I cannot even begin to express how much I hate the DS mic. In my opinion it is the single worst gimmick in video games history. Blowing into the mic is tacky, contrived, horrible and embarrassing. And when I say embarrassing I don't just mean the obvious indignity of having to do it in public (rendering a portable console somewhat useless in the process), I mean just embarrassing as a gamer and a DS fan. How on earth can developers think it's fun? It couldn't possibly be less fun. Please don't tell me they think it's innovative or immersive. It couldn't be further from either of those two things. Hell even casual gamers think it's dumb. I'm tired of having to tell them that they don't actually have to suffer the appallingness of blowing into the DS to blow up their balloons in MKDS's Battle Mode and that they can just press Select. Needless to say they are greatly relieved to discover this. But it makes me sad that they ever had to suffer it in the first place.

I had thought that it'd stopped being used after the DS's release when the general consensus was that no-one likes it, but there are still games being made that feature it! Nowadays if a game features blowing (or yelling) into the mic, then I refuse to buy it. I just dread to think what awful gimmick is coming next. Farting into the controller? If you think about it, it isn't really that much different. I can imagine the Nintendo press release "Farting into the controller is our next big innovation. Sure, it's so awful that it will make most games totally unplayable, but some non-gamers will find it a silly novelty and that's all that matters."

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Zelda: Phantom Hourglass practically forced it in order to get a good price on the canon and salvage arm :(

And I usually disable it when I'm playing games like Pokemon which support voice chat. Unless it's with friends that I know in person. Otherwise, I just don't want other people hearing random background noise.

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There was a minigame in Bomberman Land Touch 2 where you had to blow to move your boat. Hands down the most ridiculous thing I've ever had to do in a video game.

I wish they'd only use it for logical uses, i.e. voice recognition and nothing else. Zelda was the biggest offender, just because the game sat there with its arms crossed and demanded that you "call out" to that woman or whatever before moving on. Link's the one that needs to yell, not me. That part made me groan.

It's a good feature, developers just need to stop using it as a gimmick.

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Playing Ninja Gaiden at low to no volume and having to make a sound after every enemy encounter trying to find those darn birds.... not needed to say the least, especially since i have yet to find a less, attention gathering way than to actually yell, tried finger snapping and whistling but to no avail, the mic just doesn't seem to spare me the odd looks of the public.

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I still recall having to escort the Cubus Sisters through that phantom ship in Phantom Hourglass by yelling at them when they got too scared to move

Recall with shame, though

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Whatever you might say, I actually loved yelling "Hold it!" and blowing is totally fine, even though I would never do it in public. However the mini game in Project Rub(the one with yelling "I love you!") was more then embarrassing so I just ended up with blowing.(Now that's the exploit!:P)
I really do hope that they'll make more games with sensible voice recognition and less with silly things to say or strange noises to make.(Clap over your DS? WTF?!)
To the developers: And for God's sake, please incorporate alternative methods when you use voice controls goddammit!(If Capcom can do it with PW everyone can...)

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This is off-topic but I just have to say that today is the day my DS hinge broke. I knew that stupid hinge crack would amount to something soon...I managed to fix it with superglue but who knows how long that'll last.

RIP my DS. Too bad my DS is launch day and can't be covered under warranty. I might as well get a new one because the shipping costs to repair this one would probably make it about the same price.

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The Mic totally has to be in there for some games, take for instance the Phoenix Wright Games, as great and Campy they are, without the ability and the possibility to scream OBJECTION, or Hold it, and even Take that. The whole experience would've been Dampened.

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OBJECTION!

It does have potential to be fun to use!
How I wish that Super Sentai-like game where you need to scream the names of the attacks was released in US... XD
(does anyone remember it's name? I suddenly want to import it :P)

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How self-conscious are we, as a people, when we shudder to affront the concept of, dare I utter it, "Blowing in public"? This whole movement towards sheer generics while out and about is seriously spooking my beans.

It's like being shushed during the commercials at a movie theatre - who really cares?

I just feel like we all need to stop thinking about the thousands of prying eyes that are carefully inspecting our every move; gamers of the world, know that if everyone is trying to be so damn inoffensive, no one is allowed to dare watch you anymore! Blow and blow 'til your face turns blue, the world mustn't bat an eye because it would just be "improper"!

I hate that we all work so hard to pretend no one is bizarre or different - like there are social queues that we should all spend our lives trying to ignore.

If I want to play shout "I LOVE YOU" into my Rub Rabbits game, god damnit, I'm gonna do it.

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Yeah, about the whole "blowing into the mic" thing... Whenever I have to blow, I just use one of my fingers, and sort of "rub it" against the mic, in quick sideways swipes. It works perfectly. I use it all the time for The World Ends With You and their stupid pins that need to be be activated by blowing.

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It's a feature I really could do without, if not just for the fact that I forget it exists until a game makes me use it, I've never seen it used in a way where it's more convenient than conventional controls, useful, or fun in any way.

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Wow,

I'm really surprised. I personally love the mic and enjoy using it. Sure, I am mostly playing at home but, even when I'm out and about, I simply don't care what people think. Games like "Rub Rabbits" or "Feel the Magic" wouldn't be the same without the mic. The puzzles that used it in "Phantom Hourglass" was my initiation to the mic and I still think of using it fondly. I've yet to feel that it's unnecessary or not fun.

I'm in a lonely camp, I suppose, but I do think the mic is implemented well. So sue me.

Out,

manaman

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