They've finally done it. Nintendo has finally made me want to upgrade my old white DS Lite for a new DSi (haven't decided on color yet, but I'm leaning towards the electric blue).
I've resisted for months. I already have two DSes, I don't need one with two 0.3 megapixel cameras, that's just stupid. I don't care if my DS can play AAC audio files, that's what I have an iPod for. And no GBA slot? Yeah, I hardly ever use it, but come on! I should have known Nintendo had an ace up their sleeve when it was revealed a few weeks back that Beyoncé would be doing their advertisements for Rhythm Heaven, a game that I want to encourage everyone in the world to buy and play incessantly. I'm not really a fan of Beyoncé (I could go for a little more "Bugaboo" and a whole lot less "Single Ladies") but I certainly don't hate her and this ad campaign is clearly effective (just look at Professor Layton's sales numbers since the Lisa Kudrow ads started airing...a full calendar year after the game was released!). Having read that the ad campaign was supposed to start this week, I flipped over to the Nintendo Channel on my Wii for a peek. Imagine my surprise when I see not one, not two, but three videos with the coolest, most soulful white boy in the world, Jamie Lidell!
Behold, his DSi-inspired-and-powered remix of "Figured Me Out":
That's the ultimate end-product of his Nintendo shoot, but there's also a really great "behind the scenes" video with Jamie demonstrating how he used the DSiSound program (pre-installed on every DSi) to tweak his already slick single into this mysterious pop euphony. He also goofs off with the camera a bit, but come on, he's a musician, he's there for the audio and boy does he sell it. The third video is a short clip of him enjoying a round of ping-pong in Rhythm Heaven.
Now, as a hip, young 21st century media packrat, the announcements of these standard DSi features did not excite me. If i wanted to goof off with photos for no good reason, I can use photoshop far more effectively. If I wanted to tinker around with music, there's a plethora of music software on my Mac and several rooms full of instruments. Telling me about these features does not interest me. Jim, though, has shown me how he used the DSi in exactly the same way I've used so many games to add new elements to songs I've recorded at home. I originally bought a DS just to play Electroplankton. I've mentioned before that I bought Gunpey DS just for the sequencer. I've recorded the drum set in the original Rhythm Tengoku and the acoustic guitar in Jam Sessions and the synthesizer in Korg DS-10. I often use the DS as a musical instrument, and seeing a musician I respect doing the same actually made me giddy.
Lidell, of course, is no stranger to commercially "selling out," as his track "A Little Bit More" was prominently featured in a Target campaign a while back, but I like Target, Nintendo, and Jamie, so I don't really mind. Keep in mind, though, that owning a DSi will not instantly give you the talent neccesary to produce remixes like this. Jamie knows what he's doing. Just look what he did with a sound board, two microphones, and his voice:
Still, my mind is swimming with new ideas for musical performance using DSiSound. Between that and new downloadable Art Style games (six in Japan, so far) I am caving and getting myself a DSi next week. I'll probably even enjoy the cameras. See how easy that was, Nintendo? All I needed was an outgoing British soul singer to convince me to buy the third version of the same portable game system. You win.
Related articles:
Here Comes The DSi
Style Over Substance: Why I Love WiiWare's "Art Style"
Make The Music With Your Games, Kids!