The release of the DS Lite heralded the approach of a number of new accessories, rendering the old DS a barren wasteland of accessory love and the slim new handheld the Angelina Jolie to every Jennifer Aniston.
So what sorts of ornamentation exactly could Mr. Pitt offer his new love in an effort to enhance the already attractive alternative? As Nyko unwittingly shows us with their DS Lite Charger Grip and Dual Lighted Stylus Pack, not many.
You see, the DS Lite's design already works, and it's tight, compact. Much like any jewelry, in the exchange for glamour one often sacrifices comfort. Nyko's two products here woefully are both crippled by ridiculous design flaws that defeat any benefits that they may have intended to offer.
First up is the most ambitious gizmo, the DS Lite Charger Grip, which works as a size-enhancer for the Lite but also contains chargeable batteries for longer playtime. In theory these are both noble aspirations. In practice they are so woefully executed and blatantly ridiculous that one literally wonders how this product was ever made.
For starters, the grip itself cannot be charged on its lonesome: it must be connected to the original DS Lite power adapter. This alone would not be so bad, but once it's charged and you actually attach the device to the Lite, you will discover the crippling flaw: the plug that connects to the DS Lite charging port to provide the backup power sits so close to the edge of the L button that you can no longer rest your finger along the top of the system or hit the L button with your knuckle instead of your fingertip. And that, my friends, is what we call a dealbreaker. The system is rendered so uncomfortable as to be unusable (for this reviewer anyway), and even the added benefit of extra power ended up disappointing me, providing only around three hours of juice in contrast to the package's touted (up to) eight.
The second product is the admittedly less ambitious pair of LED styli, products so simple in their concept that one could questions how they could be bungled—but again, they are, in the most obvious ways: the smaller stylus is burdened with a bulky end (presumably large to fit the watch batteries the LED requires) so bulky that in fact it leaves a massive plastic hunk sticking out of the Lite when it is inserted into the system for storage.
The biggest one does not fit or attempt to fit into the system itself--which somewhat humorously ended up being a moot point as the entire top snapped in half as soon as I twisted it to activate the light. The most excellent part is that the LED (on the smaller stylus anyway) is so weak and poorly visible through the ribbed plastic that one questions its inclusion in the design to begin with.
These products really raise a few questions: did anyone actually try to use these before they were sent out for manufacture? Who really needs a light up stylus? Simple revisions of the hardware could have easily saved these products. As they are, they are nothing but ideas poorly executed. And as accessories designed to enhance your new love's already striking beauty and function, such shortcomings simply offer nothing better than stock, au naturel.
So what sorts of ornamentation exactly could Mr. Pitt offer his new love in an effort to enhance the already attractive alternative? As Nyko unwittingly shows us with their DS Lite Charger Grip and Dual Lighted Stylus Pack, not many.
You see, the DS Lite's design already works, and it's tight, compact. Much like any jewelry, in the exchange for glamour one often sacrifices comfort. Nyko's two products here woefully are both crippled by ridiculous design flaws that defeat any benefits that they may have intended to offer.
First up is the most ambitious gizmo, the DS Lite Charger Grip, which works as a size-enhancer for the Lite but also contains chargeable batteries for longer playtime. In theory these are both noble aspirations. In practice they are so woefully executed and blatantly ridiculous that one literally wonders how this product was ever made.
For starters, the grip itself cannot be charged on its lonesome: it must be connected to the original DS Lite power adapter. This alone would not be so bad, but once it's charged and you actually attach the device to the Lite, you will discover the crippling flaw: the plug that connects to the DS Lite charging port to provide the backup power sits so close to the edge of the L button that you can no longer rest your finger along the top of the system or hit the L button with your knuckle instead of your fingertip. And that, my friends, is what we call a dealbreaker. The system is rendered so uncomfortable as to be unusable (for this reviewer anyway), and even the added benefit of extra power ended up disappointing me, providing only around three hours of juice in contrast to the package's touted (up to) eight.
The second product is the admittedly less ambitious pair of LED styli, products so simple in their concept that one could questions how they could be bungled—but again, they are, in the most obvious ways: the smaller stylus is burdened with a bulky end (presumably large to fit the watch batteries the LED requires) so bulky that in fact it leaves a massive plastic hunk sticking out of the Lite when it is inserted into the system for storage.
The biggest one does not fit or attempt to fit into the system itself--which somewhat humorously ended up being a moot point as the entire top snapped in half as soon as I twisted it to activate the light. The most excellent part is that the LED (on the smaller stylus anyway) is so weak and poorly visible through the ribbed plastic that one questions its inclusion in the design to begin with.
These products really raise a few questions: did anyone actually try to use these before they were sent out for manufacture? Who really needs a light up stylus? Simple revisions of the hardware could have easily saved these products. As they are, they are nothing but ideas poorly executed. And as accessories designed to enhance your new love's already striking beauty and function, such shortcomings simply offer nothing better than stock, au naturel.