Yesterday I picked up two Nintendo DS systems (not easy to find down here in Tampa) and the first thing I did was open one up and charge it up so I could get back to work…

Well when the charge was done instead of trying to play the Metroid demo or Mario64, I decided it was time to get closer to the ending of Advance Wars 2 (both 1 and 2 are must-haves if you don’t have them already). So I stuck the GBA cart in and really wasn’t expecting anything different, but there was a rumor on the web that GBA games just looked better on the DS.

After configuring the system the game started up and to say the least I am nothing short of amazed. The screen is backlit in contrast to the GBA SP which uses front lighting and this makes a huge difference in picture quality. The colors are more vibrant and the screen seems to jump out at you more.

Sound wise this is like a mini-stereo system in your hands. It takes portable gaming sound to the next five levels. The sounds was loud and crisp. It could get too loud if you are not careful. Glad they had the sense to include a headphone socket.

So now my poor GBA SP will never get touched again because the new DS simply provides a better experience head-to-head when playing the same games. Even though the launch titles for the DS are unimpressive, it wouldn’t hurt you to get one now and enjoy the many fine titles that the GBA line offers.