MobileTechReview have news of an new product that will make Nintendo DS owners jump for joy.

With MAX Media Dock for DS and DS Lite, you can turn your happening handheld into a powerful home entertainment device, with movies, music and more played directly from any Compact Flash card of up to 8GB.

The MAX Media Dock opens up endless possiblities for the Nintendo DS that were once the PSP’s strongest selling point. Whether a Nintendo DS screen is suitable for watching movies in quite the same way as the Sony PSP’s lovely 480 pixel wide screen remains to be seen, but I’m sure the Nintendo add-on will sell bucketloads, especially as the proposed price seems very reasonable.

Base Version, no CF Card: £29.99
With 1GB CF Card: £54.99
With 2GB CF Card: £84.99

I’ve not spent any time looking into the homebrew scene for the Nintendo DS, but if its as big and as thriving as the PSP homebrew market then this device should do very well. Would it be enough to get me to buy a Nintendo DS? Quite possibly, if it had been available before I got the PSP. As it is, I’ve invested too much time and money to switch now, which in some ways is a real shame as the DS has some pretty good games, and the DS Lite is more pocket friendly than the PSP.

On the other hand, the PSP does have the capabilities to play music, watch films, use homebrew, and play games, built in without the need for third party add-ons.

I still believe that the handheld market is, to a large extent, dominated by consumer loyalty. I may well be in the minority, in that I would happily purchase products from Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft etc, my choice being guided on the particular games I am keen to experience.

I think that most consumers will follow a brand throughout their game playing lives, so Nintendo fans will always purchse Nintendo first, Sony users will buy Sony, Microsoft xBox owners will continue to buy Microsfot gaming products. This is why you see the internet filled with fans of each company defending their decision to buy their products, even when a product isn;t as good as it should be.

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