Christmas Gift Ideas #7: Nintendo DS Lite

The Nintendo DS has always been a popular handheld games console, selling over 50 Million units since their release til Sep of last year. I expect this year to be no different, with strong sales throughout the country coming up to christmas time. They have an obvious contender, in the Sony PSP, but strong sales of the popular Brain Training have encouraged sales, with older generations buying the console.

The popular Nintendo DS Lite in White

The DS Lite is alot sleeker than its predecessor, and can be found for around £99.00 without any games. Their was a short-lived deal for a DS lite and brain training for £99.00 but was probably closed after such high demands! The DS is a suitable christmas present for both boys and girls, with an array of games aimed a different sexes. Nintendogs or High School Musical may appeal to girls, whereas Super Mario Bros could be a great xmas game for a boy.

The console itself runs on a rechargable battery that is expected to last around 500 charges, after that the performance is expected to drop somewhat. However that performance has been improved greatly on the older DS, so is still a great unit to use. You also control the DS with a Stylus, or classic D-pad for a varied, interesting playing style. The stylus allows for writing and other advanced game features.

Some of the technical specs:

* Dual Screens open up new possibilities – use the touch screen as an inventory reference for role-playing games, to view maps for your favourite strategy game, or see racing action from two perspectives at once
* Navigate menus or access inventory items simply by touching the screen with stylus or fingertip
* Tough film over touchscreen protects it
* Advanced 3D graphics engine and 16-channel audio, for graphics and Sound that are superior to other portable game systems
* All-new PictoChat feature allows DS users to write messages with an on-screen Keyboard or the stylus and send them wirelessly
* Built-in Microphone port for voice control of games, or for voice chat with other DS players
* Less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS
* More than 20 percent lighter than original DS
* 4 adjustable brightness levels to extend battery life
* Repositioned microphone and LED lights
* Stylus has been redesigned–now 1cm longer and 1mm thicker
* Repositioned start and select buttons
* Available in 3 cool colours