

got 2 preorders at gamestop, and ive noticed that all the video game shops in my city are now gamestop, everything, I MEAN EVERYTHING was bought by them, except for hollywood video which was bought by family video which doesnt even sell systems now, and the guy at front door didnt even know what a 3ds is when i asked him :{ im really starting to realize that im in the wrong place, not being fond of large corporations and all...


and yes please inform me as soon as 3ds preorders hit amazon as well

 

[second exodous]

I'm predicting the 3DS just might be yanked before it comes out. There have been studies done that point out 3D technology has a negative impact for children's eyesight development, Nintendo's target audience. It is still early but Nintendo might be cautious and hold off to prevent something from hitting the fan. When the 3D TVs started coming out I thought 'what the heck', a kid can go to a 3D movie every once in a while and be safe but now TVs are 3D? What happened to those studies done 20 years ago? I remember hearing of them when I was a kid. I specifically remember when Captain EO came out in Disney Land, the Michel Jackson 3D movie, and a few people worried but the Disney company pointed out kids will only see it once per visit so it kinda simmered down. My Mom was worried about it when we visited but she was a Michel Jackson fan so we saw it anyway.


Turns out 3D in it's current state might have just as much of an impact on children's vision as that of yesteryear. I don't know, but I hope Nintendo has put a lot of money into studies, I'd hate to see them get hit by huge lawsuits because only after the 3DS comes out do they realize just how bad 3D is for kids. If it is anyway.

 

[Prometheus]

^ You might want to read this. It all very much seems to be a bit of a "mountain out of a molehill" sort of thing, I think. I also suspect your prediction is incorrect due to the faulty logic behind it - Nintendo's target audience is *anyone*. Did you miss the whole expanding-the-market thing they've been making a very big deal of since 2004?


@DaMummy - I'll let you know when I see anything about Amazon, although at this point I would just suggest that you go there on January 19th and check there at some point after 9am EST (the time of the simultaneous press conference in New York and Amsterdam) or 12pm EST (when said conference is supposed to end).

 

[second exodous]

I hope it is all hype but I do remember this from when I was a kid so it has been around for awhile. I also don't think 3D works for me nearly as well as it does for other people. I go to one of those 'try out 3D tv' booths at Costco or Best buy and it is kinda 3D but people around me are like 'Wow, that is so cool'. Maybe Michel Jackson screwed up my eyesight when I was a kid. . .


I'm joking and I hope it is all hype.