nintendo dsi

[certainthings]

Do you have one? Do your children have one? Do you know anyone who has one? Because I kind of want a DSI but I don't know if I actually want to buy one. Yanno?

So tell me about it, with as much detail as possible.

Comments

[ghoulchick.livejournal.com]

The chicklets each have one. What I have learned is that DS =/= DSi. As in, if I call it a DS, I get smacked down. "It's not a DS, Mom, it's a DSi!!"

I know DS means Dual Screen. The kids play games on them. The DSi has the additional features of limited internet access, a built-in camera... I know they can use the pencil-thing to draw little cartoons that they can animate into videos. I have no idea how they do it, but I've seen them, and they end up being hilarious.

I know if you have a DSi, you can communicate to other DSi's - share videos you've made, interact on games, etc, but I don't know how it works. I thought you had to be physically near each other, but that might be for the DS. I think the DSi allows internet-based interaction, like you can see strangers' videos...?

I'm sorry. I'm not much help. Oh! I do know you can get them less expensively by purchasing a refurbished one, like at Gamestop.

[certainthings.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Are you and they happy with how it all works? Like the quality of all the features and such

[ghoulchick.livejournal.com]

I haven't ever used it, so I don't have a personal opinion of it. The kids seem to love theirs. My involvement extends to helping look for the charger when it's missing... same with the pencil-thing (stylus?).

I think their only complaint is the limited nature of internet access. I don't really understand how that part works - I was really surprised that they have *any* internet access. Apparently they are able to do their online honors homework on the DSi, because they can access the school's website on it. ??? But they've complained about other things they can't access. As we have computers at home which they can use, I haven't been the least bit interested in helping them get more access or finding out why some things can be accessed and some cannot on the DSi. (I think they can't get YouTube and the Webkinz site, if I recall.) And there's no actual keyboard or anything... I think a small digital keyboard appears on one of the two screens, and you have to use the pencil-thing to poke at the letters to tap out whatever you're trying to spell. Which, for me, yuck - this is why I hate texting, don't have anything like an iPhone, etc. But the kids don't seem to mind, so each to her own.

Oh! You can put stickers on it. The kids love doing that. They also really enjoy Cooking Mama, and SpongeBob Globs of Doom. In case it matters. ;) They also recommend the aqua-colored DSi. (The colors don't affect gameplay, but they do affect how tweens squee over them.) There are also a frillion "skins" to wrap the DS/DSi in, in case you want a pattern/design.