I’m lucky.  Well, sort of…

My DS Lite broke about four months ago.  That left me with a heap of unplayable games and four months of time until the DSi.  I knew it was coming and figured that I should simply wait for the hardware to upgrade before I dove back into the fray.  Hell, I had my PSP, PS3 and 360 to hold me down for the time, it’s not like I was starving for games to play.

So, like I said, easy.  The DSi was an auto-purchase for someone like me.  If I’d still owned a functional DS Lite, well, I don’t know if I would have made the upgrade.  And this is where I can talk all retrospectively and give folks in that situation the skinny.  So I’ll start with the basics for you guys, the things that make me really happy about the DSi.  These are things that the Lite doesn’t have or simply has differently.

There are a few little things that I think really make this system much better than the Lite for a gamer like me.  The first of which is the upped screen size.  Not that the DS Lite’s screen was particularly small, but the DSi checks in with a larger area for gameplay.  All that eye real estate gets me all warm and giddy on the inside.  There are some people out there that would probably upgrade for the added screen size alone.  Be warned, however, the additional space isn’t all that much.  Is it noticeable?  Yes.  But it won’t blow your mind.

Next, don’t get angry, is the matte black finish (screw that lame ass blue).  Finger prints and electronics are like nails on a chalkboard for me.  They drive me absolutely nuts.  I had to have a white DS Lite because the black version would have sent me into an OCD seizure every time I picked it up.  Luckily for me, the DSi has a nice and grained finish to it.  It’s the kind of finish that repels all that unwanted finger grease off into the wild.  That’s right, the DSi literally bounces grease off of itself and onto the ground… and into our water supply.  But at least it looks nice!

The shoulder buttons are also slightly raised and produce a nice, gentle click whenever pressed.  By the time my previous handheld passed away, the shoulder buttons had been severely mashed down to the point where they were practically unusable.  While time will certainly be the determining factor here, these new shoulder buttons seem a bit sturdier.

The stylus is also slightly longer than the previous model.  What does that afford you whilst playing?  Well, I hold the stylus around the top portion of it.  One thing that’s always been annoying to me is the inability to see around the stylus while I’m using it.  So action that’s happening on screen is always blocked out with my fingers gripping the stylus.  This extra length gives me a chance to have my fingers slightly further away from my screen.  Honestly, I’ve noticed a difference here.  I only have to look past the width of the stylus now, not my fingers.

There’s also some new, supposedly essential, features that I’ve yet to use in this first week of ownership.  The SD Card slot has proven worthless so far.  Granted, I have a music player already in my iPhone and I haven’t made any DSi Ware purchases… so this additional storage place hasn’t done anything for me yet.  But, that’s only for now.  The SD Card slot, I’m sure, will become essential once Nintendo starts releasing all that must have DLC.  As of now, the software lineup has left me completely unimpressed.  Curious?

Here’s what’s out so far:

• WarioWare: Snapped!  
• Bird & Beans  
• Brain Age Express: Math  
• Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face  
• Art Style: AQUIA

All indication I’ve heard so far is that the WarioWare title is absolute crappers, which is lame.

The camera is a neat little gimmick that will keep you occupied for insanely short spurts of time.  I’m not going to call it a must use feature, but it could certainly be useful for some folks out there… I guess.  The resolution of images captured is pretty poor.  The editing software that ships with the handheld isn’t exactly robust.  The whole thing feels like a little toy.  But the camera may become useful once software comes out that makes wonderful use of the device.  We could be seeing a good iteration of the Eye Toy here (!!!).

Here’s the deal breaker for most of us… the lack of a GBA slot.  That’s right, for those that didn’t know the DSi doesn’t have a GBA slot.  What’s more, VC versions of GBA games hasn’t been confirmed either (Kombo had it for a while).  So the whole library of GBA software may be completely lost on this handheld, which is something I thought the DS line did wonderfully.  Backwards compatibility in a handheld was pretty much an incredible feature.

Finally, the $170 price figure.  Trade in your current crap to get that total down a little and the DSi becomes a lot easier to swallow.  I picked mine up with the help of a gift certificate.  I’m sure plenty will do the same.

Overall, the need for an upgrade is basically marginal.  The finish and the screen size probably won’t drive anyone over the edge, but DSi Ware does have potential.  This is a feature unique to the DSi, and when great software finally comes out those on the fence will surely cross the border.  But for now, the DSi probably doesn’t seem all that attractive to Lite owners.  If you’re still sitting around with your DS Phat, I suggest you move your ass and get something a little more practical…jerk.