Are the small buttons putting anyone else off buying a DS?

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I just got my DS lastnight and I already have 3 games for it. I was surprised on how extremely easy it was to set up the WiFi. I kind of winged it when setting up the IP address, but it gets a better connection than my computer.

My only gripe is that the screen could be a little bigger, especially for games like Dawn of Sorrows. It's not a big deal, but it would be nice being able to fully sit back in my bed to play without my hands getting tired after awhile.

I wouldn't have minded if the buttons were more like the ones on SNES, they always felt comftorable even after several hours of play. The stylus works a lot better than I originaly expected and I can't wait until more stylus based games come out.

[jdc]

I should be getting my Mario Kart bundle DS any day now. Just waiting for it to arrive at the shop.

The DS is a welcome relief from the pain I go through with my PSP. Fuckin' stupid thumbnub placement. Whoever the idiot was who saw fit to place it at the very bottom of the PSP should be shot. I have mild arthritis in my hands and playing any game that uses the nub gets to be very uncomfortable after 15 minutes. I bought the much-looked-forward-to GTA on release day, managed 2 missions....and haven't played it since. At least with Burnout, I got to use the D-pad, which positions my thumbs in the same manner as a DS.

I tried a DS.....my hands are relaxed in a more natural position and the small buttons take far less effort to press. My PSP has got to go. Awesome system, but from an anatomic viewpoint I should have gone with the DS from the get-go.

[goatdan]

To be honest, my only hang up with the system right now is the touch pad. For some reason I'm still worried that I'll never get comfortable while gaming with a stylus.

I felt the same way, although now having had the DS for two weeks and playing it an absolute ton, I can tell you from experience that the stylus is well used. It is almost always exclusively used as a control device where you only have to focus on it (Feel the Magic and Zoo Keeper, for instance) or it isn't necessary at all (Mario Kart, Mario DS, Rayman).

Now, a bit of an in-depth review on the buttons from a fellow who has rather large hands himself.

First off, I have to make the disclaimer that I really like the D-pad on the GameCube. I don't understand why there is a huge issue about it. So maybe I'm just crazy.

Now, about the DS's buttons... Quite frankly, this is the most comfortable portable I have ever held. I have played extensively at one time or another all of the following --Game Boys, Game Boy Colors, Atari Lynxes (both models), Sega Game Gear, Nomad, Game Boy Advance (both models, not Pocket) and Neo Geo Pocket. Out of all of them, the DS, in my opinion, has the best of all worlds.

It isn't heavy. The Lynx would win for best lay out if the thing wasn't such a heavy, large beast. The reason companies don't want to make game systems larger is so that when people want to cart them around with them, they can. My DS has tagged along with me to work lately (I was showing some of my co-workers Mario Kart, which they all wanted to see) and I have greatly enjoyed sticking it in a pocket and having it fit. The weight of it is just right for holding. You don't feel like you need to rest your arms somewhere after fifteen minutes.

The fact that it closes up means that you don't have to worry about scratching up the screens. I am looking for a new Neo Geo Pocket Color because the one that I have has slowly received more and more scratches to the screen from normal use. I don't have to worry about the screens on the DS, and I really appreciate that.

Now, I said that I would talk about the buttons, so here goes -- the buttons are laid out in a way that I think works best for people like me who have large hands. Why? Because I can rest my thumb in the middle of the four buttons and I have perfect control over all four of them. I can press three at the same time if I want. Or just one. Or two. Or all four. I can't do that with my Xbox. I can't do that with my GameCube. It makes control MUCH more intuitive for me at least.

I've been playing Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga a lot on it. That game requires a lot of the use of the A & B buttons at the same time or at different times. I tried it on my Game Boy Player, and I couldn't do it. I didn't have as precise control, so it went right back into the DS and has stayed there ever since. I believe I'm already about halfway through the game, and I've only owned it for a week and a day now. For me, that's like a new record.

Mario Kart is an odd one as the buttons aren't laid out in what I would've considered to be the best layout for the game. Having said that, I've never even looked to see if I could change it. However, the trigger buttons fall right into place for me, and I can't really complain.

I was really concerned about the size of the stylus too. I actually got a kit so I would have a carrying case for my DS, and in it I got a larger stylus, which I thought would really work well for me. Well, it doesn't. For some reason, even though I'm used to using a Pocket PC with a larger stylus, that short little thing that Nintendo gave me seems to work better than a longer one.

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All in all, I bought my system with great reservations. I knew there were some games I really wanted to play on it, and I was really interested by the stylus gimmick, but even though I love Mario Kart and that was the tipping point, I was very nervous that I wouldn't be able to control the darn thing with my big hands. Seeing my friend who bought one before me play (he also has big hands), although he said that it was great it just looked uncomfortable.

After two weeks with the system, I can honestly say that I don't think that the layout could be done better, at least for me. Everything works, and works well. The stylus stuff is integrated nicely so I am not forced to use it -- I haven't used stylus control for Mario DS at all, and I'm probably 25-50% of the way through with that game now too (I really have no idea, as I've never played Mario 64 for long before *gasp*). Thanks to how well it controls, I have been toying with the fact of trying to collect for it. As of this moment, that won't be happening, but it is definitely worth looking at.

See if you can sit down and try one out for a while longer, with games other than just Mario Kart. I think that it grows on you, especially when you have a game like Mario & Luigi...

Hmmm.... maybe I'll have to pick up the sequel a little later today Ah, I want to finish this one first

[Cmtz]

You guys....gosh darnit, maybe I should buy one...

But... I had already made plans to visit your animal crossing town.

[Rogmeister]

I've only had mine for 2-3 weeks but have had no real issues with the buttons. I do find I've accidentally hit the shoulder buttons a couple of times when I didn't mean to but apart from that, I'm fine with the design.

[zektor]

I really warmed up to the design of the unit myself. Then again, I have never really had any issues with Nintendo's control design...even the original NES controllers. It works very well for me, actually not even being a thought until I read this thread!