If I got a DS, this would be the version I would buy.
Why? Because I have large hands, much larger than kid's hands. When playing Gamecube games, I always chose to play with the Wavebird, even though I don't mind the wires, and want the rumble of the normal controller, simply because the Wavebird is bigger.
Anywho, Nintendo is going for a different crowd now days. Hopefully they'll continue making Zelda and Mario and such games into the future. Infact, it may (may) be better for hard core games, as they might only work on harder core (which consists of two year's ago's soft core) that is worth it, instead of pumping out as many games as they can (which they are doing for non-core games.)