Monday 15 August 2011

Holiday Casualty

I've just been on a great fortnight's holiday in Suffolk - very relaxing, reasonably clement weather  and plenty to do.  As is usual for me, I took my DS Lite, my PSP (which went untouched) and my iPad, in order to head off gaming withdrawal.  Unfortunately, my DS bought the farm while I was away (coincidentally, on a farm) - one of the hinges snapped off as I opened it up for another game of imported zombie RTS Zombie Daisuki (to be reviewed soon).

Something missing?
I wasn't particularly rough with it but the housing for the power lights completely sheared off.  I bought the DS Lite when it came out, upgrading from my DS Chunky, so I've had it for over four years (in which time I've played it a lot).  Even so, a physical failure like this seems poor.



Fortunately, the DS still works OK, though some balancing (or changing grip, so that the left hand is supporting the top screen as well using the D-pad) is required to prevent the top screen from becoming wonky while playing.  I think that this means it is no longer a portable console - playing it on the sofa at home is fine but I think bumpy train journeys are a thing of the past!

I will be replacing it shortly, probably with a DSi.  I did consider a 3DS given the recent price drop but I'm not that interested in any of the current 3DS games and, if I got one, it would be for the DS backwards compatibility.  However, there is very little difference in price between the two at the moment (which is faintly ridiculous), so I might end up taking the 3D plunge or (most likely) checking the condition/price of  a second hand DSi