Leveling Down

The Nintendo 3DS looks sexy, but is buying it at launch really the best idea?

My wife felt my pain when I killed my DS Lite last weekend, and greatly surprised me  by consoling me with the fact that the Nintendo 3DS is around the corner. While I was still quite sad about the loss of my DS Lite, there was a glimmer of delight in my eye that she was actually going to allow me to buy a Nintendo 3DS. I continued to keep up the sad routine so that the option to get a Nintendo 3DS would still always be on the table. I guess at least I’m golden with my wife when it comes to the 3DS if I want one when the time comes. But do I really want one? Let’s see the  potential options I am really considering.
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Only the plastic casing has broken, but it’s just enough to make my DS no longer playable.

My Nintendo DS Lite and I have been through a lot together. I remember picking up a launch system at my local Gamestop on June 11, 2006 – nearly 5 years ago. Since then, it’s provided me with a fantastic gaming experience, but it’s also actually one of the least durable Nintendo portable consoles I’ve ever owned (and I’ve owned them all save for the Gameboy Micro). This all came to an end on 1/8/2011, when my DS Lite took its last beating and I had to pronounce it dead. Read on as I recount the tragic life of my DS Lite…
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I dropped my DS Lite recently, and was quite dismayed to discover that the touch-screen no longer works. I actually thought Nintendo’s hardware products were more durable, so I was surprised that I busted part of my DS Lite by dropping it. I’ve had this DS Lite since its launch back in June 2006, and it has really served me quite well these last few years. I’m also slightly annoyed that this is the first portable Nintendo device I’ve had (and I’ve basically had them all) that I’ve broken. The original Gameboy, the Gameboy Pocket, the Gameboy Advance, and the original DS were all in my possession at some point and I’m pretty sure I’ve dropped each of them at least once and they all functioned fine. Now I am at a crossroads though as to what to do next. More »