Nintendo DSI

Nintendo’s DSI looks very similar to its predecessor, the DS Lite.

The fingerprint-attracting gloss finish has been replaced by a matte shell, the Gameboy Advance cartridge slot has gone and an SD card slot occupies one side. The volume is now controlled by a pair of buttons rather than a slider.

The device is thinner and its two screens are slightly larger, although their maximum resolution hasn’t changed from 256x192 pixels.

The console’s dual screens are now joined by a pair of cameras, one at the front of the DSI facing away from you, one pointing towards you.

The 0.3-megapixel cameras are less capable than those on many mobile phones. But you can morph the photos in different ways or do silly things to them, such as add a moustache to someone’s face.

You can also play music on the DSI, although you’re limited to tracks encoded in AAC format, the same one used by Apple. The DSI’s lower touchscreen has a new interface where you slide through a list of settings and applications, in a similar way to Cover Flow on the iPhone. For now, this list is mostly filled with placeholders, until more downloadable content is available.

Battery life for the DSI is approximately five hours less than the DS Lite’s, making this a sticking point for us. Dual cameras, improved screens and downloadable content are fine, but the DSI is still a games console at heart, so less battery means less time for gaming on long journeys. It’s also considerably more expensive, but none of the new additions is a must-have feature that warrants recommending the DSI over the DS Lite.

Total Nintendo addicts will probably own both, though, and, even if you aren’t planning to buy a DSI yourself, your kids could be nagging you for one very soon.