Personally I'm disappointed with the new redesign. The flow of digital distribution isn't being taken advantage of with this piece of new hardware, and quite frankly it's just not what we should expect from Nintendo. However the fact that Nintendo has finally opened up the SD card slot to users is a big thing; for decades now Nintendo has not been lenient with allowing consumers to access the main storage mediums, be it the cartridge formats on the N64 or the special disc technology for the Gamecube. However it has never really stopped people from pirating on the handhelds, and at this stage I'm glad that Nintendo has finally decided to come into the 21st Century.
Furthermore, the adding of the camera has me feeling a bit mixed. I mean yes it's a sure thing that most people will have their DS out with them for car trips etc. and that this is a nice way to take quick snapshots, but at the same time a 3 megapixel camera is just primitive at this point. While it is really noteworthy as well that Nintendo has allowed plug-and-play with the Photo Channel on the Wii I have to wonder whether most people will bother. Additionally, having a camera on the outside proposes some problems; what if it breaks? The very nature of the clamshell design is that the outside can take a beating without destroying the LCD screens on the inside. I have to wonder why Nintendo went ahead with focusing on bringing out the picture and SD card functionality when it's clear that this is not the future.
Moreover, why does Nintendo think that widening the screens by a quarter of an inch is enough? The days of having 4:3 gaming being acceptable are over; widescreen is the future. This seems to be the case with Nintendo's games as well, in that they rarely feature a widescreen mode. Some might say that it's not needed, but you're retarded. If you've got good technology, why not use it? And widescreen isn't even complicated at all, you just need to put a bit more work in, and with Nintendo's soaring profits they can afford to do so; they just don't. As a sidenote, letterboxing the format is not the answer either, so anyone who does that is even more lazy than those who leave the 4:3 mode in there. These new screens should have been widescreen.
I also think that both screens should have been touchscreen. Whenever you give someone a DS for the first time they almost always try to use both screens as touch; it seems illogical to not open up that functionality. It's a missed opportunity.
The main argument for the DS in the beginning was that it was a games system, not some entertainment device. I have to wonder why Nintendo decided to do this, perhaps to compete with the PSP's media capabilities? Also, solid state internal memory was what Nintendo should have gone with. The days of buying expensive cartridges is slowing, and unfortunately Nintendo is not taking advantage of their lead. Nintendo's R&D department has tripled since the launch of the Wii; I can only wonder where all that money is going to. This, is not the answer.
One more thing: why is the power button now moved back to around the D-pad? This time it's below it, but I have to think that even at this spot it poses the same problem that the original Power button placement did. If someone has massive hands isn't it possible that they'd accidentally press it? Is putting the button inside the clam really a good idea?
Quite frankly Nintendo should have made a DS2 or something instead of trying to yet again milk the name and hardware for all it's worth. Then again Nintendo is making money, so I suppose they can do whatever they want. By the way, I remember Nintendo saying that they wouldn't release a redesign until sales started slowing. So with the sales still being so high why announce this now? Couldn't they hold off and work on DS2 instead of this?
In conclusion, I don't like the redesign.
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