I got the Onyx version as a Christmas gift and have been very impressed with it. Good games (I'm enjoying Brain Age and New Mario now), good battery life, the touch screen and mic work well (and enable some fun features on Brain Age).

I'm excited about the wi-fi capabilities, but haven't had a chance to try them out yet. It's really nice that, unlike some other systems, you can play against others without everyone having to have their own copy of a game.

Forget an ipod. I use this to pass the time during my daily commute. I have a black one and I love it. Sometimes I'll be playing MarioKart (with people around the world), sometimes it's Sudoku on BrainAge. It has WiFi capabilities and if your friend doesn't have your game, s/he can download it onto theirs wirelessly and play along with you. Good battery life too.

So many games, so little time.

I travel a lot for work and for the last year I have wanted a Nintendo DS. I love puzzles and games and typically bring some crossword puzzles or something along with me, but they get crumpled and ripped and are kind of bulky. Plus, I only have what is in that one book. With a DS I can swap between arcade style games AND brain teasers.

fun and always something new

Ive been meaning to recommend this for quite a quite a while now. I got a DS for Christmas almost two years ago......................And I have never put id down since, lol! First it was Deal or no deal, I would sit there screaming NO! No deal, No deal! all day long. :) Then there was Brain age, which made my head hurt, and kinda made me feel a little, uneducated? lol
Then came THE NEW SUPER MARIO BROTHERS!!! Oh my GOD! If you dont have a DS, this game alone is worth the cost of Everything!!! Its awesome! It was really similar to the Old Super mario brothers.....trust me it was incredible! Then Lego Indiana Jones! Oh my Gosh! I could write a book on how much I love my DS, but I wont, lol. They are comin gout with a new model! the DSi. It has a camera and I think internet access? I cant remember. I would rush out to get one, BUT all the information I have from my old games cant be transferred from DS to DS. So basically, your particular DS is your memory card. What you play on that unit is saved on that unit. Its kinda lame, but i think I Might like to have one? Im still iffy.Until then, my crimson/black DS is still alive and kicking so no need for a new one yet.

mindless fun

As with it's larger brother, the Wii, this is all about having fun, and like it's larger brother it doesn't have to cost the world. Bleeding edge technology is fine for those who are prepared to put up with the failures that come with items so new, I'd rather wait and have fun.