Over the course of the past 4 years or so with my Nintendo DS, I’ve found that I’ve never needed to use the microphone function while alone. However, the moment I’m in public, suddenly I’m required to yell, most of the time foaming at the mouth, into my DS, garnerning awkward glances or other unwanted attention towards myself.

What exactly does the microphone offer in terms of gaming? Blowing into the DS to fill a balloon might be charming the first few times you do it, but the fun quickly diminishes (in stark contrast to spit, which accumulates so quickly there might be a school closing).