Customer Reviews

Nintendo DS Browser

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Finally i can surf the internet on my DS, something that the Japanese have been able to do for a while. You'll need a wireless hot spot to connect, just as you would with a laptop. There are some downsides such as no video or sound, but if you need information or want to read some news on the web, this browser will be perfect. It has several standard features such as bookmarks and a history of sites you've recently visited. You can disable pictures for faster loading times, search for specific words on a web site, zoom in or out, and more. You can switch between two display modes- one mode simply displays the web page on both the top and bottom screen. The other mode shows a zoomed out overview of the web page on one screen, with the other screen zoomed in to show the text and links. Obviously the touch screen comes in very handy for browsing the web, as it replaces the functionality of the mouse. Overall this is a very useful web browsing program for your ds, even if it's limited. It can be a little slow when viewing pages with lots to load, but you can always turn the pictures off to improve the speed. I have a laptop but hardly take it out with me, and i don't browse the web on my cell phone (which costs money anyway), so this little program will really come in handy for me. I live in NYC where there are lots of internet hot spots, so if i'm out and need to know when a movie is playing or i want to read my email, this is just perfect for that.

Presentation - 8
Good simple presentation, easy to use.
Graphics - 7
Displays pictures very nicely, have to take a couple points off for no video/flash.
Sound - 4
No sound is supported from the web. There are some simple sounds when you click, scroll, etc.
Gameplay/Functionality - 8
The touch screen control makes this browser work well. Although slow, this is a very nice program for your ds.
Lasting Appeal - 9
The lasting appeal and usefulness of this browser is great. Just remember what it's best at- when you're out and need some quick info.

Warning- There are 2 version of this broswer, 1 for the DS Lite and 1 for the DS Fat.

After reading many of the reviews of this device, I was very skeptical about it being usable, but being a big geek I could not resist the idea of checking my gmail and ebay auctions on my DS Lite. So is it nearly as bad as some of the 1 star reviewers say? No. Is it super fast and can you use it for anything that you would on your PC? No. In reality its somewhere in between. I read in another post that it is comparable to 56K dial-up speeds and that is fairly close to the mark, a bit faster in most cases.

It basically comes down to what you want to use it for and your expectations. If you intend to surf alot of media/flash heavy sites (eg. gamespot, etc....), than this is not the device for you. Those types of sites will take forever to load and render. However, if you are like myself and want to check your email, the weather, ebay, google, wikipedia, news type sites, and other sites that have a mobile version, than the DS browser is very handy and very fast. I've never had any issues with logging into my online accounts or with submitting various forms. The convenience of being able to check my email from bed or out on the deck in the backyard is well worth the 40 bucks (cdn). I can basically turn the device on, connect, check my email, and turn it off before my PC is even booted.

I think the number of bad reviews are due to ignorance, don't let them scare you if you are thinking of taking a pass on this thing. Some reviewer on this site complained that he got the wrong version, not sure how that is nintendo's fault when it is cleary marked for the lite version.
Some complain that it doesn't support flash or other plugins, obvious limitations that are well known before the purchase, so why did they bother buying it?
Others say that even for news sites that are mainly text, its slow (eg. 8 seconds) compared to the instant loading time of their PC. These geniuses are probably the same ones that stick a big muffler on their civic and are disappointed that it can't go as fast as a corvette.

If so, be prepared to do a bit of tap, tap, tapping of the fingers. I love my DS, and around 5 years ago, this would have been a decent mobile browser. But today even the most minor websites have lots of data and images to load, all of which will bring your surfing experience to a near standstill. I don't think this is the result of too-high expectations, either. After all, the very first page that you'll see when starting the browser lists Nintendo's home page as a suggested link; but that site is almost completely unusable using this platform, something I think is a little embarrassing for Opera and Nintendo.

Bottom line, the only practical use for this is checking e-mail and perhaps a few blogs, and that's really all there is. The next DS should be a bit more powerful and hopefully that'll bring a truly great mobile net surfing experience to the masses. Wait till then.

Given the limitations of the DS platform (slow processor, small screen, little memory), this is an awesome browser. Having used browsers for Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, and Sony PSP, this is the only one I've seen that renders complex pages correctly. The New York Times home page is laid out accurately, and, unlike the Windows Mobile version of IE, it can display radar imagery from the US National Weather Service site. Complex pages are best viewed in the layout mode, in which the lower screen shows a large portion of the page with a small rectangle you can move over the page to see magnified content in the upper screen. More text-based pages, such as BoingBoing, are best viewed in the mode in which the page width is compressed to the screen width and the page is spread over the two screens. Recognizing that different sites are best viewed in different modes, the browser lets you specify which mode each of your stored favorites will open in. Yes, the browser is slower than on a laptop because of the platform limitations, but its speed is comparable to other handheld devices while its accuracy, flexibility, and usability are much better. Opera has done a fantastic job of using the DS's strengths to make the browser both useful and usable.

Surfing the internet on your DS. The Japanese have been able to perform this task for a while now, and finally, we get the DS Browser on our shores. Like a previous reviewer excellently stated already, the DS Browser is useful, but limited in it's capabilities. Despite that though, it's still a handy little addition for your DS that is worth picking up. There are a few different options when it comes to web surfing, most notably being browsing the web with the top screen while using the touch screen as a mouse. Viewing pages of text is easy enough, but there are some glaring flaws to the Browser. Most notably being just how limited it is in terms of overall functionality. Viewing videos is out of the question, as is any sound capabilities from sites you visit. Those facts aside, the Browser works great otherwise, with the touch screen being excellently formatted it's biggest trait. Be warned though that you are going to need to find Wi-Fi hotspots to connect, which isn't a problem if you live in the city. In that case, having the internet on your DS on the go is a nice and welcome sidekick if you need to look up some information quickly. Though it seems inevitable that Nintendo will update and release better versions of the Browser for the DS in the future, this is a step in the right direction. All in all, if you're considering picking up the DS Browser, beware what it can do and can't do, and once you've made your peace with that, you'll find it makes a fine addition to Nintendo's powerhouse handheld.

I will make this review a short one. This is because I am writting it from the very product I review (actually, I am even using the stylus to write).
I just bought my DS browser yesterday and I can say it is a very cool thing. I genuinely love this this thing! It is simple enough to use and is rather functional. Now, I must confess that it does have its flaws, but they are far outweighted by the positive aspects of it.
I have been able to read news, check my e-mail, browse amazon.com, and surf quite a few others things with great ease.
I must accept, though, that this browser has some limitations: no audio, no video, no flash and some heavier-than-usual load times (although they are not as bad as some might say).
Having said all of the above, I do recommend getting this great product, as it certainly delivers what one expects and is great fun to use.

As long as you don't have astronomically high expectations of this little browser, you may be pleasantly surprised. No, it doesn't support Flash. No, it won't play videos. However, you can access most popular sites and have them work well. I can get on my photo sharing site easily. I can also do some online banking. Some image heavy sites do take several minutes to fully load. As long as you know that going in, you might still be surprised how well it works. The dual screens add an interesting dimension to web surfing that reminds me a little of the new iPhones. Specifically, one of the screens can magnify the web page while you navigate using the other. Dare I say that surfing with this browser is fun?

Comparing the performance of this browser to that of a PC is like comparing a DS game to a Wii game. 2 different systems with 2 different purposes. If you are looking to replace PC performance with the DS then you better look elsewhere. With that being said, I am very satisfied with the overall performance of the product. The main benefit is to provide web access when you don't have easy access to a PC. Slow cumbersome access is better than no access at all especially when you are traveling or away from home. I've been able to log into my email account, Amazon, weather.com, discussion boards, etc. without any problems. Here is a summary of the strengths and weaknesses:

Pros:
-Portability
-Store and manage favorite links
-Different options to view and navigate pages
-Easier to navigate and input text than the PSP browser
-Option to turn off images (faster load times)
-Handwriting recognition or virtual keyboard input

Cons:
-Web pages load slowly depending on content
-No flash support
-Slower than PSP browser
-Inputting text and information can be cumbersome
-DS Lite version is only available through retail

I believe the Opera browser is a must buy for online gamers.

I have verified that it will allow you to play online at places where you would otherwise not be able. Virtually any wifi hotspot.

The Opera browser will connect to websites that redirect you to verification webpages. You can then agree to terms or whatever else the hotspot requires. After connecting and verifying with Opera, you can then boot up any online game and connect because the router remembers the DS's MAC address for a period of time.

I tried this a my local Panera. I first booted up MK and tried to get online. The connection test passed but was unable to connect (the router required verification first). I then put in Opera which immediately directed me to the terms page. After agreeing to terms I then booted up MK and was playing online in no time! I think the same would work at most hotels etc. This is HUGE for me because I travel often for work and have been relagated to playing at McDonalds instead of the comfort of my hotel room.

I believe this feature coupled with the fact that the browser is very good at what it is meant for (especially if you use mobile sites) makes it must buy. $30 is really pretty cheap when you consider the alternatives.

The DS Browser was a great idea that was poorly executed. Seeing as how this comes from the same group that made Opera Mini, it is a huge disappointment. Despite the fact it's an overall disappointment I still think the DS Browser is better than nothing.

The navigation is about as easy as you would expect. You tap links to open them and you drag pages up and down to read them. The responsiveness is pretty shoddy when a large page is loading, but when it's fully loaded you shouldn't have too much trouble.

The split screen provides a nice browsing experience too. It makes reading long articles much easier. Also, in SSR mode you get a page overview on one screen and a zoomed view on the other. You can swap the screens but it's kind of slow. I would've thought better of this feature if the screen swap was only a couple seconds wait.

You're given pretty standard options at the bottom. Forward, Back, Stop, Refresh, Bookmarks, Options and Search to name a few. I don't think they left out any important features. Although an RSS reader could've been a nice touch.

Pages and images are rendered pretty accurately, assuming they're low on Flash, Java and movie objects. The browser supports javascript but some advanced pages won't render correctly (Google Reader is one).

The major failing of this browser is in the poor hardware and the lack of attention to that fact. The DS Lite doesn't have enough memory to load entire webpages so they added a cartridge. Still, the cartridge memory is much slower than internal memory. The extra memory still isn't enough in some cases. I've been to a few pages that simply could not be loaded due to low memory. Despite these facts they still could've salvaged this browser by providing an optimizing proxy server. I'm totally surprised this didn't dawn on them since Opera Mini uses this technique, beautifully I might add. Seeing as how they didn't do that I would expect the browser to load content on demand. Nope. If you go to a page with 5MB of data the browser will load it all at once.

So basically, if you don't mind long load times, frequent unresponsiveness and the inability to completely load a few pages I think you'll get your money's worth. Due to the larger screen I'd say it's a slight step up from Opera Mini on a phone. This is definitely worse than any PDA browser or the PSP browser.

One more thing. You can possibly squeeze better performance out of this thing by running your own optimizing proxy server or using Google's mobile search.