Nintendo unveiled their new round of money making DS at their Japanese press conference today.The DSi will first be released in Japan at the price of 18,900 yen (180 US dollars).

This new DS will be 12% smaller than the DS Lite but it will also feature a slightly larger screen with 3.25 inches. Nintendo has decided to remove the GameBoy Advance cartridge and replace it with an SD card slot, which allows users to save the pictures taken with the 3 mega-pixel camera. While there is no word on MP3 support, the DSi boasts a new sound system which allows users to adjust the pitch and playback speed of audio.

The DSi also includes a good amount of internal memory, which should allow for downloadable content on the handheld. ’Wii Points’ have been renamed ’Nintendo Points’ to accommodate both the Wii and DS.

Nintendo will also set up “DSWare” to distribute downloadable titles at one of four possible price points: free, 200, 500 or 800 Nintendo Points. Nintendo also mentioned that there will be updates to the DS download kiosks, which will also include a new service called “Nintendo Zone” at McDonald’s restaurants.

Kotaku has compiled a side-by-side comparison of the DS Lite and the DSi.


The new DSi looks cool to say the least and I can’t wait to buy it. It seems like I’m the only one in the world who still owns a DS “phat”. I know, it’s sad; don’t make fun of me. Until then, TGR will be trying to get some hands-on time with this wonderful new piece of hardware, so stay tuned.