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

Posted by 30-Something Gamer at 01:17
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3 comments:

  1. Joe18 August 2011 at 02:34

    The 3ds battery life isn't good. Just sayin'

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  2. Pete WK20 August 2011 at 14:46

    Over at Morrisons right now the 3DS is a very reasonable £120, actually cheaper than what they charge for a DSi. And, as an outspoken antagonist of the DS, I can't recommend a 3DS more, even if you don't use the 3D it's still a bloody good system. Just food for thought.

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  3. 30-Something Gamer21 August 2011 at 09:35

    Thanks for the comments.

    In the end, I went for a second-hand (though pristine) DSi, for £100 with a new copy of Dragon Quest VI (worth £20) in Gamestation. I thought it would be counter intuitive to buy a console just to play another console's games on it. Also, I'm not that interested in the 3D side of things, having played quite a bit instore and there are no 3DS games that I'm interested in (other than, maybe, that Julian Gollop one). Looking at the forward release list, only Paper Mario and Mario Kart would be definite purchases. The battery life also counted against it.

    I'm definitely going to get a Vita on the day of its release in only a few months' time and I think, next gen, that will be my primary handheld platform, just like the DS has been this time around (as my PSP gathers dust in the corner).

    So far I've enjoyed the DSi - the screen seems brighter and the colours more vibrant (though that could just have been in comparison my ageing, and somewhat scratched, DS). Slightly bigger too. And I've finally finished (this morning) Dragon Quest IX after 65 hours!

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