One of the main reasons why I decided to trade my SP in for a new DS Lite was because it had the GBA slot. Now for the new version of the DS I have no problem with it not having a GBA slot because even if I decide to get the new one I will still be keeping my DS Lite! :D

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My opinion time to let it go and move on.

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The way it seems to be going, Nintendo is keeping their options open about the future of the DS by eliminating the GBA slot. Remember, the way the DSi it seemed as if the theme of upgrading to the DSi was all about Wii and the DS integrating in new ways.

1) Its possible to release a GBA reader for the Wii which can transfer the game to DS via SD card or network -- they've done similar connections with handhelds before with N64 and GC, they can do it again for Wii (although the method this time around would be more complicated, and also the big N hasn't even touched upon the Wii's capabilities yet)

2) Activision took a risk when they tied their Guitar Hero game to dated technology, and given N's previous history of updating their handheld units, wasn't a smart thing to do. From Nintendo's point of view, they can't be tied to the same format forever and if they didn't take steps to change the GBA slot now, more companies will follow this route and keep the GBA slot around longer than it should.

3) SD cards are cheaper to produce and it would be awesome if we see a shift away from cartridges and towards SD cards as the next format for the games.

4) They will continue to sell DS Lites and the Micro is still around somewhat, so its not like they're completely shafting GBA cartridges. New units = new technology. Its time to let the GBA slot go.

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Oops typo --

the way the DSi [was introduced publicly], it seemed as if the theme of upgrading to the DSi was all about Wii and the DS integrating in new ways.

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Who knows maybe they'll finally come out with an accessory that would allow you to transfer your pokemans all the way back from gb over wifi... or re-re-release them all again on ds... probably the more likely option.

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I just bought a DS lite this week after sticking with the Phat for three years. Oh well. I don't think I will buy the DSi anyway, because as someone mentioned earlier, except for the camera and "bigger screen" I can have my DS playing music, browse the net and read a microSD memory card just fine with some simple homebrew. And I prefer GBA games to some shopping channel.

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Actually I am a bit sad, because at that point my Nintendo DS Browser RAM expansion pack will therefore be useless from now on.

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no cuz i lost all my gba games, dont plan on getting DSi anyways, my cell phone can do all it's new features.

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I would be sad, but I have my DSlite and my Advance and AdvanceSP if I want to play them. And since I have those handhelds and a PSP to do everything else, I doubt Nintendo will see any of my moneys for the DSi unless they do something really cool on the DSi Store.

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it's unfortunate to see it go, especially after the guitar hero extension, the space invaders paddle, and the opera ram pack. i think the gba slot had a lot of potential, especially for add-ons, but they never really pursued that.

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I still have a GBA (and it's a Micro at that, so it's easy to take with me), so the lack of an GBA slot is minor to me. There are games that make use of it though, like the Pokemon games for transfer, Guitar Hero, etc.

I dunno about this new one, though. The Lite's got more colors (glossy though, my biggest complaint about the DS lite), and probably a cheaper price tag. I'll likely not make use of the extra features on it, since I have a camera phone and a PDA already...

If it has some sort of DSi equivalent to Wiiware, I'll grab it without hesitation. Matte Black ftw!

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