Nintendo's Media Summit has just thrown us its first juicy bone of the night, and it's a big one. As was previously rumored, Satoru Iwata has revealed the Nintendo DSi, the direct successor to the DS Lite which comes absolutely jam-packed with new features and trinkets, including two cameras, music playback functions, expanded screens, an SD card slot, and a whole new, DS-specific download service. Hit the break for the full list of improvements and adjustments, as well as the Japanese launch date and price!
# Overall size has been reduced -- DSi is 12% or 2.6 millimeters slimmer than the Lite.# Comes with an external 0.3 Megapixel camera (for 640 x 480 pixel pictures) and a VGA camera located on the hinge, directed towards the user. You'll be able to edit pictures using the touchscreen.# Full music playback functionality, including adjustable pitch and playback speed.# Both screens have been expanded to 3.25 inches.# SD memory card slot is included, and there'll be on-board memory also.# Will ship with an built-in Nintendo DS web browser.# DSi will allow users to download games from DSWare, a new service that operates with Wii Points -- or, as they are now known, Nintendo Points.# Logging onto DSWare for the first time will grant users 1,000 free Nintendo Points.# DSWare comes in four pricing categories: free (!), 200 Nintendo Points, 500 Nintendo Points, and 800 Nintendo Points.# Will come in lovely matte white and matte black. Begone, foul fingerprints that have taunted us so!# And finally, it launches on November 1st in Japan, and will cost ¥18,900, or roughly $179. Check out the official site at the "Source" link below!
Rumor: Nintendo DSi coming to US on April 4 at $179
2009-02-18Nintendo pioneered hand-held entertainment in the ’80s and made it fully mobile with the Game Boy video game system. Now, Nintendo is transforming the way people access, experience, create and share content with the new Nintendo DSi system, the third iteration of the world’s best-selling portable video game system. Nintendo DSi launches in the United States on April 5, 2009, at an MSRP of $169.99. The colors available at launch will be Blue and Black."Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras – one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive “lenses” that can manipulate your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.Another enhanced feature is the Nintendo DSi Sound application, which serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song. The mic is located between the two screens when the device is flipped open, and there is also a stereo headphone output that lets users listen to music saved on an SD card, even with the screen shut.In the world of software, Nintendo DSi will be the platform for the most relevant and fun on-the-go games and applications. The Nintendo DSiWare application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare has with Nintendo’s Wii console. Developers big and small are invited to create software that makes use of the properties and functions of the hardware. Nintendo DSiWare games and applications will be available at a range of values, starting at 200 points.In addition to downloadable games, Nintendo DSi is able to play games made specifically for the system and sold at retail. The system can also play most Nintendo DS™ games, and will have access to a library of more than 850 titles originally made for that system.Also on April 5, a new Nintendo DS game, Rhythm Heaven, will join this roster of games available for both Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS owners in the United States. Having sold more than 1.6 million copies since its July 2008 launch in Japan and still increasing sales today, this infectious game challenges players to tap and slide the stylus on the touch screen in time to original music created by legendary Japanese pop-star producer TSUNKU♂. Simple gestures with the stylus combined with fun music and quirky visuals make Rhythm Heaven a completely unique musical experience for players of all ages.Additional features and news of Nintendo DSi will be revealed as April 5 approaches. For more information about Nintendo DSi, visit www.nintendodsi.com.
I hear it'll have 3D versions of Ocarina of Time. That alone sells me a copy.
Launch titles are unknown, but the Japanese launch titles (for February 26th):Nintendogs + CatsSuper Street Fighter IV 3DProfessor Layton and the Mask of MiracleWinning Eleven 3DRidge Racer 3DSamurai Warriors ChroniclesBust-a-Move 3DCombat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3DOther upcoming titles:Spring notables: Zelda OoT remake, Pilotwings, Kid Icarus, Resident Evil, Super Monkey Ball