Nintendo announces DSi

Today, October second 2008, Nintendo has announced a new DS model called the DSi. This new device will ship early 2009 for most of the world while Japan will be seeing this new model November 1st. (It makes sense Japan would have an earlier launch date but to have the rest of the world wait until after the holidays is foolish.)

This new model is 12% smaller than the current DS lite in part because there is no longer a GBA (Game Boy-Advanced) slot. Personally I would have preferred if they kept the GBA slot and the dimensions transferred from the current model to this new model.

The DSi screen’s have both received an upgrade to 3.25 inches each but unfortunately it appears the resolution will remain the same. For storage, the DSi will have an unmentioned internal supply as well as an SD port for expandability.

Additionally on the hardware side, the DSi will ship in both white and black finishes. Plus, they will have an external 3 megapixel camera as well as a front facing camera.

On the software side of things, Nintendo will be selling content directly to the users DSi over the ‘DSi Shop’ including a free web browser application and “DS Ware” game. Using the newly renamed ‘Nintendo Points’ users will be able to purchase additional content priced using either a 200, 500, or 800 point bracket.