Nintendo handhelds have always been great. The Nintendo DS is my favorite of all Nintendo's creations. And other than iPods and phones, portable game systems are the highest selling portable devices in the world. Nintendo has made more handheld systems than any other gaming company. I've had at least two models of each system...
Wait, models? Isn't it a new system every time?
Nintendo may be great, but they have a trend with each of their systems. Look at the original Gameboy. The grey block with purple buttons and a faint, green and black screen. After that, they made the Gameboy Color. And after that, the Gameboy Pocket. These three systems are all the SAME DEVICE, but better looking than the last version.
Nintendo's TRUE sequel to the Gameboy was the Gameboy Advance. Some of the greatest games in the world were on that system. But after the Gameboy Advance, what did we see? The Nintendo DS? No. We say the Gameboy Advance SP and the Gameboy Micro. I will admit, I bought an SP after I got an original Advance. But we can all agree that the Micro was a worthless piece of s***. The Micro was even released AFTER the original DS! That's like making a second N64 after we got the Wii (except that would probably sell).
Now we move on to 2005. Nintendo released the original Nintendo DS. The highest selling portable game system in the world, the DS set a new standard for video games. A touch screen, a microphone, and the introduction to online gaming. Could this get any better? How about playing it on a different colored DS with more brightness settings? The DS Lite came out in 2007. Surprisingly, it sold more than the original DS. Likely because the DS was fat, blocky and broke from a three-inch drop. But nevertheless, the Lite is the exact same thing. And after that, the DSi.
The DSi is, by many, considered to be a new system on it's own. What's the difference between this and the Lite? A crappy camera and an online market. That's it. And just a few days ago, we got the DSi XL. Jesus Christ, another Gameboy Micro! This time, it's bigger! Nintendo is very good at selling us the same thing over and over again, aren't they?
Where's left to go, Pokefreak? Well, there's the recently announced Nintendo 3DS. We haven't even gotten a taste of it yet, and I'm already betting we're gonna see at least three models of it.
I don't want to sound like I'm attacking Nintendo. They've been great with many of their games, and I can't wait for the 3DS. I even have a DSi in my pocket now, and a DS Phat and DS Lite in my room. But Nintendo needs to realize that there are some people out there who can see through this ruse.
