Just this morning I was down at my local EB, and one of the guys there asked if I had seen their DS. With a cappuccino (plus extra shot) in hand I was fairly shocked to seem him being out a Nintendo DS with a copy of Metroid running on it, especially since it's not released here till March.
I put down my coffee, took hold on the DS and looked it over. The first thing I noticed is that the thumb stylus which you put on your thumb to touch the screen is horrid. All it is, is a loop of material with an oval shaped piece of plastic in it. It's just uncomfortable and difficult to use.
Trying to play Metroid is like trying to goddamn juggle, it's an unnecessary mess. Now I'm sure people who are interested in the DS have read reviews on Metroid and know all about it, I haven't so it's all new to me. In Metroid you use the thumb stylus on the bottom screen (with an image of a map) to look around. The D-Pad you use to move around, and then the shoulder buttons to fire your weapon. Now maybe if I had a little longer to get used to the unit it might have been fine, but it's just too goddamn hard to hold this unit and try to play something like a FPS.
I know before that I said the DS with it's two screens and touch feature seemed like a gimmick, and that was kind of unfounded since I hadn't used the unit. Now after seeming and using the unit, I know it's a gimmick. Graphic wise Metroid looks ok, but Jesus I thought that Nintendo might make an effort hardware wise and give the unit a bit more power. The whole touch thing in interesting, but it just seems to me that the DS is an SP with an extra screen and a touch feature. It's not really an advancement in the handheld realm, the screens are too small and the graphics on the unit and uninspiring. I might seem a little towards Nintendo, but the just don't give me anything to like at times.
Another thing which strikes me as strange is that handhelds are supposed to be portable units designed for a quick game when your out of the house, the DS with this whole touch thing just doesn't gel with me there, it's too much effort, playing Metroid is just too hard. I don't think it's just me either I remember Gabe from Penny Arcade saying something similar and he's a fairly big Gameboy fan.
I've seen a few people mention that the face of the Sony PSP gets marked with fingerprints easily, well the bottom screen on the DS is worse. The unit I used today was already in a bit of a state, and I can't see it not happening to most units when you are constantly touching the bottom screen. The build quality of the DS also isn't as hot as the SP, it feels loose and a bit cheap. It's just not as solid.
Maybe if I had more time with a unit I might change me mind, but as it stands now with first impressions I wouldn't buy one or recommend it too anyone.
