As mentioned yesterday, Nintendo has announced a new Nintendo DS version to replace the Nintendo DS Lite in Japan on November 1, 2008, but it won’t arrive in North America until sometime in 2009. The Nintendo DSi will be thinner, have larger screens, two digital cameras, new image and music processing software and an MP3 player. The Game Boy Advance slot has been removed to allow the system to be slimmer and to allow room for the new SD memory card slot for music, images, and downloadable content.
The Nintendo DSi is thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite by 2.6mm (12% thinner) and has two 3.25″ screens (17% larger). The handheld will feature a 3-megapixel camera facing outward and another VGA lower-resolution camera on the interior hinge. The two cameras will work with the new built-in multimedia software for the DSi that will allow you to manipulate images and music using the touch screen. AAC formatted music will be able to be stored on an SD card along with images using the new slot.  Also, a newer Opera-based web browser will be installed on the system, which will allow you to browse the Internet and the new Nintendo DSi Shop to download games and applications to SD card.
The DSi Shop will allow Nintendo DSi owners to download and play DSiWare. The prices for the DSiWare will range from Free to 200, 500, and 800 points. In Japan, customers will get 1,000 free points to spend at the DSi Shop that are good until March 2010.
The Nintendo DSi will launch in Japan on November 1, 2008 for ¥18,900 ($179). Nintendo of America has also stated that it will arrive at some point well into 2009 in North America, because the current Nintendo DS Lite is selling so well.
For more information visit the Nintendo of Japan Nintendo DSi Website (Japanese).
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I am so mad right now
Why are you mad?
I am wondering how many people will be mad when they buy a Nintendo DS Lite for Christmas for their kids or receive one themselves not knowing that a new one is already out in Japan and coming to the U.S. soon.
Nintendo stated that they are not bring it out over here until well into 2009 because the current Nintendo DS Lite is selling so well. That seems kind of shady in some ways to keep selling the older version just because it is selling well knowing that you have a new one ready to go.
But if they release it now in the US and they don’t meet demand then what do they do? I guess I’ll have to start saving my pennies for this bad boy. I think I’ll go black this time, though, hopefully they launch with red here. I can dream can’t I?
This is nothing new, everyone expected this announcement earlier. We all knew they were going to do this, why get mad? It’s their history to redesign and improve their handhelds. This is no different.
I’ve never actually owned a digital camera. Importing in 3…2…1…
All the new features sound cool, but I still don’t know why they didn’t upgrade the processor and graphics chip while they were adding/upgrading everything else. They could’ve made it backwards compatible, but also allow for more higher quality graphics in the games. Maybe then racing games on Nintendo DS could look like Ridge Racer on PSP instead of what we have gotten so far.
I have heard that GRID and TrackMania for DS are supposed to be pretty fast, but still the graphics don’t even touch anything on PSP. Mario Kart DS looks good also, but even it could’ve look better and more like the GameCube and Wii version if the Nintendo DSi had more power under the hood.
Come on how many of these things do you have to buy. I think Nintendo is trying to break the old GameBoy record on how different ones they can bring out. If this keeps up we will be buying new Nintendo DS every two years. With this one it’s number 3. Nintendo rode the GameBoy train for over 10 years so don’t look for any else from Nintendo for a handheld system for another 7 or 8 years.
This is cool. I will most likely buy it when it comes out. Tho the one thing I don’t like is that you can’t play GBA games on it.