To all DS Fat and DSi Users

i was about to buy whether its DS Fat or DSi but to all the users who have one, can you give me your opinion of your DS fat and DSi whats good and bad about your handheld? (pls be honest)

just to know i held ds lite

 

DS fat. Had one, heavy as hell, huge, ugly, tiny stylus, and flimsy as hell, break easily.
DS Light, however, smaller, lighter, nicer to look at, better choice of colors, only negative is that it has a glossy finish that REALLY shows finger prints, its also sturdier.
DSi. About the same size, weight, etc, as DS Light, there are downloadable games, internet browser, and a friendlier online setup, no GBA slot though, and it has firmware updates, meaning you'd have to update your flashcart.

Avoid Fat. If you still want to play GBA games, and don't care for downloadable games, get DS Light. If you won't miss GBA and want good interet features, get DSi.

 

i got ds lite but the problem what i really hate is that the hinge breaks easily

is the dsi is more durable than the ds lite?

 

I guess? I've honestly never had an issue with the hinges breaking on any of my DS systems.

 

what breaks easily from the ds fat? the housing?

 

DS Phats are large, have dimmer screens and an unchangeable brightness level that is very dim. The touch screens of DS Phats tend to lose accuracy over time too (so a second-hand one may be annoying to use). Finding spare parts for the DS Phat is harder than the later DS revisions now.
The DS Phat can use GBA games/accessories via its GBA slot (the DSi doesn't have a GBA slot). The D-pad is better than the one on the DS Lite (for diagonal movement and general responsiveness), but about the same quality as the one on the DSi.

The DSi has larger screens, better battery life, cameras, readily available spare parts, games and applications exclusive to the DSi/DSiXL (as well as faster processors and more RAM available for the exclusive games/applications to use) etc. The DSi doesn't have a GBA slot.

Overall, I'd say go with the DSi.

EDIT:

DS Phats are built like tanks. The touch screen becoming inaccurate over time and the shoulder buttons becoming loose are the only problems that I've heard a significant number of them have had.

 

to your point, is theres any other disadvantages of the dsi apart from the gba slot?

 

Not really. Mine has held up very well.

About the DS Fats, my sister had one years ago, dropped it onto grass and dirt, when she opened it the top screen was shattered like hammer to window.

 

but still you are not pretty satisfied with the ds fat now?

 

The hinge problem with the DS Lite was fixed a long time ago. Unless your hinge has already broken, you shouldn't worry about it.

 

Well I don't even have it anymore. When the DS Lite came out I gave it to my sister, I was satisfied with it when I had it, because it was all there was, but I definitely would not be satisfied were I to switch back.
I have been very happy with my DSi though.

 

my hinge broke on my phat and my lite.

 

My DSLite has held up quite well for the past 4 years. It gets used frequently (and by that, I mean EVERYDAY) and it's still functional.
The buttons are pretty beat up, but that's one problem that I find to be unavoidable.

One big problem for me is the shoulder buttons, which tend to break easily. There are suggested fixes for it that can be tried at home, but most of the time, mine just revives and then breaks again by themselves.

The hinge has also suffered, but I glued up the *crack*... Still, the top screen goes white every once in a while and I'd have to adjust the hinge, but no problem once you're on a comfortable spot.
EDIT: My Lite has also gone awful falls. No serious damage from any of it.

I've tried a DSi system, and it seems the directional buttons are stiff as hell. It's hard to get them to click (hence, the proof of them being pressed) and couldn't do a proper dragon punch gesture on fighting games (eg. Bleach Dark Souls). A tiger uppercut, moreover.
Plus, the firmware update can be... Ugh. Makes using a flashcart a hassle.

 

As other people have said, the firmware upgrades can block flash cards. Aside from that, none that I can think of. I've never had a problem with the DSi's D-pad.

 

My Opinion...
Phat, sturdy hard to break, unfortunately thin hard to hold stylus, bonus, low price, but harder to find.
Lite, Buttons wear out, after extended use, suggested to buy new if possible to prolong the effect from happening.
DSi, Sturdy built, Matt finish prevents finger brinks, but if your hands heat up or sweat any it leaves annoying marks. [suggested to play in cool area to avoid this.] D-Pad stiffness can make games like Mario64 harder to play [thumb fatigue] Overall Sturdiest DS variant. Also: FlipNote Studio.

Not going to go into the Updated Firmware, since if you have a flash card, you know the deal.

 

Sweat will leave marks on anything regardless, its nothing that can't be fixed with a moist towelette.

 

i heard that the DSi has the "region lock". what does it mean?

 

It means that it wouldnt be able to play a game imported from such as japan. This is true for the 3DS as well

 

hows the durability (everything) of the DSi compare to the DS Lite?

 

DSi durability is very good and sturdy, DS lite is about equally as sturdy.