Gaming Should I pick up a DSi?

lostdotfish

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
102
Trophies
0
Age
37
XP
444
Country
Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on picking up a DSi at the moment. They seem to be cheap as chips these days.

A little background - I have a DS Lite as well as a New 3DS and a New 3DS XL (love my handhelds). Just wondering what the actual gaming experience is like on a DSi compared to the DS Lite or the 3DS consoles running DS games? I don't really like what either of my 3DS' do to DS games - colours look washed out compared to the bright high contrast of the DS Lite. How are the screens on the DSi?

Any other thoughts?
 

migles

All my gbatemp friends are now mods, except for me
Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2013
Messages
8,033
Trophies
0
Location
Earth-chan
XP
5,299
Country
China
In my opinion a dsi is worthless now
A 3ds does what a daí can do and much more
But a dsi xl makes sense if you are like me wich likes big screens but hates software upscaling..
No matter if you have a 3ds or 3ds xl, you can play ds games in 2 ways. Blurry with black borders on top screen (I dont mind black borders) or very tiny (on a xl, the same size as a ds lite) with huge black areas in both screens...

The dsi xl is the best console to play ds games...
You have big screens with no blurriness and perfect scalling
I just hated that it lost the gba slot I would pick a dsi over the nds lite if not for the lack of GBA games and dual slot linking
 
Last edited by migles,

Haloman800

a real gril
Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2009
Messages
1,874
Trophies
1
XP
1,749
Country
United States
DSi with a DSTwo lets you play all GBA/GBC/GB games, NES and SNES, it's great.

If you already have a 3DS, I wouldn't bother.
 

slaphappygamer

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2008
Messages
4,123
Trophies
2
Age
46
Location
California
XP
7,633
Country
United States
Agreed, the dsi xl IS the best way to play nds games. The resolution is great. Recently, I found (on my n3ds) that if you press start or select and start a ds game, the game will be displayed in its native resolution. That looks great, but it's pretty small. Maybe I'm just used to a larger screen now. Also, the camera sucks in the dsi. It's almost the same as a flip phone camera. Super sucky.
 

lostdotfish

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
102
Trophies
0
Age
37
XP
444
Country
I'm not a massive fan of the XL form factor. I have a New 3DS XL and find it uncomfortable to play, hence drawn to the standard DSi.

At that price, happy to add it to my collection. Also found a Black DS Lite for £10 today. I really think this generation is at its lowest point in terms of price now. People will start calling them retro in a year or so and the price will head back up again.
 

Flashed

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
325
Trophies
0
Age
25
Location
Madrid
XP
409
Country
Spain
You are right. Here in Spain you can find really cheap PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/DS, etc
For example you can get a second-hand Wii for less than 20€, a second-hand DS for 5€, a PS3 for 70 - 100€ and a 360 for 50€ or less
 

Todderbert

Korg Fanboy
Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
705
Trophies
1
Location
Illinois
XP
611
Country
United States
I use my regular DSi for all my DS gaming and my DSi XL when using Korg DS-10+ (a DSI enabled title), it is easier to hit the notes. I don't miss the GBA slot from the DS lite, because I play all my GBA titles on a SP. I enjoy that the regular DSi uses slightly larger screens and has the better click style buttons. I still own DS lites but rarely use them. When I find them in yard sales for 5-10 bucks I pick one up, they tend to have a game, charger, and sometimes a case.
 

vpd

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
177
Trophies
1
XP
2,118
Country
United States
Just to add to what has been said,
The DSi XL is the best way to play DS games, colours look better/deeper looking blacks compared to the 3DS when playing ds games.
 

ov3rkill

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
1,675
Trophies
1
Location
in a cardboard box
XP
2,094
Country
Australia
I'd go for a ds lite if it's way cheaper. It has slot for gba if you still have those old cartridges. Otherwise, just get a regular 3DS, it's cheap now. That is if you're just gonna play DS games via flash carts.
 

invaderyoyo

invader
Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
1,101
Trophies
0
Age
29
Location
Southern California
XP
1,293
Country
United States
The DSi uses micro switches so it feels a lot better than the DS lite, which feels squishy instead of clicky. The original DS also used micro switches, but the screen wasn't very good.

If you just wanna play DS games get a DSi or DSi XL.
 

The Real Jdbye

*is birb*
Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
23,286
Trophies
4
Location
Space
XP
13,844
Country
Norway
The DSi uses micro switches so it feels a lot better than the DS lite, which feels squishy instead of clicky. The original DS also used micro switches, but the screen wasn't very good.

If you just wanna play DS games get a DSi or DSi XL.
That's a matter of personal preference, really. I quite like the squishy buttons on the DS Lite compared to the original DS.
 

Most-Wanted

3D OLED TV'S /o/
Member
Joined
Apr 2, 2017
Messages
198
Trophies
0
XP
332
Country
press/hold Start "and A" when playing DS games.. they will now play at their normal screen ratio with no upscaling .. Also works gor GBA games if you have CFW on the 3dsXL

as for deeper blacks for the DSIXL compared to the N3DSXL.. it depends if your N3DSXL is IPS or not, IPS will have no black problems
 
Last edited by Most-Wanted,

DjoeN

Captain Haddock!
Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
5,489
Trophies
0
Age
54
Location
Somewhere in this potatoland!
Website
djoen.dommel.be
XP
2,857
Country
Belgium
DSi with a DSTwo lets you play all GBA/GBC/GB games, NES and SNES, it's great.

If you already have a 3DS, I wouldn't bother.
Yes, i have this combination and i love it :)

I use my DSi XL only to play SNES/NES/MD/GG/GBA/GB/GBC/DS games with my DSTwo cart, i don't use my N3DSXL for that.
AND if you collect stuff a DSi XL is a great addition to your collection :)
 

DinohScene

Gay twink catboy
Global Moderator
Joined
Oct 11, 2011
Messages
22,530
Trophies
4
Location
Восторг
XP
22,743
Country
Antarctica
If you can get it cheap, do it.
I've gotten one for cheap ~ a year ago and immediately hacked whilst I still could.
I probably won't do anything with it but it's a neat addition none the less.
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    Maximumbeans @ Maximumbeans: butte