First Look - Nintendo DSi

As you Twitter followers know, I picked up a Nintendo DSi this weekend to replace my aging DS. Here are my impressions:

• Exterior. The case is not shiny but has a dull matte finish that feels like a chalkboard, which is an unusual feel for a portable device. This may only bother people moving from an older DS. It does feel more substantial in my hands and appears to be more durable, particularly around the hinges. And the finish does make it a little less slippery.
• Accessories. The AC adapter and stylus are a different size, so you won't be able to re-use your old DS accessories. (The old stylus will work, of course, it just won't stay in the stylus slot!)
• Camera. The dual 0.3 megapixel cameras are VGA resolution, which are good for games and the occasional snapshot but won't replace a standalone digital camera, at least for adults. The kids may love it and it can be fun to create special effects with your photos such as adding stamps, changing colors and other effects such as distortion and kaleidoscope.
• Volume control. No longer a slider on the front, there are now + and - buttons on the left.
• Music player. You can play music from an SD card (not included) but it must be in AAC format (no MP3 support).
• High-capacity SD cards. Nintendo hasn't said how big they'll go, but it's believed that at least 32GB cards will work since the Wii now supports these. (I bought two 4GB cards.)
• GBA and some DS games/features not compatible. The GBA slot is no more, which means Guitar Hero: On Tour and those old Rumble Packs won't work.
• Forward compatibility. Some DSi-only games won't play on the DS due to need for DSi only features such as camera. None have been released here yet.
• WPA encyption. This will only work for new games that are programmed to take advantage of it. Older games will still use WEP.

Overall, I like the DSi but have yet to be blown away by it. The screens are slightly larger and the touch screen is very responsive, which I like. I haven't seen any DSiWare games worth burning my $10 credit on, and I suspect the DSi Shop has a long way to go before it becomes an appealing place to buy many games. Here's a suggestion: I'd like to see a vast library of DS game demos and a way to watch videos or play demos of DSiWare games.

I'm actually thinking that I'll give away my copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour with the unsupported GBA-slot grip and maybe even my old, slightly battered DS for future Free Stuff Fridays. So stay tuned...