Is The Nintendo DS Light Worth The Purchase?

To call it a Nintendo DS Light is a common mistake.  After all, the “Lite” that is attached to its formal name, the Nintendo DS Lite, is not really a word.  Rather, it is a play on words which is in turn a play on the improvements of the Nintendo DS Lite, or the Nintendo DS Light if you insist, over the original Nintendo DS.

So, how big of an improvement is this Nintendo DS Light over the original Nintendo DS?

Furthermore, do these improvements justify purchasing the Nintendo DS Light even if you already own the original Nintendo DS?

To answer the question, let’s go back in time to the release of the original Nintendo DS.  The Nintendo DS was a technological marvel for its time.  It was light years ahead of its immediate predecessor, the Gameboy Advance.  Surely, the improved graphics and the faster processing (and rendering) power were expected from the newer generation of handheld console, but the Nintendo DS also added some revolutionary features that shocked the world.

Armed with the philosophy of revolutionizing the way people play games – something which Nintendo also applied in conceptualizing and developing its bigger console, the Nintendo Wii – the Nintendo DS implemented a two screen display feature, a touch screen functionality, microphone integration, and a dedication to creating fully interactive games.

The video game industry was never the same after the original Nintendo DS was released.

With titles like Nintendogs, a life simulation game that allowed the player to take care of a beautifully rendered dog, the original Nintendo DS conquered the sales charts and never looked back.

However, despite the praises which the original Nintendo DS garnered were some glaring criticisms that threatened the marketability of the system:

- The unit is too bulky that it’s barely portable as it cannot fit in most pockets.
- The unit is too heavy.
- The display is too dark.
- The unit eats up a lot of battery life for a few hours of play.
- The microphone is awkwardly positioned that it’s hard to speak to it in the middle of a game.

The Nintendo DS Light, the second incarnation of the handheld system, remedied all of these problems. 

As we have mentioned earlier, it is formally called as DS Lite, with “Lite” being a play on the word “Light.”  The Nintendo DS Light is, well, lighter than the original DS by as much as 50%.  The Nintendo DS Light also boasts of a brighter screen.  The Nintendo DS Light also allows a longer battery life for the unit, mainly because of the added brightness level which the user can opt to use, depending on the current environmental lighting.

Do these improvements make the Nintendo DS Light a justifiable purchase even for people who already own the original Nintendo DS?

Probably not, but the Nintendo DS Light is the best choice for people who have yet to experience the pleasures provided by Nintendo’s newest wonder toy.