Recently bought a Nintendo DS (dual-screen) from Wal-Mart on Saturday night—waited in line to purchase 1 of 12 units that they had received! I opened it up when I got back to my dorm and found this awesomeness of a portable!! The shiny screens kept me from wanting to use the stylus.

I found a burned pixel on the top screen, which disappointed me a lot. So, I packed the system back in its box, went back to Wal-Mart, told them it was “defective,” and they allowed me to exchange with another system before they sold out that day. Wow! Now, the DS is pretty hard to find in stores.

Top of Nintendo DS Box

Original Receipt (I returned the game I got for it when I exchanged the system to save a little money)

Yeah, I left the one I recently go unopened and just decided it would be better for my little brother’s Christmas present (I wish I had expensive presents like this when I was just an 8-year old). I’m going to wait for my Sony PSP to come out!! Oh, yeah!! I’ll probably kick out a review for that when I do get it.  :wink:

-best,
Concura

23 November 2004

Did you know, about 25% of the DS’s sold so far have been reported to have one or two burned pixels? Nintendo is accepting to repair or replace the units if players are unsatisfied with the bad-pixel screens.

-best,
Concura

23 November 2004

Nice. I saw a review of it next to an SP…it makes the SP look tiny. I’m not sure if the DS is something that the public will embrace as quickly as they did the SP.

I too am waiting for a PSP…it looks more ‘mature’ IMO.

Erik

Yes, the DS definitely swamps the SP in both size and graphics. N64-ish quality graphics, and kind of “heavier” than what if looks like it might weigh in pictures.

I can’t wait for the PSP! I’m likely going to import to keep me from buying a separate PDA just for music and movies. It’s going to be a really nice addition.  :wink:

-best,
Concura

23 November 2004

You said that you left the second one unopened… what if it has a dead pixel or even two?? Shouldn’t you’ve checked it just to make sure?

That is correct, OnMyWayUp. I think if this one also contains a bad pixel, my brother can just send it back to Nintendo, as mentioned in IGN’s article:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/568/568084p1.html

Nintendo has offered an official statement via customer support emails to readers that have inquired about the “Dead Pixel” issue.

“With a small number of Nintendo DS screens, one or two dots on the screen may appear to be “stuck” on a particular color, such as white or red. This effect is caused when a particular pixel (the dots that make up the screen) is not working properly, even with the high quality standards set by LCD manufacturers. You will find this situation is common in many LCD devices, (PC monitors, televisions, cell phones, etc.).
It’s important to understand that this issue will remain limited to the pixels you have already noticed. The problem will not get any worse and you should not expect to see the problem in any other areas of the screen.

We suggest that you use your system for a few weeks to determine whether this interferes with your enjoyment of game play. If, after using your system for awhile, you feel that this tiny dot is too distracting, the Nintendo DS does carry a one-year warranty. We are happy to inspect and, if necessary, fix your system at no charge within the warranty period.”

I felt a little bad about opening the first one up; it was quite a site to see it up close, finally after the long wait. And the cartridge is SO SMALL, it’s smaller than an SD card. It’s freakishly small, and pops in like a memory stick!! The other slot is for GBA games, and possibly other expansion accessories in the future. Sega is planning on implementing such on their later games.

My friend, who happens to be the Residence Coordinator here in my college, and who also bought a DS, said he was able to play GameBoy Color games on it, too!! Wow, who knows. Maybe it can play original cartridges!  :wink:

The thing is, at least it will be my brother who opens the box this time and be the first person to hold that very system. I think the greatest moments in life happen when you’re the first person to open the box. I’ve already had “my moment” with the last one—and I felt very selfish. I was just more than happy I was able to return it.

-best,
Concura

23 November 2004

Sweet! Mine is allegedly arriving any day now. I was supposed to receive in the day after it was released as it was shipped out the day of. Unfortunately, it’s held up at the post office right now.  :cry:

Never had a Nintendo toy. PSP all the way for me

Couple on preorder from Honk Kong but anyones guess when I will get one but hopefully well before US/Europe release!

[quote author=“VG”]“I too am waiting for a PSP…it looks more ‘mature’ IMO. “

the words of an insecure mainstreamer. i have no idea how anyone could actually look at the DS and see it as “immature”. it just shows that a company can release a mature piece of hardware, but some people are so bent on bashing them they will still call it immature. luckily these are only people who play games, not actual “gamers” of the purist form.

and i’m sorry, if you base your maturity or “coolness” based on what VIDEOGAME machine you play, you seriously need to reconsider how you define yourself.

You seem to be getting a littlleeeee too into it but you have point… if someone defines their “coolness” by that… 
:shock: sad…

[quote author=“VG”]“I too am waiting for a PSP…it looks more ‘mature’ IMO. “

the words of an insecure mainstreamer. i have no idea how anyone could actually look at the DS and see it as “immature”. it just shows that a company can release a mature piece of hardware, but some people are so bent on bashing them they will still call it immature. luckily these are only people who play games, not actual “gamers” of the purist form.

and i’m sorry, if you base your maturity or “coolness” based on what VIDEOGAME machine you play, you seriously need to reconsider how you define yourself.

Mainstream would be the DS, not the PSP. Nintendo owns the portable market…

PSP will have more mature games then the DS…thats what I meant by looks…looks like it will have more mature titles…I didn’t mean physical looks…

I don’t want Pokemon or Mario anymore…sorry…its an immature system from a company that never grew up. For them it works, they focus on the under 18 group…I am above that age and want something more sophisticated that plays games more my level.

I had gamecube for about 2 weeks before I sold it. I couldn’t find one game that wasn’t offered on other systems that was something I would be interested in. Metroid didn’t hold my attention because I don’t like console FPS.

Erik