Finally, what is great about the DSI.

Sorry about not posting until now. Been up putting the finishing touches on my website, but I finally have the chance to sit down and talk about what I love about the DSi.

I won’t spend too long on the design of the DSi. I’ll be honest, look at it.Once again, Nintendo joins Apple in the “Who can have sexy hardware” area. The DSi is lightweight, sleek, and has a matte finish. Very nice to handle.  The button placement is effective, but someone with larger thumbs like myself can find some soreness after an extended playtime.

Now, the OS. It’s just like the wii.  And I assume most people have seen the wii’s OS, so I won’t bore you. It’s awesome. Super clear, easy to use, large buttons, perfect for a touch screen.

Now, my favorite part is the Web Browser, powered by OPERA. Booyah. This thing not only supports Google & Yahoo engines,  it is HTML/CSS2 compliant. It gets wonky with java and flash, but it’s not a deal breaker. I took some screen shots.

My favorite part is how the system gives you 2 views of your web page, the top is for viewing purposes, while the bottom gives you the ability to click links, and move about the page. Like I said, it won’t show java or flash, but it

It’s great. It really is. Sadly to say,  the browser on the DSi beats out most mobile browsers on phones. I’d say the only browser that can beat it would be Safari on the Iphone, and Android.

Hey, Nintendo…read that line again. Iphone, Android..I’d consider a Nintenphone.

Anyways, in conclusion, I do have some issues with the DS, involving security and the laughable way they handle playing games on the internet, something their competitors have down to a science, but, they have a fantastic design, and the OS is spectacular.

Thanks for viewing!

Recent musings

Man, it has been a crazy week. Quick update, then look for a final post on the Nintendo DSI tomorrow.

Recently, I have been working on a proposal for my company to start and maintain a video campaign for one of our programs, which is going to segway me into this interesting thought “Do we need websites for everything?”

The program in question has the ability to have a massive write-up, but, in a very unorthodox move,  I have decided to sell the idea of creating a video, rather than (once again), putting video and photos on our basic site template, following all of our standards completely. Basically, acting completely out of my comfort zone, and going for something nuts.

Part of my reasoning is because of some of the people I have been introduced to, and have had the absolute pleasure of being around. One of them is a Designer/Production Director named Sunny Thaper, of  Fourty Agency, here in Phoenix. He is very eclectic, some would say that he is strange, but I think he’s pretty awesome. And he’s really into video, and looking at his video work, I started to think of what I could do, melding video into design. So, very cool.  If my proposal is accepted, I will be documenting the process here.

In other news, my website is stuck at 95% done. www.puuchuu.com looks great, it’s just getting the content put together, and some of these projects I haven’t  touched since I finished college, so it really is mind blowing. The worst part is looking at projects I was second guessing myself over, taking 5 minutes, and fixing it so that the project is more attractive.

Why oh why couldn’t that have happened 2 years ago?

I wonder to myself. Oh well. Also, some of the files have not transferred fonts over, etc, etc, so really, this gives me a chance to go back and tighten up some of my best student designs, so that I can proudly display them with newer works.

Another thing is the conclusion to my first blog series about the design and UI of the Nintendo DSI. My first two posts were dedicated to what I thought were problems with the system, and now, for my final post, I will write about the good parts of it. I am absolutely in love with their browser, despite some flash/java issues. So that will be handled tomorrow.

And lastly, a reflection on this whole blogging nonsense. I love it. I like the opportunity to share my thoughts with whomever discovers this blog, via twitter, facebook, friends, or random searches, I love all of it, and I would love to see some input on what is being written and what you would like to see me write, so please, I encourage you to comment.

Thanks a ton.

-Randy

Nintendo and their failure to grasp the elusive “Internet”, Part 1.

For my first real post, I’ve decided to tackle the concept of user experience and Nintendo, particularly in their  failure to grasp an on-line service properly.

We all know that the Wii has proved to fail at the internet, seeing that instead of having an easy to use community and friends system, similar to both Microsoft’s X-Box Live and The Playstation Network, they decided to use “Friend Codes”, a 12-digit hexadecimal code that you have to enter in via the remote, so already, you have to point at each letter/number and  press “A” in order to select out the digit. Then, there is no system in place for knowing if your friends are on-line.

You just have to guess. Or, do what some people have done, and use other gaming network services to set up a chat client for the Wii.

Yeah. This is why I play Xbox.

Well, now, Nintendo has a new(ish) system out, the Nintendo DSi. It’s basically a re-hash of the Nintendo DS, but with 2 cameras, larger screens, no more Game Boy Advance slot, and an SD card port for expandable memory. It also has access to a highly advanced mobile web.

Sarah had to buy one because she lost her original DS, so this gave us the opportunity to see if Nintendo has fixed their web issues.

Short answer: no. In fact, it may even be worse now, because first off, you have degrade your security settings in order to take the DSi on-line.

For those who don’t know about internet security, there are two main classifications. WEP, and WPA. WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, is an outdated form of security, prompting a user to enter a hexadecimal code. The main problem with WEP is that it can be easily hacked through key generators. WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, is a much better security system, prompting users to create their own password.

Now,I know what you’re thinking,  “This is a double edged sword”. The user who uses “DougRocks” as his password is fucked. The person who uses |>0uG@R()C|<S is spectacular in creating a password.

Personally, I use WPA2, which is arguably the best security setup for wifi, however, this is where Nintendo Fails.

On Nintendo’s support site, it states that

“*Important Note* If you wish to play Nintendo DS Game Cards online, your router needs to be set to WEP security.”

That should be changed to “If you wish to use your DSI on-line, your router needs to be set to WEP security”. Sure enough, the DSi will see your awesomely protected network, but will it connect? NO.

Sadly, if you look at this page, it clearly states that the DSi is compatible with WPA, then contradicts itself with this Q/A.

“I use a passphrase for my key. Can I use this?
Some routers allow you to enter a Passphrase. This is then converted to a key number. When you are entering a key into the Nintendo DS, the actual key is required. The Passphrase will not work.”

I wish that there were someway I could more easily show that I am Facepalming myself right now. This image will have to do.

This is when Picard tries to get online with his DSi.

Now, this is a terrible choice for Nintendo, making their users downgrade their security because  their device doesn’t actually support WPA.

Seeing the network and using the network are two different things. Nintendo, please, as an open letter to you, fix this problem. I personally had to reset the security on 5 computers and the Wii, just so that your should be easy-to-use mobile device could access my network.

However, I am not done with Nintendo and their lack of usability. Next, I will write Part 2, which will be about how doing something as simple as setting up an account with Nintendo in order to go online with the DSi is an incredibly annoying process.