Any DS Lite retail deals out there?

[pk500]

Boys:

I'm in the market this week for a DS Lite and Clubhouse Games. I did a search at cheapassgamer.com but didn't find any deals for the unit or that game.

Does anyone know of any deals for the DS Lite, such as a free game or accessories kit with a purchase, and for Clubhouse Games? I prefer brick-and-mortar, as I'm an impatient mofo right now, but I could hold off for a killer online deal.

Appreciate any replies!

Thanks,
PK

[jLp vAkEr0]

PK,

Is the DS for your children or are there games that actually interest you on the DS?

[sportdan30]

I'd possibly be willing to sell Clubhouse Games for around $21 if you're interested.

[pk500]

PK,

Is the DS for your children or are there games that actually interest you on the DS?

For me. There are many games that interest me, as I'm flat-out sick and tired of the endless cycle of annual "upgrades" to sports games and first-person shooters that are nothing but expansion packs at full retail price.

The kids and I can play stuff on Clubhouse Games, Brain Age, etc. But no, I'm not rushing out to buy Hannah Montana any time soon.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

I'd possibly be willing to sell Clubhouse Games for around $21 if you're interested.

Dan:

If Best Buy has ended its deal of $24.99 for Clubhouse Games, I'll PM you. If not, the game only will cost a dollar or two more retail than your offer with shipping.

I'm tight, but I have limits.

Thanks,
PK

[dbdynsty25]

Impatient goes against everything you believe in financially PK.

[Zeppo]

PK,

Is the DS for your children or are there games that actually interest you on the DS?

For me. There are many games that interest me, as I'm flat-out sick and tired of the endless cycle of annual "upgrades" to sports games and first-person shooters that are nothing but expansion packs at full retail price.

Take care,
PK

Not to be a d*ck, but you should try them before declaring them nothing but expansion packs.

I agree GRAW is not the greatest thing ever, but the new SC is, IMO, brilliant esp. in mutliplayer; NHL07 is far more than just a roster update; the EA football games are, IMO and those of others, a large upgrade in many areas, while being admitedly lame as hell in others. Games like TDU or Dead Rising and others simply couldn't be done on the Xbox or PS2, so they are far more than just new skins on the same game. There are other examples. And coming down the pike are new efforts at old franchises like the WWII shooters CoD, MoH or BiA, whose competition with each other should bear some quality gameplay, a new Rainbow 6 which, while we know what to expect, promises to be much more than just the same old game with a new MP mode thrown on top (of course, we'll have to see with that one, given the whole Lockdown debacle).

OK, you know me PK, I am being a d*ck!! But still, while I understand your reasoning and fully appreciate it (though XBL is a far less fun place without you around), I don't think it's fair to characterize the whole of the 360 library as you have so dismissively, without at least giving the games a fair shake with some serious playtime.

In one discussion long ago related to the DSP online game flash-in-the-pan-itis, I mentioned that I thought a big part of the problem was that there were far too many really good games; I was laughed at and ridiculed! Well, now I think there is even more to support my theory. Every night on XBL my friends list is full of people playing a wide variety of games (Fshguy doesn't count, becaus he is a well-known achievements whore and plays games like Open Season just to get the gamerpoints ). Sure, some games come and go quickly, like NBA2K7 seems to have; everyone is playing them for a week or so, and then the activity falls off. But many games seem to have a lot of staying power, but it's different games with different people.

And let's face it; once Forza, or maybe GTR, or perhaps the newest McRae or something hits the stands, you know you will be sorely tempted to find a cheap 360 on ebay! You just know it!

[ScoopBrady]

If your experience with the DS is the same as mine than you might want to rethink your purchase pk. I had quite a bit of fun with it for about 3 months before the fun faded and I was left with a machine I had little to no interest in playing with no releases on the horizon that even remotely interested me. I'd hate to see you put all your eggs in the DS basket only to find yourself unhappy a couple of months down the road. I could be wrong but I don't think the DS will give you what you're looking for over the long haul.

[sportdan30]

I still play my DS Lite, but not as much as I did when I first purchased it. Unfortunately, there's just not enough grade A titles out for it IMO. SMB and Brain Age are great fun, but many of the other popular titles don't intrigue me as much.

That said, for $130, it's not a bad deal even if you just play it sparingly. But, if you're going to spend that amount, you might as well wait and pick up the Wii for $250. With that purchase at least, you know Nintendo is going to be putting out a lot of titles, many of them high quality.

[sportdan30]

Pk,

By the way, check out cheapassgamer.com. I'm sure you've been to their site, but that's probably the best site in terms of hearing about new and upcoming deals.

[pk500]

Not to be a d*ck, but you should try them before declaring them nothing but expansion packs.

No problem. Got $500-plus to spare?

I agree GRAW is not the greatest thing ever, but the new SC is, IMO, brilliant esp. in mutliplayer

I've never liked Splinter Cell; you know that.

NHL07 is far more than just a roster update

True, but nearly everyone says it has some AI flaws that are overcome by the fun of the skill stick. You know me and hockey: Realism comes first.

the EA football games are, IMO and those of others, a large upgrade in many areas, while being admitedly lame as hell in others.

So it's a $60 push. No sale.

Games like TDU or Dead Rising and others simply couldn't be done on the Xbox or PS2, so they are far more than just new skins on the same game.

TDU did cause some yearning in me as I read posts about it by you cats. No question. That one looks mega-fun.

There are other examples. And coming down the pike are new efforts at old franchises like the WWII shooters CoD, MoH or BiA, whose competition with each other should bear some quality gameplay, a new Rainbow 6 which, while we know what to expect, promises to be much more than just the same old game with a new MP mode thrown on top (of course, we'll have to see with that one, given the whole Lockdown debacle).

And what in CoD, MoH and BiA will distinguish it from its predecessors other than graphics and maybe a new mode tossed in? Anything novel happening there?

The new Rainbow Six looks good. But it seems to be more of a recovery from Lockdown -- with great graphics -- than a true advancement from the brilliance of RS:3. Still, that Rainbow Six Vegas looks good.

So I'm supposed to drop $500 -- the system, warranty and tax -- for two games, TDU and Vegas? That may be an easy ask for you guys, but not me.

OK, you know me PK, I am being a d*ck!! But still, while I understand your reasoning and fully appreciate it (though XBL is a far less fun place without you around), I don't think it's fair to characterize the whole of the 360 library as you have so dismissively, without at least giving the games a fair shake with some serious playtime.

Less fun? Not sure about that. Quieter? You bet!

In one discussion long ago related to the DSP online game flash-in-the-pan-itis, I mentioned that I thought a big part of the problem was that there were far too many really good games; I was laughed at and ridiculed! Well, now I think there is even more to support my theory. Every night on XBL my friends list is full of people playing a wide variety of games (Fshguy doesn't count, becaus he is a well-known achievements whore and plays games like Open Season just to get the gamerpoints ). Sure, some games come and go quickly, like NBA2K7 seems to have; everyone is playing them for a week or so, and then the activity falls off. But many games seem to have a lot of staying power, but it's different games with different people.

I'm glad that you cats are enjoying your 360s -- when they work -- and the growing number of XBL titles. But honestly, very few of them float my boat and many of them seem derivative.

Back in the day when consoles were $199 or less, I could take a shot on buying one without financial remorse or selling bodily fluids on eBay to raise the funds. That's exactly what I did with the Dreamcast, and it paid off in spades.

But with new consoles at $500 or more after tax, that's simply not a conscionable option for me anymore.

And I'll be honest: It's great that there are so many different Grade-A XBL games coming to the 360. But selfishly, I don't like that, either. I LOVED the early days of XBL, say 2002-04, when there were only two or three big-room XBL games at a time that were popular at DSP. There was absolutely no trouble getting eight to 12 DSPers together on almost a nightly basis to play TOCA 2, RS:3, Midtown Madness 3, any of the Ghost Recons, First to Fight, etc. It was a f*cking XBL block party, every single night. Not to mention the four-player fun with Links, Rivals, etc.

Do you cats still get that on a regular basis around here? I ask that sincerely, as I never was on XBL with the 360. But I just don't see the virtual placards being posted on the virtual telephone poles around here anymore, with guys seeking up to a dozen DSPers to play in a big-room game two, three or more nights per week.

That's what I don't see, and that's what I'll miss most about console gaming with you guys. But since I don't see it much, even though there are quality games out there for XBL, I think I'm stepping away at a good time. It just feels right, and I'm excited to play the DS.

I'll return to consoles at some point. I left consoles in 1990 after a good eight years of play, took two years away from gaming, then went to handhelds (GameBoy) and more time off from gaming before returning to consoles with the PSX in 1997.

I anticipate a similar pattern unfolding, probably with a more compressed time frame this time.

And let's face it; once Forza, or maybe GTR, or perhaps the newest McRae or something hits the stands, you know you will be sorely tempted to find a cheap 360 on ebay! You just know it!

Very unlikely. I never liked Forza; GTR will be such a sim that it will appeal only to a small cross-section of DSPers, and McRae will need a rash of improvements other than graphics to tempt me. That series has been stuck in neutral for a long time, as CMR 2.0 for the PlayStation still represents the pinnacle of the series.

I know this sounds hypocritical, but an EA Rugby game with online play and tweaked gameplay would tempt me more than anything. But even then, I'm not dropping $500 for one game. No game is worth that much.

Anyways, know of any DS Lite deals?

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

If your experience with the DS is the same as mine than you might want to rethink your purchase pk. I had quite a bit of fun with it for about 3 months before the fun faded and I was left with a machine I had little to no interest in playing with no releases on the horizon that even remotely interested me. I'd hate to see you put all your eggs in the DS basket only to find yourself unhappy a couple of months down the road. I could be wrong but I don't think the DS will give you what you're looking for over the long haul.

How many other consoles do you have? Don't you own a PSP, too? You discount the draw of playing on consoles, especially if you had a new 360 at the same time with XBL play with DSPers, pulling you away from the DS Lite.

The DS Lite will be my only machine. It will good pick-up-and-play fun, which all I need now. The days of me sitting in front of the TV for two, three or more hours at a time gaming, three or four nights per week, ended for me this spring by choice. That's what prompted me this summer to reconsider my console gaming hobby and moving to the next generation.

Plus many of the DS Lite games that I'll enjoy also can be played with my kids and will have some educational or "clean fun" value, such as Brain Age and Clubhouse Games.

I think the DS will give me exactly what I want over the long haul, as my gaming needs and habits have changed greatly over the last six months. I'm now more like the people in the Nintendo DS Touch Generations game ads than the rabid gamer I used to be. So again, the DS Lite fits.

This isn't a snap decision, by any means. I don't discard a system that I've used for four years on a whim.

Thanks,
PK

[pk500]

I still play my DS Lite, but not as much as I did when I first purchased it. Unfortunately, there's just not enough grade A titles out for it IMO. SMB and Brain Age are great fun, but many of the other popular titles don't intrigue me as much.

That said, for $130, it's not a bad deal even if you just play it sparingly. But, if you're going to spend that amount, you might as well wait and pick up the Wii for $250. With that purchase at least, you know Nintendo is going to be putting out a lot of titles, many of them high quality.

Dan:

You also own a console, right? Again, when I get the gaming jones, it will be the DS Lite for me. It's my only machine unless I want to play some Football Manager 2007, Internet Backgammon or Yahoo! Blackjack on my business laptop.

Plus the $250 price tag for the Wii is very deceiving. The Wii begs to be a multiplayer machine, especially since I have kids. And the Wii only ships with one nunchuk and Wiimote, and it will be a combined $60 for every other Wiimote-nunchuk combo.

So ching-ching it to $310 for a two-player Wii, right out of the box. That's more than double the price of a DS Lite.

Second, new Wii software will be at least $50, both first-party Nintendo and third party. That's anywhere from $15-30 more per game than new DS software. Add that up over eight to 10 games, and you're looking at an extra $120-300 out of pocket.

The difference in original retail price may appear only to be $120 between the Wii and the DS Lite. But if you look at short- and long-term price of ownership and usage, the Wii is a MUCH more expensive unit than the DS Lite.

Thanks,
PK

[pk500]

Does this make me the Tiki Barber of DSP? Am I retiring from consoles too soon?



Sincerely, I appreciate everyone's devil's advocacy. It's good to pause to think even further, but I'm very comfortable with my decision. My general de-emphasis of gaming and the big spike in prices for the hobby for the next generation -- hardware, software and microtransactions -- are two arrows moving in opposite directions.

Take care,
PK

[Zeppo]

I CALL BULLSHIT!

I could respond to every one but there are too many, so I'll just go with these.

So I'm supposed to drop $500 -- the system, warranty and tax -- for two games, TDU and Vegas? That may be an easy ask for you guys, but not me.

I do not think you will find one single preson here, even those who may have intended to, who only play one or two games on their 360. Besides the arcade games and the demos, there are a TON of quality titles for the 360 in many genres, a good number of which are genre-busters of some sort in that what is new about them makes it impossible to pigenohole them into an existing genre.

The big problem that seems common among 360 owners is that there are TOO many great games on the horizon, not to mention too many older titles we'd intended to play but never go to. Just ask Teal. And I don't care if you play them or not, I just think it's unfair to categorically dismiss 360 games without having done so.

Less fun? Not sure about that. Quieter? You bet!

Ask anyone here about that, too. You may not think we enjoy your outbursts, but we do, and most of all we love gaming with you, even when you're being a royal PiA!

Do you cats still get that on a regular basis around here? I ask that sincerely, as I never was on XBL with the 360. But I just don't see the virtual placards being posted on the virtual telephone pole around here anymore, with guys seeking up to a dozen DSPers to play in a big-room game two or three nights per week.

I think a HUGE part of this is that with the XBL system on the 360, we don't need to rely on message boards to set up game nights. Messaging in the 360 across games, from the dashboard, even online with a web browser eliminates the need to set things up far in advance. We've been playing SC every night since it came out, and I mean looooong nights, in a mix of co-op challenges and MP with full or nearly full rooms; evey night.

We just don't need to post on the forum what we're doing to enjoy it.

And to your dislike of SC, I point again to the problem of dissing a game without giving it a fair shake. The one time I played with you on the origianl SC vs. mode, you ran your spy into the middle of the room and started taking headshots at the mercs; you didn't last long.

This new SC is heavily streamlined, and for the better especailly for the new players or those who were overwhelmed with the older games just because they couldn't play very often. This one goes a very, very long way to solving most if not all of those problems. Yes, map knowledge is huge, yes, with experience you get better at the game than when you started, but there is a lot there from the core game design to the additions of bots and co-op challenges to decrease the angle on that learning curve, make it less steep.

Anyway, I always thought you would love SC and I still do; I think it delivers on everything that made you so excited about the original before it came out, when we saw the videos of vs mode. But I really don't think you've ever given yourself a chance to learn what the game is all about and realize that like all of us, you will absolutely suck for a while at the beginning. I absolutely suck all the time now from game to game; it's part of the game, and it's one of the things I guess you get used to.

And you did love Forza for about a week, before you couldn't play for a month in May. You wrote many very glowing things about the game in the beginning, and I think you'd still stand by them, because none of those glowing things was about the tuner style of gameplay but rather about the excellent physics and handling models.

Wow, that was supposed to be brief! Oops

PS to Dan: nothing in the history of NIN consoles indicates there will be a flood of quality titles for the first two years of its release. Both the N64 and the GC were just as Scoop said; a couple great launch titles, then a looooong drout for the next big 1st or 2nd party release, some of which sort of flopped. I think they'd have to prove that won't be the case before I will expect it to be different with the Wii.

[webdanzer]

I have a DS and like it quite a bit, but what I find a bit strange about PKs advocacy of it is that I've never known him to be a puzzler, platformer, arcadey-sports, RPGer type gamer. You know, the types of games doing well on the DS.

PK, I undertstand you are saying your gaming tastes have changed over the last few months, but do you know you now like these type of games or are you telling yourself that these are the types of games you are going to like going forward?

I mean, my current favorites include Kirby, Brain-Age, Mario Kart, Trauma Center, and Phoenix Wright. I've known you since we were both posting on usenet, and I've never really recalled you embracing such games.

[pk500]

I CALL BULLSHIT!

F*CK YOU, with whipped cream and a maraschino for a touch of elegance, you F*CKING DICK.

I do not think you will find one single preson here, even those who may have intended to, who only play one or two games on their 360. Besides the arcade games and the demos, there are a TON of quality titles for the 360 in many genres, a good number of which are genre-busters of some sort in that what is new about them makes it impossible to pigenohole them into an existing genre.

The big problem that seems common among 360 owners is that there are TOO many great games on the horizon, not to mention too many older titles we'd intended to play but never go to. Just ask Teal. And I don't care if you play them or not, I just think it's unfair to categorically dismiss 360 games without having done so.

Simple response: Cha-ching. You cats have no problem dropping serious coin on video gaming these days. I do.

Ask anyone here about that, too. You may not think we enjoy your outbursts, but we do, and most of all we love gaming with you, even when you're being a royal PiA!

Well, I find a way to turn Pictochat on the DS Lite into my own profane playground, no doubt.

I think a HUGE part of this is that with the XBL system on the 360, we don't need to rely on message boards to set up game nights. Messaging in the 360 across games, from the dashboard, even online with a web browser eliminates the need to set things up far in advance. We've been playing SC every night since it came out, and I mean looooong nights, in a mix of co-op challenges and MP with full or nearly full rooms; evey night.

We just don't need to post on the forum what we're doing to enjoy it.

Fair enough. But is that a recent phenomenon, spurred by SC?

And to your dislike of SC, I point again to the problem of dissing a game without giving it a fair shake. The one time I played with you on the origianl SC vs. mode, you ran your spy into the middle of the room and started taking headshots at the mercs; you didn't last long.

This new SC is heavily streamlined, and for the better especailly for the new players or those who were overwhelmed with the older games just because they couldn't play very often. This one goes a very, very long way to solving most if not all of those problems. Yes, map knowledge is huge, yes, with experience you get better at the game than when you started, but there is a lot there from the core game design to the additions of bots and co-op challenges to decrease the angle on that learning curve, make it less steep.

Anyway, I always thought you would love SC and I still do; I think it delivers on everything that made you so excited about the original before it came out, when we saw the videos of vs mode. But I really don't think you've ever given yourself a chance to learn what the game is all about and realize that like all of us, you will absolutely suck for a while at the beginning. I absolutely suck all the time now from game to game; it's part of the game, and it's one of the things I guess you get used to.

I played the hell out of the original SC, and I just didn't get into it. I'm not into stealth; I'm into firepower. Subtlety never has been one of my strong points, as you well know.

I thought I could get around my ambivalence about stealth when I saw the original multiplayer videos for SC, but I couldn't. Yes, I was one of the four gamers in the world who thought Metal Gear Solid was terribly boring on the PSX.

And you did love Forza for about a week, before you couldn't play for a month in May. You wrote many very glowing things about the game in the beginning, and I think you'd still stand by them, because none of those glowing things was about the tuner style of gameplay rather but about the excellent physics and handling models.

Credit that to two things: New-game smell and the fact that online racing started to become dominated by the tuner crowd. I got sick of getting my ass kicked by vastly inferior drivers with great setups they got from Action Replay or their buddy.

Plus I ran into too many ass-ramming Harvey Wallbangers in Forza. Plus, and I know this sounds trite, the lack of a true cockpit cam REALLY sucks in Forza.

The shine wore off on Forza for those reasons, not because I was away from it.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

I have a DS and like it quite a bit, but what I find a bit strange about PKs advocacy of it is that I've never known him to be a puzzler, platformer, arcadey-sports, RPGer type gamer. You know, the types of games doing well on the DS.

PK, I undertstand you are saying your gaming tastes have changed over the last few months, but do you know you now like these type of games or are you telling yourself that these are the types of games you are going to like going forward?

I mean, my current favorites include Kirby, Brain-Age, Mario Kart, Trauma Center, and Phoenix Wright. I've known you since we were both posting on usenet, and I've never really recalled you embracing such games.

Web:

Actually, my horizons opened considerably on the Dreamcast. I played all of those genres you mentioned on the DC and really enjoyed them.

I was in a similar spot in 2000 after four years or so with the PSX. I just tired of playing the same-old, same-old for the PSX, so I got the Dreamcast.

And something odd happened along the way. I loved the system and its funky games, as it gave me the breath of air I needed. Plus I started playing stuff like Ecco the Dolphin, Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, Sega Marine Fishing, Looney Tunes Space Race, Billiards King, etc., on the DC and loving them. And those all were types of games I never even considered on the PSX.

Well, I slipped back into my steady diet of sports and shooters on the PS2 and Xbox, and now I'm looking for open horizons again. The DS Lite has those types of games at the right price. The portability of the system and unique nature of the dual screens are nice touches, too.

Damn, we do go all the way back to Usenet! There's still a lot you don't know about me, f*cker, like the four years I served in state for ...

Take care,
PK

[Zeppo]

I played the hell out of the original SC, and I just didn't get into it. I'm not into stealth; I'm into firepower. Subtlety never has been one of my strong points, as you well know.

Take care,
PK

Single player SC and SC versus are totally different beasts. You get to blow spies up in MP! With grenades! And watch them fly through the air!

Or get them with that perfect head shot, when they never knew you were there! My new favorite!

I don't really like the single player that much. I've never finished one, and even though some things keep drawing me back, it's seriously trial and error for me, which isn't too much fun all the time. I really miss the proper co-op they had in SC:CT, as having a partner made solving the puzzles (i.e. "wtf am I supposed to go now?") and messing with the single player AI's heads a lot more fun!

[jLp vAkEr0]

Does this make me the Tiki Barber of DSP? Am I retiring from consoles too soon?

Tiki Barber has forgotten more things about class than PK ever will know.

Sincerely, I appreciate everyone's devil's advocacy. It's good to pause to think even further, but I'm very comfortable with my decision. My general de-emphasis of gaming and the big spike in prices for the hobby for the next generation -- hardware, software and microtransactions -- are two arrows moving in opposite directions.

Take care,
PK

I'm in the same boat as you. The difference is that I picked the PSP for my gaming needs.

My 360 was turning into a dust-collector, and the only gaming I was getting done in it was in XBL Arcade. I think I'm just burned out from sitting in front of the tv and playing. Too much things going on I guess.

I haven't missed it since I sold it. The PSP somehow fills my gaming needs when they come up, plus I always have my mem card filled with a couple of tv shows just in case.

[webdanzer]

Damn, we do go all the way back to Usenet! There's still a lot you don't know about me, f*cker, like the four years I served in state for ...

Take care,
PK

What's really crazy is 'all the way back' is as short as six, seven years ago!

Check it out:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.game ... 11bff7cc6f



Well, I recommend that you check out all of the DS games I mentioned. Gamefly rents 'em too, if you decide to go that way. Oh, and Advance Wars. Forgot about that one.

[pk500]

Tiki Barber has forgotten more things about class than PK ever will know.

The truest words typed on this forum in months.

I'm in the same boat as you. The difference is that I picked the PSP for my gaming needs.

My 360 was turning into a dust-collector, and the only gaming I was getting done in it was in XBL Arcade. I think I'm just burned out from sitting in front of the tv and playing. Too much things going on I guess.

I haven't missed it since I sold it. The PSP somehow fills my gaming needs when they come up, plus I always have my mem card filled with a couple of tv shows just in case.

Very cool. Glad you're digging your PSP. I'm banking on the same for me, minus the TV shows, on the DS Lite.

Take care,
PK

[Naples39]

Fight the power PK!!

I haven't touched my PS2 or Xbox in months, and do all my gaming on my DS Lite other than old games on the PC. Kirby Canvas Curse, Star Fox Command, New SMB, Meteos, Brain Age...all good fun and completely different from what I normally play on the consoles. I almost got a 360 a few months ago when there was so much buzz about TDU and the hockey games, but I don't regret my decision looking back.

[James_E]

Damn, we do go all the way back to Usenet! There's still a lot you don't know about me, f*cker, like the four years I served in state for ...

Take care,
PK

What's really crazy is 'all the way back' is as short as six, seven years ago!

Check it out:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.game ... 11bff7cc6f



Well, I recommend that you check out all of the DS games I mentioned. Gamefly rents 'em too, if you decide to go that way. Oh, and Advance Wars. Forgot about that one.

You still with AOL web?

[F308GTB]

If the DS Lite will be your only gaming outlet, good luck. I personally wouldn't own one. Perhaps I'm just a graphics whore but I went with the PSP. I don't care if most of the games are console ports. It's damn awesome to play nearly PS2 quality games in the palm of my hand. Sure Winning Eleven is coming to the DS but you can bet it will look better on the PSP. Not owning a DS I don't know the answer to this - are games region locked? It's great going to Japan and picking up some other titles not easily found here in the states. And the sleep feature is the best thing on any console or handheld.