Nintendo has a new DS model: The DSi
Category: Nintendo DS, Posted: 10/02/2008 at 01:19PM EDT by Frank Ling, Content Contributor
Nintendo added a new member to its family of handheld game machines and it's called the DSi--a slightly smaller and thinner version of the DS Lite.
So just what is different about this latest iteration of the DS? For starters, the LCD screen has expanded a bit from 3 to 3.25 inches. The image quality doesn't seem to be much different than the previous version of the DS Lite, however. A new feature, the DSi camera, allows you to take pictures. Software for the DSi lets you have some fun by altering the faces in the photos you shoot.
As far as the audio part of the new machine, the onboard recorder lets you manipulate the pitch and speed of sounds or voices, and the device will be able to play back users' mp3s.
The overall footprint of the DSi is thinner but at the sacrifice of the familiar GBA slot, which allowed gamers to play GameBoy Advance cartridges. Nintendo has removed this capability, and no doubt, fans of the DS will miss this feature. Replacing the missing GBA port, however, will be an SD memory card slot for use with the all-new DSi Shop feature.
Nintendo has undoubtedly introduced this game and application (DSiWare) download service in an effort to combat Apple's iPhone and its encroachment upon what was once a Nintendo-dominated handheld market. The shop will work on a points system similar to the one that is currently in place on the Nintendo Wii, with price points of 0 points, 200 points, 500 points, and a "premium" 800 points. New DS owners will be rewarded with 1000 points to spend before March 2010.
Finally, the DSi will include a built-in internet browser so GN readers can get their videogame news, reviews, and more on the go.
The new DSi will hit Japan on November 1st, at a price of JPY 18,900 (about $179 US). What about the North American launch? Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimes, said that it won't arrive on these shores until late 2009. As for the rest of the world, no word on that yet.
[Additional reporting by Eddie Inzauto]
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No GBA port? Making it so loyal supporters up to this point can't play (some) new games? Bigger screen with the same crap resolution?
The negatives far outweigh the (IMO incredibly lame, stupid, etc) positives.
Hellooooo cheaper and more easily distributable detatchable camera and software... :D
nintendo needs to stop remaking the same old crap to be honest
If you're gonna add new features, don't remove old ones! The DS Phat was fine, so why can't you make this the size of that and keep all the good stuff? Nintendo! Take off your asshat and make me love you again!
i still have my ds phat, i love it. This sounds pretty cool though.
Well, I think it's cool.
if there was an efficient web browser....
Whats the talk about battling the iphone? the ihopne games are crap anyway, and seriously nintendo are smart and some people think phones will rule the handheld game "war" (well they tough when mobiles got color screen too) seriously why am i not seeing a smaller ds with a phone too?
well ill stay with my old one, i dont think that shop system can be so great, never used it on my wii.... so i dont think this new one can do anything my old one with my m3 ds real flashcart cant :p
So wait how would you play games like guitar hero ds that need the gba port?
Sounds more like they're finally going to compete against the PSP.
Good idea, in 2005.
You won't, intooblivion.
I didnt think about the GH game (facepalm nintendo)
And sersoft, the ds doesn't need to compete with the psp, it's always dominated the psp since release.
"Nintendo has undoubtedly introduced this game and application (DSiWare) download service in an effort to combat Apple's iPhone and its encroachment upon what was once a Nintendo-dominated handheld market. The shop will work on a points system similar to the one that is currently in place on the Nintendo Wii, with price points of 0 points, 200 points, 500 points, and a "premium" 800 points. New DS owners will be rewarded with 1000 points to spend before March 2010.
Finally, the DSi will include a built-in internet browser so GN readers can get their videogame news, reviews, and more on the go.
The new DSi will hit Japan on November 1st, at a price of JPY 18,900 (about $179 US). What about the North American launch? Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimes, said that it won't arrive on these shores until late 2009. As for the rest of the world, no word on that yet. "
This wasn't there before! now it sounds worth the price.
No gba port means no interest from me, at all.
I know the DS sold more than the PSP, but it's mostly due to the touchscreen hype, and massive amount of nintendo fanboys. The DS is no match for the psp in terms of entertainment and performance, PSP has built-in things that DS users have to pay for separately. And one more thing, the psp is still able to play GBA games better than DS, and and some nintendo 64 games as well.
Saying DS is better than PSP is like saying the gamecube was better than the ps2.
No saying DS is better than PSP is a fact just like the Wii is better than the PS3, maybe not on the hardware front, but its sells far better and thats the target of the developers... Seriously I considered the PSP first, but with its tiny library of games not to mention the amount of good ones it was an easy choice to get a DS
"And one more thing, the psp is still able to play GBA games better than DS . . ."
No, sorry. The DS as it stands contains the real GBA hardware within it. This is not software emulation, which is never perfect. So it can't be as good on the PSP, let alone better.
ds has better games for the ds. if your buying a game system to play a different systems games on it, theres a problem. :-)
That's crap. The DS was a GBA player from the get go. They're removing basic game-playing functionality that we have all come to rely on to add stuff that has little (or nothing) to do with gaming. As it stands, the DS allows you to load 2 game cartridges at once, one DS and one GBA. How is this a problem instead of a good thing?
yea i cant understand why they take it out... i mean it cant make it much more expensive to have it in there can it?
If I ever bought a DS it would be the first one.
Agreed Sersoft. i don't like the lite, although I think I am going to get my girlfriend one because she plays a lot of gba games, and she would be interested in a lot of ds games.