While other portable gaming platforms are evolving, Nintendo’s DS Lite is staying still. Sony has just revamped the PSP, giving it a shiny new screen while the iPhone’s games library continues to grow. It’s time for our DS Lite to face the truth. It’s old, it’s stale, and it needs a refresh. Here’s why the world needs DS Lite 2.0.
Supersize that screen
If the rumours are true the next DS Lite will come packing a larger, wider screen. This will be an absolute must, with the likes of the PSP and even the iPhone mocking the DS Lite’s gaming window. Nintendo’s got some work to do if it doesn’t want to be left behind in the screen stakes. And how about upping the resolution? The DS Lite can only look on in envy at the PSP 3000’s swanky new screen. We’ve peeped it and it looks gorgeous.
Better body
We’ve nothing against the DS Lite. We think it’s a top gaming device, but in comparison to the PSP it feels like a toy. It’s not Nintendo’s way to build beefy devices, but if the DS is to be taken seriously it needs to feel less like a plaything and more like a proper gaming machine. The feel of the PSP just oozes quality in the hand. We want a device we’d have no shame in caressing in public.
Media minefield
A meander towards media might go against Nintendo’s values, but in order to keep up it’s something the company will need to get used to. The PSP’s as comfortable playing music and movies as it is playing games. Sony’s also lined up some top Hollywood studios for future PSP and PlayStation 3 content. The PlayStation Movie Store is yet to go live in the UK, but when it does it’ll be a force to be reckoned with, able to send movies straight to a PS3 or the PSP.
Graphical goner
It’s not just the screen that needs an update, the DS Lite’s entire graphics system needs a power-up. Nintendo has shown glimpses of graphical genius but the truth is it won’t keep up. With PSP titles looking like PlayStation 2 games it wouldn’t be too much to ask for DS titles to look like GameCube offerings at least.
A lockable power off/reset switch
Anyone who’s ever been in the midst of a DS Lite session on the go will know the frustration when you, something or someone else accidentally brushes past the power off switch. That’s all it takes to put an end to your gaming session. We want a proper switch that can be locked.
Fling away the friend codes
There’s no better thrill in gaming than chellenging your mates in a bout of multiplayer. So why does Nintendo make it so difficult? Playing online should be as easy as being able to see which friends of yours are online and inviting them to a Mario Kart duel. Instead we’re forced to enter a friend code for each and every person we know. We don’t enjoy having to phone our chums to ask for a game, we want to be able to do it through our handheld.
Increase the games library
One of our favourite things about the Wii is being able to re-live old classics from the past courtesy of the Virtual Console channel. If Nintendo could manage to shovel the service onto a new DS it would be worth the upgrade alone.
Hoorah for haptic
The DS in getting left behind in the technology stakes. Sure, it has a touchscreen but why not go one better than the iPhone’s MultiTouch offering and add a haptic touchscreen where you can really feel your actions? The fancy touch technology sends signals that buzz through your finger, vibrating with every touch. It’ll add a new dimension to handheld gaming.
Accelerometers
The new DS will need to join the A team if it really wants to stave off the advances of the iPhone. We’ve already seen how fun motion sensor-led gaming can be with titles such as WarioWare on the Wii. Imagine such a game for the DS. Or upcoming Zelda titles where tilting the screen upside down reveals hidden treasures!
