Hi PGC I had a question about the DS Lite. I have a GBA SP (Famicom Edition not the backlight one).The light in it works great for indoors and darker rooms and yet I can turn it off when I am outside due to the sun giving me enough light. My PSP I take it into direct light and I can not even play it there is such a glare. Compared to my GBA SP lighting how is the DS Lite? (I do not own an original DS and this 4 level brightness might sway me to the original.) (A comparison to the original SP would be appreciated.) Thanks!

To answer your question, I took the DS Lite, original DS, and original GBA SP outside in the bright sunlight. Neither of the DS models has a reflective screen, so they are both hard to play in sunlight, but the DS Lite is a bit easier to see if you turn the brightness all the way up. The original DS is virtually unplayable in sunlight, whether the backlight is turned on or off. The GBA SP has a reflective TFT screen, like the original GBA and the GBC, so it is actually easier to play in direct sunlight than indoors. Turning the screen light on or off makes no difference. Conclusion: for playing in the sun, the DS Lite is slightly better, but neither DS model is nearly as playable as the old reflective screen systems.

Just FYI,

I *only* use Ad-hoc networking to get my DS online. I have my Mac Powerbook

w/ OSX jacked physically by ethernet into my network and I have its internet

sharing turned on through it's Airport card. I manually set all the

settings in my DS, including telling it the router address as the gateway

for the network and giving it a fake IP address (10.0.X.X) so that the

router sees it. My DS sees the Airport network and off it goes. I play

Mario Kart and Animal Crossing on it all the time.

Cheers!

Jeremy-Chad

I have no idea what you're talking about, but maybe this info will help someone out there. So, uh...thanks!

Hello!

Can you confirm or deny that the US e-Reader (JPN e-Reader+) will fit into

the new DSLite without any modifications to the e-Reader unit?

Also, can you give me a free DSLite?

Thanks!

Your bestest pal in the world,

UncleBob

Interesting question...the e-Reader was incompatible with the original DS, because the device has a GBA extension port passthrough, and the DS has no GBA link, so the device wouldn't fully plug into the DS cartridge slot. With the DS Lite, GBA carts stick out half an inch, which might actually be an advantage for e-Reader nerds like yourself. Although I don't own an e-Reader to make absolutely sure, I looked very carefully at our photos of the device, and comparing them to how far GBA carts stick out of the DS Lite, I feel confident in saying that yes, the e-Reader will physically fit into the DS Lite. The protrusion is greater than the length of the e-Reader's GBA extension port. However, I have no way of knowing whether the e-Reader will work electronically without that port engaged.

How is the DS Lite refresh rate? I own a PSP (though I now wish I didn't), and its refresh rate disgusts me. Since the brighter screen GBA SP sports a lower rate than previous GBAs and the DS, I have been fearful that the DS Lite will do the same. And uh, how comfortable is it? I notice the buttons are larger, but the whole system is smaller, so I'm curious what that does to the comfort?

-Try4ce

The only way I knew to test this issue was to put Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrows into each system and examine any visual differences between the two systems while dashing around like crazy with the Panther soul. The backgrounds become slightly blurry when moving so fast, but this effect occurs equally on both systems. If you know a better way to compare refresh rates, I'd be happy to try a different comparison.

As for comfort, the DS Lite has pretty as many problems as the original DS, just not necessarily the same problems. While the original DS was heavy enough to cause wrist fatigue after a while, the DS Lite seems to avoid that issue. But it has another: the reduced width and depth make it harder for people with large hands to hold the system. It's possible to spread out your grip and hold the system more lightly, but for people like me who like to grip the system tightly while playing, the DS Lite's sharper edges can actually dig into your skin a bit. I'm not yet sold on the mushy face buttons, which seem to stick out too far, but I do prefer the new D-pad; now I can power-slide in Mario Kart without getting thumb blisters. I'll have more experience with the system and can go into greater detail once I write my DS Lite hardware review.

One of the things I wasn't fond of on the original DS was the fact that it wasn't possible to select your own buttons to use while playing GBA games, and you were stuck using A and B to match their respective counterparts on the GBA, instead of the more comfortable B and Y. Does the DS Lite have any feature allowing you to set the buttons used when playing GBA games or is it still permanently stuck on the A and B buttons? This is currently the deal breaker for me, and if they implemented this functionality, I'll be getting one as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Tansunn

Sorry, the DS Lite firmware is exactly like that of the original DS, except the brightness icon can be touched multiple times to change brightness levels. The only option for playing GBA games is which screen to use.

Hello!

My name is Pedro Hernandez and I have a couple of questions about the Nintendo DS Lite.

Everyone is raving about how light and portable the system is, but what I want to know is how durable it is. How much punishment can the DS Lite take before it is destroyed? The original DS system was quite strong because of it's excess bulk, so I am wondering how the DS Lite is going to stand up.

Also, in one of your impressions you mentioned that gamers with big hands will still have some problems with the DS Lite. How bad of a problem is that?

And finally, everyone is joking that the brightest setting of the screens could hurt you. But all joking aside, can the extreme brightness of the screen really hurt your eyes after extended hours of play?

Thanks!

-Pedro L. Hernandez

Good questions, Pedro. It's hard to attest to the system's durability right now, because I haven't owned it for long and have no intention of dropping it from a height or stepping on it or flushing it down the toilet. Honestly, I'm not worried about the unit malfunctioning from abuse; the GBA SP was also extremely compact, and it's just as durable as other Nintendo handhelds. I'm more worried about the glossy exterior of the DS Lite getting scuffed too quickly. It's reflective, so scratches will show up more easily, and fingerprints are absolutely inevitable (as on the PSP, iPod nano, etc.).

Please see above for my comments on comfort. I'll have more thoughts on it for the review.

If anything, the highest brightness level probably puts less strain on your eyes, because you don't have to look hard to see details in the games. But looking at ANY screen for long periods of time can cause eye strain, because you don't blink as often and don't change focus as often. That goes for handhelds, computer monitors, and televisions. Hell, even books have this problem. If you are concerned about the health of your eyes, and you should be, take a break every hour or so, and mix up your activities so you don't just move from screen to screen to screen around the house. (e.g. Go outside for a while! And not just to play Boktai!)

If I import a DS Lite, will I still be able to get it repaired in North America if I have problems with it?

Can you recommend any good import sites that are reliable and trust worthy?

In general, Nintendo of America requires a receipt with date of purchase to make sure your system is still under warranty before they will accept it for repair (or replacement). But this requirement is waived for systems that have been out for less time than the warranty period. So if you have a problem with your import DS Lite, it is possible that you could get NOA to service it AFTER the U.S. launch of the system. As with the original DS, I'm sure the only difference in the systems is the writing on the back (and the wall charger, which operates at a negligibly different voltage). Then again, they may not; it's a risk. Your first call should be to the import store where you bought it, if possible. Failing that, I would check with National Console Support, as they usually have good hardware servicing, including mods and repairs. As for a good place to buy your DS Lite in the first place, our import partners at Lik-Sang are great, and I hear many people recommending Play-Asia, as well as the aforementioned NCS. But all of these stores are heavily back-ordered on the system right now, and they will probably stay that way for the next few weeks. If you didn't pre-order, there is a significant chance that you will not be able to get an import system before the likely North American launch date in May.

That's all for this special edition of the mailbag! To answer the many questions about the mailbag's status: we know you want daily mailbags, and we want them too. Right now, we're trying to figure out who on the staff would be willing and capable of picking up this job on a consistent, frequent basis. It really does take a LOT of time to put a mailbag together, so this is a big job, and I don't want someone to eagerly take it up and then realize a week later that it's not practical to do it every day. (That has already happened a few times in the past...at least last summer, I kept it up for several weeks!) So please, be patient with us and know that the mailbag will return for real as soon as possible. Until then, feel free to send us questions about anything, and we'll hang onto them for when the mailbag is ready to ride again. The address is still: