Why no love for the DSi?

Though the DSi is only currently out in Japan, some people have chosen to import the system. I am one of those people. Sadly though, every turn I take on the internet just shows people unwilling to take an actual look at the DSi. The most solid argument that I have seen that supports the DS/Lite over the DSi is the removal of the GBA slot, I'll rant about that later though. Considering a rare few people in the US actually own a DSi they can not possibly have a solid opinion on the system. The internet is lacking in US documentation of the features and the DSiware. I think a simple pros/cons will at least show some things that I enjoy and dislike about the system.
Pros:
+Larger Screen
+5 Brightness Settings, causing a better looking screen
+Thinner
+Matte Finish
+Two 0.3MP Cameras
+SD Card Slot
+Built in memory for DSiWare
^Web Browser and Moving Memopad for free
+Hot Swapping of NDS Games (No need to turn off system)
+Small but nice tweaks to Pictochat
+Built in soft-reset
+Can configure WiFi through firmware
+Arrangeable GUI
+Voice Recorder/Distorter and AAC Music Playback
Cons:
-Shorter Battery Life then Lite (Larger screen consumes more mA)
-No GBA Slot
-Uhmm.... That's all I got....Now to go more in depth for the features to make this similar to a review...
=Camera=
Yes, they are low quality, they have 0.3MP cameras where my phone has a 3.2MP. Big whoop, you aren't buying a DSi to take pictures for your art classes. But the things you can do with the camera are what make it amazing! There are the general draw on your face and add stamps to it and the cutout pictures where you can just insert your face and snap to have a Mario hat and mustache. But beyond that you can distort your face or whatever in real time, you stretch the area of the image you want moved and when you move the camera that area will stay stretched. There is face recognition for adding mustaches, glasses or even cat ears and whiskers. One feature that I was really impressed with though was the face blending. Take a picture of your face, take a picture of your friend's face, and then it will blend them together and you can choose what percent of each face you want to use causing it to blend more like one or the other. Some features I have not messed with yet are the ability to single out colors or remove colors from the picture. (Sin City Style pictures for example.) None of this is 'necessary' of course but it is very fun!
=Web Browser=
Works well, nothing truly notable with it. You can search Google or Yahoo, type in websites, add favorites and basically all the same things as you could for the old browser program. It is still an Opera based browser as well. I have not tested it on mobile youtube or flash to see what it is capable of yet.
=Moving Memopad=
Now this is an AWESOME app that they have for free. The 'boring' part of it is just a calendar where you can add notes. The real fun of it though is the animation ability. You essentially hand draw Gif animations frame by frame. It has different pencil and brush sizes, black, red and blue ink, light box mode for seeing previous frames, undo/redo, copy to new frame, ect. I have no idea what the frame limit is but I was at a friend's and made a 200 frame animation that didn't even use 1/5 of the frames it would allow. When you're done with an animation you can save it in the DSi format to the system or memory card, gif on the memory card, or upload it to the internet via WiFi direct from your DSi.If you're curious about more of the features just let me know and I'll talk about them.
Now to defend the DSi a little bit. :D
With the increase in screen size, ram and brightness, it is no wonder that the DSi gets a slightly shorter battery life. This isn't really a big deal though. You still get about 12 hours of battery life (or so I've heard) which is plenty of time to go home and charge it or find a plug to charge your DSi. "But what about road trips?" they said, Dealextreme has a car charger for the DSi for $3.30 shipped so that's the least of my concerns.
"We want the GBA!" they all shouted. Well the GBA was first released on March 21st, 2001 in Japan, USA soon after. So coming up in less than two months will the the GBA's eighth year running. I have a feeling that this isn't a necessary feature anymore. GBA games are no longer made and if you love GBA so much I'm sure you will have your GBA/GBA:SP/GBAmicro/GBPlayer/NDS/NDSLite around somewhere to keep you company. I know I do.So why internet, why do you hate the DSi so much?P.S. Any DSi connecting to teh store before March gets 1,000 DSi points.
P.P.S. There are a number of flashcards out for the DSi already. [AK2i, EZVi, R4i, TTDSi]Animation that I said something about in my post:

DSiWare Programs as of now:
http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/12/17/ds-fanboys-dsiware-screen-round-up/

i believe people believe it is a gimmick. that word is very famous towards nintendo now a days. from the original ds to the wii, they have often been labeled as gimmick. if we give nintendo some time to release several software, that will more then likely change peoples mind just as what happened with the ds which the will also happen to the wii. nintendo isn't the only one, when more developers start tinkering with the hardware of the dsi, we'll see more and more various uses of the handheld which we would then have new forms of gameplay and such. again, people will change their minds.

yes they've added a few more features and whatnot, but seriously never at any point would I need a camera on my portable gaming system, let alone 2.The only thing that has any real prospect is the SD card slot, this could lead to development of flashed firmware similar to what the PSP has now, no need for a flashcart.Which leads me to this, theres currently no flashcard support for the DSi, this will turn many people away.

Alot of people are becoming practical nowadays & the removal of the GBA cartridge slot, hence the removal of backward compatibility is one factor that people see as a downer for the DSi.I also agree with Almo on the Camera on the handheld thing. Unless you can use it like Sony's Eyetoyplay for some games, then it shouldn't have been put in there in the first place.

Almoyes they've added a few more features and whatnot, but seriously never at any point would I need a camera on my portable gaming system, let alone 2.The only thing that has any real prospect is the SD card slot, this could lead to development of flashed firmware similar to what the PSP has now, no need for a flashcart.Which leads me to this, theres currently no flashcard support for the DSi, this will turn many people away.

that's what people would say and when it gets into good use then people will say what was i thinking. look at the touch screen, people say that it was a gimmick and they didn't need it for a handheld. now more then 4 years later, you would never buy a handheld without touch screen. people keep saying, for psp 2 there should be a touch screen. again, it is only time. people will always say what almo have said because people are always thinking about the short term [about the moment]. but if you stick with it long enough, you'll see the light.

My standpoint on the touchscreen idea is that it's very useful indeed but for some it's an imcumberence for two reasons:1. Some games, that is alot of them, don't allow for left handed people support. Very troublesome if you are left-handed like me.2. It's hard for "traditional" gamepad players, that is, people who've been accustomed playing in the "usual" gamepad fashion with no stylus, to get used to using the stylus whilst pushing buttons on a gamepad. And if you're like me who's become one with a gamepad, that is the gamepad essentially becomes an extension of your body being able to press buttons as if you were just moving parts of your body consciously or not, the introduction of a foreign object, the stylus is an annoying incumberence.And I said this before somewhere, the dual screens thing didn't catch my fancy, especially with games whose gameplay is split midway between the two screens :P

Replying to #6

you better keep up or you're bound to stay behind.

I used to game on the bus on my way home from uni, its almost impossible to play Trauma Centre on the bus, touch screens certianly have their downside, the PSP and tekken on the bus were perfect, no bumps, and furthermore you dont look like a twat.

Cahos Rahne Veloza · #6And I said this before somewhere, the dual screens thing didn't catch my fancy, especially with games whose gameplay is split midway between the two screens :P

That's why developers should offer an option to remove screenspace 48px = 0. Or an option to change it accordingly. Would be easy.I want to get it and try it out first. I usually get about 10 hours now with my DS fully charged on about low, medium brightness setting 1,2,3 etc, so I don't really know about the 12 hours for the DSi, or maybe it's just my battery. I hope they improved the touchscreen's recognition throughout wear and tear, because using the libnds keyboard for any purpose really sucks. The stylus can get quite annoying, if you have to use it half of the time. Like you're controlling a player and you get to a part where you have to touch a rock or something with your stylus. You have to fish it out and then do whatever is necessary, and then put it back in, and then you might get to another part which requires it again etc.

Almo · #3Which leads me to this, theres currently no flashcard support for the DSi, this will turn many people away.

You sir can not properly read or keep up with times then.
"P.P.S. There are a number of flashcards out for the DSi already. [AK2i, EZVi, R4i, TTDSi]"
Was clearly stated in my post.
And just in case you don't believe me here you go:
http://www.acekard.com/product.php?type=ak2i
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=122563

the dsi looks awsome tbfim buying one, but only because i dont have a dslight, only a origonal.maybe if i had a ds light i wouldnt

The only reason why I'd get one is for homebrew/pirating. Honestly any portable device that uses a Memory Card will eventually get hacked and get that support. They're doing it on the Wii and they finally broke it in on the DSi (they got hello world working on it).

I refuse to get a DSi because it's not a step up from the DS. It's another DS. They added a few features, but it's not a new system... or... dosen't feel like one as it should. I'm still waiting for Nintendo's REAL next gen hand held after they finish milking the DS

Replying to #13

People said the same thing about the NDS Lite and this is more of a step than that for sure.

But the fact remains that most people already have a DS Lite, which is not THAT MUCH DIFFERENT in terms of style. Added to the fact that people who chose to stick with Phats aren't likely to make a switch anyways. It's not that it's a bad handheld, it's that the features are "gimmick-y" and I already have them in the form of other devices. Why buy a DS with a VGA camera when you already have a better one...

Nintendo adding useless crap for money, that's why no love.

I still use the GBA slot for my games so no DSi untill something cool comes out

i dont see any point of getting DSi. IT just doesnt have any solid reason or big enough changes for people to get it. To me DSi is mearly just another slimer DS.

Replying to #18

With another 40$ dollars or whatever on it.It's not that people don't like the DSi, but among a DS Lite with flashcart support or a DSi with two useless cameras on it plus some other 40$? I would go with the Lite. It's a mere opinion. DS Lite>DSi.

I have still yet to see a valid argument against the DSi aside from not wanting to have to buy a new system.
People would be all over it if the DS Lite never came out I'm sure.