We've spent our fair share of time complaining about usage of the microphone in most DS games (it's just often unnecessary), but does that mean the mic has no redeeming qualities? In non-games, certainly, the microphone at times has its uses ... but what about in regular old-fashioned games? Sure, it's fun to yell "Hold it!" at times, but do you need to be able to do so? Would games that use the DS mic be just as good without it?Tied into this question is, of course, another one -- do you ever use voice chat in the games that support it? If you do, do you use a headset, or just the built-in mic?
During 
We always liked the headset Nintendo manufactured for the DS. In fact, if we weren't obligated to give the thing away, we would've been content on lying about its existence forever and holding on to the darn thing. But, then again, we'd probably lose this sweet gig we've got going now.
We were looking over 
One of the features the DS has that we feel gets underused most is the microphone. It's always getting left behind by the school bus, receiving countless wedgies in the hall from more popular features of the hardware and also getting its milk money took. It's a hard-knock life for the DS's microphone, if you ask us.
Over at Next-Gen, Ben Reich has penned an article on the worst ideas to hit gaming, with two Nintendo creations in his choices. The first, 
Yesterday, over on Wii Fanboy, we spent a little time discussing some of the best control schemes we've seen so far on the new console. We thought that today might be a good time to get the DS readers in on the action, since after all, the handheld has really brought a lot to the table. What games do you think have really made the best use of the touchscreen? How about the mic? Best games overall? No real rules or categories here -- just talk up what you've liked best about what the DS has to offer.
With the US release of 
Nervous Brickdown breathes new life into the Arkanoid-Breakout genre, updating its basic template with ten distinct gameplay modes. This might be Arkedo Studio's first game for any console, but the charming soundtrack and highly-stylized environments -- ranging from 70s mod to playful 
The DS has a myriad of unique features, and as developers quickly learned, it isn't necessarily wise to throw them all into a game as cheap gimmicks. Many titles have used these features as essential elements of gameplay (see: Trauma Center, Kirby's Canvas Curse), but in many cases, we can't help but feel that developers are missing out on the some of the opportunities afforded them by the DS.
Confirmed by the big N, this external microphone/earpiece (we'll just call it a headset) will be releasing to the Japanese gaming public come September 14th for roughly $10 American. Rumor has it that the headset is going to be utilized by the upcoming 
