Nice Package! ('Noble Pink' Nintendo DS Lite)

Considering all of the love I've shown for the Nintendo DS over the years (especially this past year, as I've devoted an entire series of posts to it), you might think that I'd have a whole slew of systems that are dedicated to playing its wonderfully diverse catalog of games.

In fact, I've only ever owned or played a single DS system--that being the white DS Lite I semi-begrudgingly bought (I wasn't all that keen on Nintendo's first dual-screened handheld until I finally experienced it for myself) sometime in 2007 so I could play Animal Crossing: Wild World while traveling for work.

Although I've barely put any time into Wild World in the ensuing years, I’ve spent hours upon hours with the aforementioned DS Lite--which continues to chug along like I only pulled it from its box yesterday, I'm proud to say.



Still, as much as I love its sleek design and its diminutive size, I recently came to the conclusion that I’d love it even more if it were a bit more colorful. Specifically, I'd love it even more if it were a pretty shade of pink. Which initially struck me as kind of funny, as my mom has had a pink DS Lite for ages, and I never much cared for the particular hue that Nintendo chose for its casing.

For some odd reason, though, I recently had a change of heart that prompted me to see the "coral pink" DS Lite ("noble pink" in Japan) in a far more appealing light.

So, when I came across an eBay auction for a (mostly) complete-in-box "noble pink" DS Lite a month or so ago, I naturally couldn't keep myself from bidding on it.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when I was able to win the auction in question with a bargain-basement bid (in my humble opinion) of $25.



As I alluded to earlier, the Japanese DS Lite I acquired as a result of this online shopping extravaganza can’t really be described as “complete in box.” Oh, a box was included, as you should be able to see in the photos shared throughout this post, and a pretty-in-noble-pink DS Lite system was included, too, but that’s about it. In other words, it didn’t come with an instruction manual or any of the pamphlets and fliers that Nintendo usually stuffed inside this product's packaging.

Of course, who in 2015 really needs an instruction manual for a DS Lite, especially one that’s totally, or at least mostly, in Japanese? Not me.

Even if I were the kind of guy who refused to buy anything but undeniably complete-in-box gaming products, though, I’d have shoved aside those irrational feelings in favor of picking up the lovely DS Lite shown in the snapshot above, as the hardware, in particular, is in pristine condition.



If I were to guess, I'd say the system's never been used. At the very least, its previous owner either has the softest skin ever or wore gloves while playing it, as the outer shell is free of the usual smudges and scuff marks. Also, he or she must've obsessively ignored the lower touch screen, as it has absolutely no scratches on it.

Is this beauty going to be my new go-to system for DS games? Sadly, probably not, but don't take that to mean it's going to sit in a cabinet, forever unused. I'll definitely pull it out and put it through its paces now and then, but for the most part I'll turn to my trusty OG 3DS when I want to play DS carts, as I love the more modern hardware's ability to track playtime.

Are any of you aficionados of the DS Lite's packaging--or, more likely, of the DS Lite itself? If so, let me (and others) know why in the comments section below.

A decade of the Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS system hit store shelves across North America exactly 10 years ago today, on Nov. 21, 2004.

Its Japanese release followed on Dec. 2 of the same year, while it didn't arrive on Australian or European shores until Feb. 24 and March 11 of 2005, respectively.

Although I now consider the DS to be one of my all-time favorite systems (along with, say, the Famicom, the PC Engine and the GameBoy), it took some time for it to worm its way into my heart.

What can I say? Aside from its dual-screened design, I wasn't all that impressed with the system or its initial selection of games following its early-2004 reveal.

A stack of some of my favorite Japanese DS games.

In fact, I waited until sometime in 2006, after the DS Lite had been on the market for a couple of months, to join the fray. (I believe I did so because I was about to travel and I wanted to play Animal Crossing: Wild World while I was on the road, but don't quote me on that.)

Once I experienced a handful of the DS' most noteworthy games, though, I fell head over heels in love with it--and those feelings have only grown stronger in subsequent years. (In fact, I'm just about to splurge on a rather large assortment of Japanese DS games.)

Do any of you also consider yourselves to be DS fanpersons? If so, please share some of your most cherished memories of this unique system in the comments section below.

(Note: this isn't the extent of my "decade of DS" coverage. Look for another post related to the system's anniversary on Monday--and for additional posts to follow early next year.)

DS and 3DS designs for your Animal Crossing: New Leaf digs

For what I'm pretty sure is going to be my last post devoted to system-inspired Animal Crossing: New Leaf cushion designs, I decided to switch things up a bit.

Do these dual-screened creations look as good as their console-based predecessors when applied to cushions? Maybe not, but they're still pretty adorable (or at least that's how I feel about them).

One quick note before you critique them yourselves: the DS Lite designs, in particular, should be considered works in progress. I may eventually put a bit of a border around the edge of each of them to give them some more visual heft, for instance. Or, I may make it appear as though they've been paused mid-game by swapping out their currently gray screens for something that looks like, say, Tetris DS.

For now, though, both of the DS Lite designs that can be seen below will remain borderless and powered down.





Here's how the pink DS Lite design looks after being applied to a cushion (by Cyrus) and then plopped onto the floor of the busiest-looking living room you've ever encountered. (It's near the lower left-hand corner, by the way, in case any of you are having a tough time spotting it.)



The 3DS designs I came up with were a bit more successful, I think. I especially like the Midnight Purple one, of course, although the Flame Red one is pretty nice, too.





I know the details of the Flame Red 3DS design appear overly muted in the screenshot above, but I promise you they're far more evident in-game. 

 

Finally, here's a shot of the Midnight Purple 3DS sitting on the floor of my male New Leaf character's robo-themed bedroom.  

See also: Famicom and NES designs; Mega Drive 2 and Saturn designs; Dreamcast (original) and PC Engine designs; PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Hello Kitty Dreamcast designs

Let's Play: 'Which Portable Looks Best?'

All of this recent chatter about the 3DS XL/LL prompted me to consider something only a loon like myself would bother considering: That being which of Nintendo's many dual-screened portables looks best?

Yes, a good number of them are similar superficially, but most sport subtle design differences that keep them from looking like mirror images of one another.

Given all of that, let's take a gander at the six dual-screened handhelds Nintendo has supported since 2004 and then grade them in terms of best to worst (or most to least appealing).

For starters, here's the original Nintendo DS:

Two years after the system above was released, Nintendo followed it up with the oh-so-svelt DS Lite:

The similarly sexy DSi (striking a pose below in hot pink) hit the streets just two years after that:

And, then, of course, there's Nintendo's first jumbo-screened portable, the DSi XL, launched in 2009:

Everyone has seen the company's latest dual-screened product, right?

Finally, there's the 3DS XL (3DS LL if you live in Japan), which will land on store shelves later this month or next month, depending on where you live:

As for which design I like best: I'm going to go for the DS Lite and DSi this time around--due to the fact that they're sleek as can be but also completely portable (something that can't quite be said for their successor, the DSi XL/LL).

That said, I'm also pretty fond the original DS' design. I know it's by far the most toy-like of all of Nintendo's clamshell handhelds, but I've long had a soft spot in my heart for it. (Now if I could just find a "candy pink" one in like-new condition...)

Anyway, those are my thoughts on this completely unimportant matter. What are yours?

Whether it's coral, misty or pearl (pink), I want it!

I don't know about you, but I find it kind of funny how Nintendo's marketers alter, from region to region, the adjectives they attach to the colors of their company's handheld game systems.

Take the pink 3DS that hit store shelves throughout North America earlier today. When systems drenched in the very same color were released in Japan in late October, they were called "misty pink," and when those systems hit the streets in Europe last month, they were called "coral pink."



I'm not sure what verbiage they'll use to describe North American 3DSes covered with this particular shade of pink, but if the DS Lite and DSi XL are any indication they'll probably call it "pearl" or "rose" or something rather matronly like that.

Regardless, I want one. Here's hoping my parents didn't already buy me a flame red one for Christmas--or that they're willing to return it for a coral/misty/pearl pink one.