According to the wild west of videogame industry news, the internet, the first DSi-exclusive game cards will be hitting retailers sometime this fall.
At this year’s Game Developers Conference, DSi hardware project lead Masato Kuwahara explained that special DSi games were in the works that would be unplayable on DS and DS Lite hardware. This would be different from currently available titles that function on all models, but have special enhanced features when played on the DSi.
When they arrive, DSi-only games will be packaged in distinct, all-white cases, so they stand out against the current DS library in stores, and will have a warning that they are only playable on the newer hardware. The game cards themselves will be manufactured from white plastic, as well.
This news seems to fall in line with earlier speculation that the DSi, aside from its expanded feature set, is also a more powerful machine than its predecessor under the hood. DSi-exclusive games suggest that the extra horsepower may be a requirement for these titles.
Nintendo is leaving the choice of whether or not to develop standard or DSi-only games up to individual developers, but hopefully if they do go the exclusive route, we will at least be seeing higher-quality games on the handheld.
[Kotaku]
