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Nintendo DS Lite Limited Edition Red Mario with New Super Mario Bros.
From Nintendo
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41 new or used available from $189.69

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Customer Reviews

If history says anything about Nintendo
I must admit and have been skeptical of this system for quite sometime. For two reasons mainly one being the number of games for it than I learned it can play GBA games as well wow that was a huge influence. Secondly the consoles seemed to be kind of cheap in their assembly, and they don’t really make nintendo systems like they used to SNES and NES. However, Nintendo seems to shock us over and over again from people leaving their Nintendo DS’s out in the rain to people pulling a Gamecube behind a car. In both cases the systems worked fine darn Nintendo how do you trick us everytime( I thought it would be broken). As far as the game and they system it’s self lots of fun to play and many options available.

Lighter is Better
The original Nintendo DS launched in 2004 and soon became one of the most popular handheld systems ever released. In 2006, Nintendo revised the DS and came out with the DS Lite. Since the launch of the DS Lite, the DS system as a whole has gone on to be one of the fastest selling consoles in history as well as one of the biggest. If you still have your original DS and are content with it, there’s no reason to buy a DS Lite. There is reason, however, why the new DS Lite is a good buy even for those who still have the original DS.

With the DS Lite, gameplay is made a little simplar. The button placement and brighter screen make the gameplay a little better. For one, the start and select buttons have been moved to resemble where they were on the original Gameboy Advance. This makes handling some of the functions (especially for GBA games) a lot easier. The buttons, sadly, are a still a little small for guys with big hands like myself.

The DS Lite also comes with a phony GBA cartridge (called a “cap”). If you don’t have a GBA game plugged into the system, you can put in the phony cartridge to keep it from collecting dust in there. However, when you do stick in a GBA game, it sticks out by about a centimeter. It just looks weird. The cap does, at least, keep the system looking good.

Perhaps the most welcome change to the DS Lite is the screen. The original DS screen was not exactly bright. In fact, it was, in comparison the DS Lite, rather dark. Games like Metroid Prime Hunters were darker than they had to be. On this new screen, the difference in how bright the games appear really shows. Not only that but, you can adjust the brightness if need be. It doesn’t really affect the battery life, either. You can play the DS Lite for as long as you played the original. And also like the original, it charges while you play.

Another welcome difference is the touch screen itself. These screens last a lot longer than the original DS. Those who have an original DS no doubt experienced a lot of scratches on their screen from their stylus. To the point where it was noticeable. You could still see the screen, but it was apparent that the stylus was doing a number on it. The screen is more protected here. The stylus doesn’t scratch the screen quite as easily. In other words, the touch screen lasts a lot longer.

The DS Lite also looks better, and fits in your pocket better. It also performs all the tasks of a regular DS. For example, if you’re playing a game and you suddenly have to go, just flip it closed and it sleeps. There’s also a place to store the stylus, and the stylus is better too. It’s a little bigger and thicker, so it’s not quite as easy to lose.

Some problems with the original DS still plague the DS Lite however. You still can’t play Gameboy Color or regular Gameboy games on the DS Lite. Also, you still can’t configure the controls to play a GBA game much easier. In other words you can’t configure “X” and “Y” when you play a GBA game. This probably won’t bother you in the long run, however. Also, the touch screen still has its sensitivity. Touching the touch screen with your bare hands is more dangerous than the stylus scratching the screen. The oils from your fingers might damage the screen and therefore, it won’t respond to the touch of even your stylus.

When the original DS launched, owners will note that there were not very many good games availible. About the only good game during its launch in 2004 was Super Mario 64 DS. Now there are plenty of games out there (and not all of them are ports), so if you do want a DS, this is a great time to get one, and the DS Lite is a better investment than the original one by far.

The DS may not play movies, or MP3 players, but to be honest, that almost defeats the purpose of a gaming system. Am I looking to buy a portable entertainment center? Of course not, I’m looking to find a system to play some of my games on, and the Nintendo DS delivers. Real gamers know it’s about the games, not about the bells and whistles of a system. For the casual gamer, the Nintendo DS delivers, and the DS Lite is a fine improvement.

Died in under a week
I’ve never owned a portable game system and decided to grab the Nintendo DS Lite Limited Edition Red Mario with New Super Mario Bros. on Black Friday (at Meijer, not through Amazon).

It does seem to be a nice system overall and my kids will love it, but I do have two issues with it:

1) This is a bit small for my hands. But I’m not a small guy and am not probably the person they had in mind when they did the design…for kids hands it’d be perfect. So I can live with that.

2) After the initial charge the system seemed to hiccup a bit and not start up after each flip of the power button/slider. Then on Thursday (12/04/2008) it just quit all together and I now have the ball rolling on getting this repaired.

Nintendo customer service was easy to talk to and in getting this setup, and they even pay for shipping. I was told that it will take 11-16 business days from when it is sent in, so it should be back by Christmas.

That said, I am a little disappointed given the fact that I have never had a game system just break for no apparent reason. Things happen, so I’m giving this a second chance and hopefully it’ll be better than new when it comes back. Until then, it’s back to the Wii & PS2.