Everyone's trying to lose weight for summer, and the Nintendo DS is no exception. Since its release in November 2004, the DS has lost a whole two ounces. Not impressed? I'll have you know that's a whole third of its body fat. Re-released in polar white with a series of incremental improvements, this month's Nintendo DS Lite is putting its borderline-obese older sister to shame.
The original DS was a victim of rushed design. With the PlayStation Portable threatening the future of Nintendo's handheld empire, it was imperative that they get the DS out just in time to make every kid's Christmas list. Consequently, what we all got for Christmas was a brick, roughly twice the size of the GameBoy Advance, with microphones and stylus holders tossed randomly about the apparatus, and it all clocked in at a weight that would encourage you to tighten your belt before putting it in your pocket. But now that the portable device has become a huge success—so much so that they're not even bothering to develop a next-gen GameBoy—the designers have finally taken it back to the drawing board.
The new DS Lite is about as thick as the PSP and almost an inch and a half shorter. The casing has a sleek minimalist design to it, making it look like an iPod on steroids. The cramp-inducing stylus has more than doubled in mass, making it feel like you're writing with a pencil rather than a toothpick. Best of all, multiple screen-brightness settings have been added, the brightest of which is comparable to your car's high beams.
Nevertheless, if you already have a DS, I'd recommend waiting for a price drop before purchasing this new one. The DS Lite is to the DS what the GBA SP was to the GBA—a slight upgrade. It's slimmer and sexier, and the obvious choice for anyone buying their first DS, but as our mothers told us: It's what's on the inside, not the outside, that really counts. Yes, our mothers all knew about the importance of good software.
big brain academy by nintendo (3.5 stars)
Platform: Nintendo DS.
Rated: E.
The latest in Nintendo's Touch Generations line realizes the untapped video-game potential of SAT questions. The speed at which you solve the various brainteasing mini-games determines your "brain weight." And since the previously released Brain Age determined the age of your gray matter, now we just need a game that measures the wrinkles.
sudoku gridmaster by nintendo (3 stars)
Platform: Nintendo DS.
Rated: E.
Sudoku has taken America by storm and, admittedly, it's a lot more fun than anything involving grids and numbers has a right to be. But as video games go, the formula's a little too bare bones to justify a whole cartridge. You can get this same experience as an afterthought on Brain Age, with a better interface and without annoying music.