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Best way to play DS games?

J

Jonneh3003

Banned
I'm currently trying to tackle my backlog of DS games in addition to picking up the games I missed but I'm having a little trouble deciding which system is the best to play them on.

DS
DS Lite
DSI
DSI XL
3DS
3DS XL
2DS
New 3DS
New 3DS Xl

It's quite the list of hardware, I personally don't like the dpad positioning on 3DS systems so that cuts the list in half and the original DS just isn't that great in my eyes so it really comes down to DS Lite vs DSI vs DSI XL.

Which do you guys prefer and for what reasons? GBA backwards compatibility in the DS Lite is great and all but this is strictly for playing DS games.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
Never played on a DSi of any kind, but DS Lite is tops vs. 3DS at least for me. Love the feel and size of the DS Lite and its buttons and d-pad. Great for GBA also.
 
H

hishoax

Neo Member
I know you've cut the 3DS off the list, but the N3DS XL is a nice little system. I find the build of the console to be the best from all the DS's made and it's very comfortable to hold.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
I could not recommend new 3ds. The way ds games look in them is making me consider buying a ds lite, if I can find one is pristine shape.
 
T

Thud

Member
Personally I'm okay with the new 3ds. As long as it doesn't look too weird.

DSi and especially the XL version is the best. Gorgeous handheld.
 
T

Teriyaki Blues

Member
Another vote for DSi or DSi XL. I use the latter.

Use the DS Lite only if you have one of the approximately six games that have added functionality if you play GBA games on them.
 
S

spazimoose

Member
Maybe I'm just getting old, but I cant play on the smaller versions without my hands cramping up. I can't even use my vita without a grip.

If portability and the somewhat stretched screen aren't an issue then the DSi XL is the way to go. It's what I used to get through my DS backlog after my OG DS hinge broke.

Hope that helps! What's in your backlog btw? (You left out the 2DS :p)
 
J

Jonneh3003

Banned
spazimoose said:
Maybe I'm just getting old, but I cant play on the smaller versions without my hands cramping up. I can't even use my vita without a grip.

If portability and the somewhat stretched screen aren't an issue then the DSi XL is the way to go. It's what I used to get through my DS backlog after my OG DS hinge broke.

Hope that helps! What's in your backlog btw? (You left out the 2DS :p)
Click to expand...
Woops I did forget 2DS, my bad. My backlog literally has about 40 games in for DS, far too many to mention. Haven't even got some of the more important ones like The World Ends With You. I'm currently playing through Final Fantasy 3 on a DSI and I hope to go onto Radiant Historia next. Got about 90 DS games in all but I haven't payed much attention to the system in the past couple of years.

I have a bad habit of collecting games and not playing them, over 500 games I haven't touched in my collection that I hope to get around to some day.
 
S

sugarless

Member
EvilKatarn said:
Tell me more.
Click to expand...

Some games used the GBA slot in the DS/DS Lite (it was removed from DSi onwards) to either detect related GBA games (e.g. Advance Wars and Harvest Moon gave you some extra content/rewards if you plugged in the GBA titles while playing the DS ones), or as a legit expansion slot (Jam with the Band Japanese version released a 40-odd track song expansion cart that was sold standalone and added more tracks to the game). I'm pretty sure Pokémon let you transfer monsters this way too.
 
L

LeleSocho

Banned
Absolutely not the 3DS

My favorite ways are:
The original DS because of the D-Pad and because is the most/second most comfortable console i've ever held.
The DSi because of the bigger and better screens.
 
E

EvilKatarn

Member
sugarless said:
Some games used the GBA slot in the DS/DS Lite (it was removed from DSi onwards) to either detect related GBA games (e.g. Advance Wars and Harvest Moon gave you some extra content/rewards if you plugged in the GBA titles while playing the DS ones), or as a legit expansion slot (Jam with the Band Japanese version released a 40-odd track song expansion cart that was sold standalone and added more tracks to the game). I'm pretty sure Pokémon let you transfer monsters this way too.
Click to expand...

I see. Stuff like Tony Hawk's Motion and Guitar Hero DS also used both the DS and GBA slots.

I was completely unaware that good games used that feature too.
 
M

meppi

Member
DSlite has got my favourite form factor for a handheld. It looks brilliant and is the most comfortable to hold for me. Everything about it just feels right.

The only thing that might hold it back is the smaller screen.
If that's a problem, then certainly go with a DSi XL, which comes very close to the lite.
 
G

GreenMonkey

Member
The scaling on the 3ds for DS games is pretty noticeable.

I went DSi XL myself. Some people prefer the smaller pixels on the DS lite though.
 
S

Spyware

Member
DS Lite <3
I never had a DSi since I happened to win a second Lite when my first one got cracked hinges. The second one, which happened to be an amazing green one, is still in pretty much perfect condition.
Don't see a reason to play DS games on 3DS since I'm keeping the Lite for GBA games anyway.

Oh, if it ever breaks down, I'll probably make one of my 2DS ones the new DS console. I'm a huge fan of the 2DS. It's sooo comfy to hold.
 
J

Jonneh3003

Banned
Knurek said:
Retroarch+Desmume core on PC.

Savestates.
Resolution enhancements.
Shaders.
Cheats.
(Soon?) Achievements.
Click to expand...

I don't like emulating anything so that isn't an option for me.

I see lots of people favouring the DSI XL, are there differences between that and the regular DSI beyond size? DSI XL is the only member of the DS family I don't have currently have.
 
G

Grimalkin

Member
Jonneh3003 said:
I don't like emulating anything so that isn't an option for me.

I see lots of people favouring the DSI XL, are there differences between that and the regular DSI beyond size? DSI XL is the only member of the DS family I don't have currently have.
Click to expand...

If you have a normal sized DSi that would be the 2nd best choice. It's just smaller screen size, but you will have similar crispness to the DSi XL.

I would never play DS games on the 3DS (any version) as it makes the games look like they have a vaseline filter on them. I tried it once just to see what it looked like and if you care at all about image quality it's unacceptable.
 
A

ar4757

Member
DS Lite is amazing, 3ds line is definitely a no-go if you have the options that you do.

Been awhile since I used a DSi but I think the Lite is better screenwise
 
B

Brhoom

Banned
Just bought a Dsi XL, I have a 3ds XL, but playing ds games with the dsi xl large screen is just sublime.

Note that with the 3ds xl you can toggle pixle perfect mode with no upscaling, but the screen will be smaller, with the dsi xl you don't get that, you get fullscreen with native resoultion.

Also not sure but is the dsi XL speakers better than the 3ds xl?
 
K

kjacobson

Neo Member
DS Lite IMO. System is also useful for playing GBA games - even though you don't list that as a requirement, they are affordable, cheap systems that don't look out of place. Shouldn't be hard to find at GameStop or eBay.
 
L

leroidys

Member
DSi. I hate the lite's dpad, and find the heavier XL's to be less comfortable to play for a longer period of time.


The DSi battery life sucks though and it lacks the GBA slot for games that use it. Really there's no definitive way to play DS games IMHO...
 
S

Stopdoor

Member
Even if 3DS has the 'hold start' option, on a non-XL console it outputs a smaller screen size than a DS Lite or DSi would. Which can affect touch screen precision a little, because you know, it's a smaller screen.

DS Lite can also use the DS Rumble Pack in the GBA slot. Tbh I haven't used it myself, but it's another advantage to having the GBA slot.
 
C

Creamium

shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuup
Never had a DSi, but the DSlite is by far the most comfortable handheld of the DS family for me. So that.
 
B

Balb

Member
DSi or DSi XL, depending on your size preference. DS Lite looks amazing and has great battery but it's not durable and the d-pad isn't very good. I'd only get a Lite if you plan on using the GBA slot.
 
G

Garraboa

Member
A word of caution. DS Lite's sound is considerably lower than the DSI's. If you don't mind that, then DS Lite is the way to go.
 
A

AppleSeason

Member
Shiggy said:
I think it looks fine as long as I go for the non stretched resolution.
Click to expand...

Right, but non stretched is plain too small. At first I was ok with new Super mario Bros, which is a game that can't get much worse seeing how badly it has aged. But after trying Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, it was awful. Not sharp at all.

I've played a lot of DS games on the original 3DS and I could deal with the stretched look, but the on the bigger N3DS it's too much for me.


GBA bc is also a nice plus in DS lite. Last time I used that was for the fantranslation of Mother 3. I tried playing with the Gameboy Player first, but the input lag made the tempo attacks impossible.
 
R

Rektash

Member
I still play my DS games on my DSi XL even though I own several 3DS revisions.

3DS is just uncomfortable to hold and to this date, the only handheld I ever bought a grip for. Yes, it's that uncomfortable. DS lite I once had, had terrible diagonals on the dpad so I can't in good faith recommend that. A friend I sold my DS lite to didn't seem to care though.
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Probably the DSi XL. All models shipped with gorgeous IPS screens which seem to have a higher colour gamut than the New 3DS XL displays, and it comes with a nice large pen which is great for book mode games.

Otherwise a more discerning answer would say it depends on the game. The DSi XL is best for 2D titles which are largely button driven, but can be great with games that require you to tap things. Because the screens are larger you need to proportionally make 2x the drawing motions in games like Zelda and The World Ends With You, which arguably makes them harder to play. And the larger screens can make it harder to keep track of both screens at once which some games, like Space Invaders Extreme 2, are designed around. So I'd keep around a DS Lite or DSi for those games. But on the whole, the DSi XL is the best choice.
 
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