But the developers didn't like it

Feb 24, 2009 07:09 GMT  ·  By

The Nintendo DS is currently one of the most popular handheld gaming consoles out there, largely due to the rich game library that it possesses and the fact that it is very user friendly and stylish. With the recent DSi iteration already launched in Japan and scheduled for a North American release soon, the team at Nintendo wants to bring newer features to the small dual-screen portable console.

One such feature was a dual DS card design that was implemented into an early build of the DSi. But although fans requested it, it translated into a bulkier design for the small handheld, which, in terms of visuals, meant going back, as the original DS was soon replaced by a DS Lite, which was much slimmer and more efficient. Such a bulky design was disapproved by the software developers at Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, which meant that the feature was dropped.

“The response wasn't that great, and, to tell the truth, we'd sort of been expecting that,” said Masato Kuwahara from Nintendo's Development Engineering Department. “According to the determined specifications, however, there was nothing we could do to stop it from turning out like that. We unveiled it to them, all the while doubting that it was going to be all right.”

But although the DSi isn't very different on the outside as opposed to the DS Lite, Kuwahara revealed that all of the engineers at Nintendo hoped that customers would realize the improvements they made under the “hood” by implementing new and more efficient components, including the larger and brighter LCD screens.

While the DSi has fared quite well in terms of sales in its native Japan, game analysts are still on the fence about its future success in North America and other territories, saying that it only depends on the marketing campaign that the Japanese company will launch. What do you think? Is the DSi more stylish and efficient than the DS Lite? Will it make you buy one? Let us know in the comment box below the article.