Digital Trends

Nintendo DS Lite

June 13th, 2006 | by Scott Steinberg

Setup and Use

That being said, forget what the DS Lite doesn't do: Introduce any major interactive feature upgrades, improve game quality, augment software performance or ace out the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in terms of whiz-bang 3D graphic technology. Concentrate instead on the strides the system does make, which enhance the overall quality of the gameplay experience, beef up visibility and make the handheld a much more desirable tagalong on business trips. Less likely to incite public ridicule — even if, that is, you're one of the 3 million-plus people that enjoy head-to-head 802.11b wireless multiplayer match-ups at McDonald's via Nintendo's WiFi Connection service — the device also makes butt-bouncing walking mushrooms and blowing alien spaceships sky-high a real treat.

Whereas the Nintendo DS is 5.85 inches wide, 3.33 inches long and 1.13 inches tall, the DS Lite is 5.2 inches wide, 2.9 inches long and 0.85 inches tall — slightly less than two-thirds its size. The portable further weighs in at only 7.6oz, making it around 20% lighter. Screen sizes are the same (3-inches each) on both machines, as is the positioning of cartridge/card slots, though the sections on which they're mounted snap together much more cleanly when the DS Lite is closed. While the original Nintendo DS boasts a top-mounted flip-screen that sits oddly stacked upon a wider base when shut, the DS Lite's clamshell design is infinitely more pleasing to the naked eye.

Strangely, Game Boy Advance titles, inserted via a front-mounted slot and easily contained inside the larger Nintendo DS, stick out noticeably from the DS Lite's similarly positioned bay. While no show-stopper, it's a corner-cutting measure that does bear mention, and leaves one to wonder if even further steps could've been taken to improve upon the unit's design and form factor. (Pray for your pocketbook's sake that there's not another update coming anytime soon.)

Then again, for the first time, you do get a free white plastic insert that can be plugged into the slot as a dust cover. Whether or not it'll be lost within ten minutes of purchasing the device is questionable, although in theory it's a nice nod towards protecting one's investment.

The layout of the system's interface has changed as well, with several buttons shifting position and others swapping places entirely. Universally, we can confirm that these changes are for the better.

Nintendo DS Lite on the left and DS on the right