The Nintendo DS is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo in year 2004. Its most prominent feature is the two-tiered screens, the bottom half of which acts as a touch-screen. Other features include a built-in microphone, wifi-support system and a backward compatibility with the Game Boy Advance games.

The system is remarkable, but with the emergence of other sleek and handy gadgets such as Apple’s iPod and Sony’s PSP, the slipup in Nintendo DS has become more prominent: its unappealing bulky design.

When the re-modeled DS appeared in 2006, Nintendo has cleared out this fault. The Nintendo DS Lite was given a smooth and compact appearance, making it look more elegant than the original DS. It is 21% lighter at 218 g and has 42% less volume having dimensions of 133 mm 73.9 mm 21.5 mm. It kept the clam-shell form, and basically the same features, but there are more improvements done for the DS Lite.

The same 3-inch LCD (liquid crystal display) screens have been equipped with four brightness-level setting, the lowest of which is twice brighter than that of the DS’ screen. The graphics are much vivid and the images are sharper than before. Battery life has also been extended. With full three-hour charged battery packs and brightness set at its lowest level, the battery will last fifteen to nineteen hours. At its brightest setting, the battery pack will last a good five to eight hours of play time. The stylus has been made larger both in length and diameter, making it much easier to hold. The stylus is side-loaded next to the power switch for trouble-free access.

The built-in microphone has been moved in the middle hinge, found between the top and bottom screens while the Start/Select buttons have been relocated under A/B/X/Y buttons. The other buttons have been made smaller too. The speakers, still found at the top half of the clam-shell figure, still produce the same quality audio and virtual surround sound (depending on the software) despite its size.

The backwards compatibility allows players to use Game Boy Advance cartridges on the DS Lite. The Game Boy Advance cartridge slot is now located at the bottom of the console, covered to avoid foreign objects from getting in. Because of DS Lite’s small design, the game carts stick out of the slot by about 1cm, but this won’t affect your game play at all. The backward compatibility also meant you have access to the vast collection of games Nintendo had produced, including the classic Mario games, the Zelda series and even Donkey-Kong.

DS Lite has the same wifi-capabilities as the original DS, allowing the users to connect online either through free wifi-access zones or via a wireless router. The wireless technology also permits users to play and connect with other players within local network.

The wonderful thing is, despite the many improvements made, the price had barely changed from the older model, having the suggested retail price of US $129 and 99.99 in the UK.

With the fully re-designed DS Lite, Nintendo (known for constantly re-inventing its products) has done it again and impressively so, at that. From the huge array of game titles available, to the innovative, easy-to-use touch-screen technology, the Nintendo DS Lite is certainly worth buying.

Source: technology