Bunny Poindexter

I bought a Nintendo DSi XL a few months ago after compiling a quick business case to justify purchasing yet another electronics gadget…  In short, my investment has lived up to my expectations for enjoyment and learning, and I have a big toothy smile because it is surprisingly more than I originally anticipated.  To give you an idea of what you can buy (and download) for the console just run through the official games listing on the Nintendo site; then you can check the reviews and other sites for pricing comparisons. I’ve used Amazon and Play.com for the card purchases (SD card  So what did I initially buy for my little Dixie?  Well I started with the following:

• My French Coach (Level 1)
• My Spanish Coach (Level 1)
• My French Coach (Level 2)

These were part of my on-going endeavours to develop my language skills.  Since I carry my Nintendo almost everywhere with me I can refresh my vocab on the hop.  I do about 15-20 minutes per day of ‘playing’ and although there are a few obvious flaws in the software I really like using it as a supplement to immersed learning (I live in Brussels so I have exposure to French daily). I studied Spanish at university with my Computer Engineering degree so again I use this as a real vocab refresher.

I also downloaded the free Flipnote Studio application via the Nintendo DSi Shop using the in-built web browser.  This is also a good way of doodling your way through a dull seminar or perking up a coffee break with a few friends! Folks can also upload their unique creations to share with the rest of the world and I’ve downloaded one or two that make me smile every time.

I then expanded my software collection ready for the summer holiday, as follows:

• Ninjatown (a tower defence strategy game starring gorgeously cute ninjas and great artwork)
• myNotebook: Red (a useful bit for software to jot down notes and ideas, downloaded via the Nintendo DSi Shop)
• Mahjong (downloaded via the Nintendo DSi Shop)
• Art Academy: First Semester (absolutely brilliant painting and drawing tutorial application downloaded via the Nintendo DSi Shop)

These provided hours of fun on my first summer holiday this year.  I used the notebook to write down a few ideas and scenarios for a few ‘mini’ Nintendo games, and I completed some art lessons in Art Academy (as well as using the ‘free style’ option to test out drawing and painting my own stuff).  To see my creations, please visit my related article Nintendo Stylus in Hand!

With all this in mind, I’ve just expanded my software collection to now include:

• Art Academy: Second Semester (supposed to be as good as the first one but I’ll let you know! Downloaded via the Nintendo DSi Shop)
• WarioWare: D.I.Y (to create your own little Nintendo micro-games, which sounds fun… I hope!)
• Music (to refresh my music reading skills.. and then maybe I’ll grab the dusty clarinet to annoy the neighbours!)

I can’t wait to try out the new software, and also take another sneak preview at the latest games coming out shortly.

Oh, and not to forget, I also purchased the hard-shell PowerA Ultimate Case to carry the console, software, game cards, SD cards, cables, styli, etc.  It’s excellent value; the console fits in very snugly and there is plenty of room for 8 cards (SD and games) and a mesh section for cables/booklets, as well as 3 special elastic rings for the styli.

As my Nintendo fun continues I’ll write up any relevant articles…  but for now, me and my Dixie are off out to play!

Originally published: Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 00:16 in Gaming, Inspiration

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Tags: art academy, french, music, nintendo dsi, spanish

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