In 2004, Nintendo produced Nintendo DS, a handheld game console which 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, backward compatibility with the Game Boy Advance games and wifi-support system.



The system is outstanding, but with the appearance of other sleek and handy gadgets such as Sony's PSP and Apple's iPod, the defect in Nintendo DS has become more prominent: its unsightly bulky design.

When the new edition of DS appeared in 2006, Nintendo has corrected this fault. The Nintendo DS Lite appeared smooth and compact, making it more elegant than the original. It is 21% lighter at 218 g and has 42% less volume with dimensions of 133 mm 73.9 mm 21.5 mm. It still has the clam-shell form, 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 enables players to use Game Boy Advance cartridges on the DS Lite. The Game Boy Advance cartridge slot is now found at the bottom of the console, covered to avoid foreign matters from getting in. Because the DS Lite is smaller, the game carts stick out of the slot by about 1cm, but this will not be affecting your game play. The backward compatibility also meant you have access to the vast archives of games Nintendo had ever produced, including the classic Mario games, the Zelda series and even Donkey-Kong.

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

The best thing about DS Lite is, despite the numerous improvements done, the price had barely changed from the older DS, having almost the same 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.