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• Waitless.org (Sprint) Fast-forward through the boring parts of life.

My wife just reported that she’s first in line to buy the new Nintendo DS at Walmart. Most stores start selling it tomorrow morning. This 24-hour Walmart has it available at midnight tonight. Woo-hoo! Can’t wait to *ahem* test the unit for my son.

I actually published the above entry around 12 midnight on November 22, then pulled it. The wife called me half an hour after I posted the entry saying that Walmart didn’t have them until the 26th. Someone at the electronics department had given her and the dozens of people behind her the wrong information. They all left disappointed. But that didn’t stop my wife. She was up at 5 a.m. and first in line at the local Target. A line formed behind her again. She came home with the unit just in time to get ready for church. I stayed home with the baby who was still recovering from another bout of ear infection. You’re thinking I probably stayed home so I can play with the Nintendo DS all morning, huh? I didn’t have the heart. I had to wait until son no. 1 came home.

Quick first impression of Nintendo’s newest handheld system:

• It’s made out of cheap plastic whose paint will eventually chip and lose its luster.
• The dual screen adds a new dimension to handheld gaming.
• I like that it’s backward-compatible with Gameboy Advance games.
• Using the stylus to look around 360° takes getting used to; it felt a little weird using something I normally use the mouse for. I suppose it’s not much different from using your finger on a trackpad. But, hey, to look around 360° in a handheld when a regular-sized console can’t even do that I guess is pretty cool.
• I didn’t get to try the wireless connectivity since there are no other Nintendo DSs to test it with.

I’m not much of a gamer. Our eldest is turning out to be a prolific one though. We got the Nintendo DS for him as an “early” Christmas present. But after today’s Parent/Teacher conference we should’ve probably made him earn it much more deservedly.