Why I’ve gone back to DS Fat

Why I’ve gone back to DS Fat

August 7th, 2006, 07:14 Posted By: wraggster

Article via Pockketgamer

It’s smaller, prettier, has better screens and a nicer stylus so when I got my DS Lite, I was a happy man. Having used it for a couple of months however, I’ve been troubled by the question of whether the DS Lite is actually better than its fatter original when it comes to some games?

My right hand, for one, screams ‘No’.

Maybe like old time Nintenditis, such contact marks are just a consequence of playing too many games. After all, I am the Nintendo section editor on the Pocket Gamer website.

But what I’ve noticed when reviewing recent games such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Stormbreaker on DS Lite - anything that requires heavy use of the shoulder buttons (especially the right one) - has left me in agony. You don’t have to be playing for more than a couple of hours a day either. And once you’ve developed a nasty-looking contact mark, you have to avoid playing for a couple of days to let it heal too.

The problem - unsurprisingly - is the smaller size of the DS Lite, which means instead of being able to support your DS without it digging into your hand, you’re more likely to end up grinding the more tightly curved bottom corner of the DS Lite into your palm where your life and head lines meet, as you frantically try to press the shoulder button and action buttons simultaneously. The problem is especially acute in fast-moving action games which characterise the two particular games I’ve had problems with. (I’m currently playing Monster House, which doesn’t use the shoulder buttons, so no problems there.)

This doesn’t happen on DS Fat however as its bigger dimensions mean the contact area is further down your palm, on the more fleshy part of your inner thumb.

Another contributing factor are the flat sides of the DS Lite. The DS Fat, in contrast, has concave edges which spreads the contact over a wider area of your hand. The DS Lite’s top edge does the opposite.

Of course, such ergonomic problems are nothing new in the games business. Microsoft’s original Xbox controller was a wash out despite undergoing thousands of hours of user testing. The problem was it was only tested on large North American hands, not the more petite Asian versions. The DS Lite seems to be a case of such geographic myopia in reverse.

At least my hinges haven’t cracked yet though!

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