Its main gimmick, no-glasses 3D, isn’t very good nor useful, and it hurts your eyes. It also had region lock on its games, which meant that imports were out of the question.īut, if you can find one for a low price, this is essentially just a better DSi.Īlthough it lacks GBA compatibility, many of the games are available on the eShop, which is a trade-off for the ability to play 3DS games and everything else on the eShop. However, given the smaller exclusive library and the $250 launch price, the Nintendo 3DS is regarded as far inferior to the DS.
It also included a full menu and improved the DSi Shop – the Nintendo eShop, which is the current multiplatform store for Nintendo consoles. The first and most obvious difference is the larger size and circle-pad. There were far too many differences to list here, so I’ll just highlight the most significant ones.
The GameBoy Advance to the GameBoy the PS2 to the PS the Xbox 360 to the XBOX. Only two years after the launch of the DSi, the Nintendo 3DS was released in April of 2011. I give the original DSi a “If you have a hatred for GBA games I guess it’s ok/10 ” and the DSi XL a “if you need a longer-lasting battery/10.” ORIGINAL 3DS’ It’s just larger and has a more powerful battery. On the other hand, the DSi received its own revision known as the DSi XL during its lifespan. Unfortunately, that service, along with the Wii and DS online services, was discontinued in March of 2017, which means that the DS Lite’s main selling point is no longer available. DSiWare are digitally downloadable programs. The most noticeable difference, however, has to be the new DSiWare. However, the second slot has been removed, so you won’t be able to play GBA games on it. It has a front and back camera and a few quality-of-life improvements such as slightly larger screens. The DSi is the first significant revision in the DS line. I give the original DS an “if that’s your thing/10 ” and the DS lite a “If you have 40$ buy it/10.” THE DSi If you’re on a tight budget and want one of these, this is the one to get. It is reasonably priced, portable, and has a diverse library. The top screen is less prone to falling, the stylus is comfortably on the side, and it has a nice well-rounded shape. This is the console that everyone should own. And it’s not just more visually appealing, but it’s also more durable and comfortable. The DS lite improved on all of these points while also being $30 cheaper when it was released. In addition, the overall shape was weird. The top screen was notorious for falling off, but at least it could still be used to play GameBoy Advance games.Īnd the Stylus was placed on the back of the console, making it inconvenient to use while playing. However, this is where the distinctions between the two become apparent.Īlthough the original Nintendo DS is a classic, it is objectively quite bad. The top cartridge slot accommodated DS games, while the bottom one supported GBA games. They both have the bottom touch screen, two cartridge slots, and the X,Y,L, and R buttons, with the latter two located on the console’s back. THE ORIGINAL DUOīecause the first two DS’s features are so similar, I’m going to group them together. It is no longer a good idea to play this because it can only play one game (and there are many better ways to play that game now.)įurthermore, because of the console’s age, its price makes it even less valuable because only collectors buy it. The Donkey Kong Game & Watch was the first console to feature the now-ubiquitous D-Pad. The most apparent feature they share is the dual-screen, but they also have one more subtle commonality. Looking at a picture of it, we can see two major similarities to the Nintendo DS. That summer, Nintendo released the Donkey Kong Game & Watch. And by “go back,” I mean “all the way back” to June 1982. However, if we go far enough back in Nintendo’s history, we might find something very similar to the DS. I mean, it’s backwards compatible with the Nintendo DS, so it’s got to be the most influential, right? The most obvious is, of course, the GameBoy Advance SP. Like everything else good in the world, the DS was influenced by a wide range of factors. THE EVOLUTION OF NINTENDO DS DS BEFORE THE DS
In this article, I’ll go over how the DS line evolved over time, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.īut first, let’s look at what led to the creation of the Nintendo DS. Even its successor, the Nintendo 3DS, has received enough updates to compete with Street Fighter 2. However, as most of us are aware, it has undergone numerous revisions. It started Nintendo’s tradition of providing gimmicks for their consoles and exploded the casual game market. The Nintendo DS is, without a doubt, the most popular video game console.