The Nintendo DS worth cost

In the 15 years that handheld gaming systems have been widely available, Nintendo has always held an iron grasp over that market, with no serious competition ever making a dent. Quite often they’ve done it by coasting on the name alone; the original Game Boy was, with its pixellated spinach-green screen, by far the inferior of the several systems available at that time, and yet it remains one of the most successful systems ever.

Now the handheld wars are about to enter a new phase in the spring as Sony prepares to introduce its handheld PlayStation, the PSP. But Nintendo has one-upped them with the November release of their newest handheld, the Nintendo DS, and this time around it’s going to be a serious competition.

The DS is probably the most ambitiously crazy handheld ever released; it looks like it was designed by a crackhead committee, trying to smoosh together a game system and PDA into one unit and ending up with a Frankensteinian result. And yet, somehow, it all works. The main feature of the system is its dual screens, both 3 inches across, with the second screen being touch-sensitive to either fingertips or the included stylus. It sounds nuts, and it is, but it’s surprisingly useful; in game terms, screen two serves a number of useful purposes, such as doing away with the need to switch between map/equipment screens. It also works with the included PictoChat software for sending messages, doodling and keeping track of date, time and calendar. Dual system processors allow for 3-D graphics on both screens that exceed the power of the Nintendo 64. The smoothly rhomboid shape of the system fits neatly in the hand and allows easy access to the control pad and nine (!) buttons. It’s got a few other interesting features that have yet to be fully developed to their potential, like a built-in microphone and full wireless connectivity.

The DS hit the scene with an impressive library of games readily available. With Super Mario 64, Madden NFL 2005 and Metroid Prime Hunters on shelves already, there’s something for everyone. (Super Mario 64 in particular is a goofy, fun introduction to the way the system works, and Metroid Prime Hunters is a first-class shooter.) It also features a second card slot that’s backwards-compatible with Game Boy Advance games, so you’ve got the entire library of still-viable games right there. All this, and it folds up into a compact pocket-sized unit. At $149.99, it’s a bit pricey for a handheld system, but if you’re looking for portable quality, it’s well worth the price.