I have had a lot of pressure lately, of the peer variety, to get a Nintendo DS Lite. I can, off the top of my head, name the following people that have one: Alex, Tsu, Keith, Victor, Nelson, and Ben. With so many people having one, it’s almost like the #2 must-have gadget (after an iPod of course). There have been a lot of deals for one recently; I could have bought one for $130USD in NYC, or a NDSL + Brain Age for $150 from Dell, or $140 at Zellers. There’s a lot of opportunity, a motive (to play multiplayer with friends) but no purchase. Why is that?

Well it’s not really the cost of the device that is the problem, it’s the utility for the cost. If I had a NDSL, it would sit at best as the #3 option for time-wasting, on-the-go, activity. The first on that list would be music (either through iPod or my phone), the second would be reading a book (otherwise I would never get through my book backlog); and if there’s no one else around (for conversation) and I didn’t have my camera, then I would probably appreciate a NDS.

It had crossed my mind to buy one lately, the driving factor being that I have to sit through another Convocation ceremony soon. I think I’ll probably end up bringing some headphones, or a book, or a friend (and I’ll have my camera anyways).