Nintendo DS Lite...

[The Amstor Computer]

Heh... NoE are a bit of a disaster at times. Hugely embarassing for the head of the Euro division to loudly deny a redesign in an interview, only to be made a liar the very next day by another arm of his company.

[Roger Godpleton]

BUMP

Is GBA compatibility still a feature, one of the main reasons I bought a DS was for this. (Although 'twas only for Gunstar, which turned out to be massively disappointing, but still...)

[IndigoPrime]

Yes, the new DS still has a GBA slot.

[Devons Daddy]

PSP more adult. let me clarify that,
to be honest. we have both. hence a fair comparison. the PSP, is rather chunky and buttons a bit further apart, not quite siutable for little hands,most under tens are not allowed to download content form the NET,which opens the world of PSP up, no childrens movies as yet have been released in UDM format and at the price not really in pocket money terms are they.

the range of games for Nintendo is fantastic, with plenty of all age ranges,but the younger mind set of characters for pokeman for instance,is incredible,good fun game play et al.

but not the type of game an over 17 year old would likely get hooked on.

also,out here at least. PSP is marketed in glossy magazines,stuff,IT,Maxim,FHM.game boy DS not to be seen in such publications other then reviews,

so i would say in asia at least. PSP= above 17 DS below 17.

but both great in there own way.

[IndigoPrime]

:: not the type of game an over 17 year old
:: would likely get hooked on.

Well, apart from Meteos. Or Animal Crossing. Or the utterly fantastic Mario Kart DS. Or Zoo Keeper. Or Kirby... (and so on). Just because a game can appeal to all ages, that doesn't mean someone who's not a kid will shun it. In fact, it often means people of all ages will embrace it ? at least people who are sick of the Sony "gangsta motherf***er rap shooter" generic-o-games. Evidently, I (and a bunch of people I know) must be "17 again" or something.

From what I can tell ? at least in the UK ? the PSP is primarily targeted at people who think they want a cool gadget, but don't really know why. Literally no-one I know with a PSP is raving about the actual games (in fact, few mention them at all), but about all the additional features (despite, you know, rarely actually using any of them), and how "cool" the console looks (until the screen is covered in fingerprints, presumably). Crucially, everyone I know with a DS (including a fairly large number of ex-PSP owners) is raving about the actual games. Most of these people, it has to be said, are in their 30s...

Maybe there's a certain mindset of people who grew up with really great, innovative games in the 1970s and 1980s who see through the thin gloss of today's gaming market and actually appreciate innovation and new ideas when they see them, hence the success of the DS, and its ability to usually out-sell its "glossier" (but brain-dead) rival.

[Oddboy]

The guy on the seat infront on the bus home last night had a PSP... dunno what game he was playing but it looked terribly dull, although the graphics did look pretty good considering the screen size.

I was much happier reading my book.
('Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell')

[The Amstor Computer]

Oh, Animal Crossing...

Love that game - though that bastard Tom Nook has just nailed me for another 120,000 bells... :-(

[Dan Kelly]

OK - Necro post time ;-)

Managed to bag a DS Lite a day early (Thank Currys) and want to know what else I should pick up games wise.

So far got:

Brain Train thingy...
Mario Kart DS

Zelda and Final Fantasy for the GBA

What else should be _must_ buys?

[Satanist]

Advance Wars:Dual Strike.

Whatyadoin still reading? Go buy it now!

[Bad Andy]

Wario Ware Touched - brill fun

[IndigoPrime]

:: what else I should pick up games wise

I guess it depends what sort of thing you like playing. I highly recommend the criminally under-rated Zoo Keeper, which can now be picked up for a song (13 quid from movietyme.com). It's a fast, frenetic puzzler on a par with Tetris. The only problem is the appalling Quest mode (because it's blatantly unfair, and you need to top every high-score table to unlock "super hard mode" and get the real high scores); other than that, it's ace. (And the people saying it's no better than Flash-based Bejewelled efforts have clearly not played Zoo Keeper, or don't understand the concept of portable gaming.

Elsewhere, Mr Driller 2 has actually provided the bulk of my non-Mario Kart DS gaming time. It offers little over previous versions of the game, but it's fairly cheap in most places now and worth a look.

In terms of platform games, Kirby: Canvas Curse is a rather unique effort, which uses the stylus extensively (and intuitively). It's fun, and quite relaxing. And then, of course, there's the new Mario Bros. game, which has been receiving almost unanimously positive reviews.

[Slippery PD]

Well Dual Strike is brilliant but has already been mentioned...  Id go for
Yoshi Touch and Go!  Is so simple its excellent and really addictive.

Slips
 

[Dan Kelly]

Cheers

I see Zelda and Starfox are aimed for the End of Year...

[nofuture]

any body connect via wi-fi hotspots eg. in starbucks uk? how easy/fast is it? Can you invite/be invited to play a game against anyone in the world?  Heard rumours of ds internet connection?http://www.mobilemag.com/content/images/7986_large.jpg">

[WoD]

Easy to set up in most places for wireless play...just need the WEP code if they have one,, then just search and let it sort it out itself...

As for good games...check out bargain bin at COMET - they had Advance Wars DS for ?12 in ours recently.  Other then that TESCO have good prices normally a ? or so cheaper than elsewhere...