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Created on: February 09, 2008 Last Updated: April 29, 2010
Nintendo has been around since the 80s producing games that stimulate our fond memories of childhood bliss. They were THE videogame console makers until the late 90s when their direction got misplaced in terms of technology. Fast forward to today, Nintendo is back with their new handheld system which is the most popular videogame system ever by the total amount of units sold worldwide. There are many reasons to love this quaint device.
First off the touch screen system allows a visceral experience to be enjoyed instantly. You no longer need to be a "hardcore gamer" to have fun. While many games are varied in control style, many use the touchscreen feature where all you need to do is point and click, much like the mouse.
The size of the system allows you to fit it in your pocket. Its not very large, which will displease people with large hands. But because the focus of the device is to be portable, I think it suits it just fine. The long battery life also helps keep the system alive to be played on the bus/train/toilet.
The design is clam shell pretty much what many phones are like today. Its sleek and eye catching, especially the Nintendo DS Lite versions.
The graphics of the device is not the most amazing, but it does what it needs to do. Its graphical processing power would be a little less than what the Nintendo 64 can do. Polygons are supported and when pushed, it came appear to be similar to Final Fantasy VII's design feel when rendered.
The price for the device makes it easily affordable, at the cost of two normal games for the PS2.
What really sells the system is the software support. The lineup for the Nintendo DS system is incredible. While it first began as a port device for many games, it has gone beyond that. Its probably due to the fact that many publishers know that out of all the videogame consoles in the world, this is in the hands of most consumers.
Many first party games which could have been aimed for top performing systems have now decided to make them exclusive for the NDS. These include the Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest series.
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