Nintendo DSi | New Nintendo DSi | The Nintendo DS Zone

Oct 20

Introducing the Nintendo DSi

Tag: Nintendo DS — Brian @ 12:33 pm

Nintendo just LOVES to steal ideas from Apple. And why not? Apple has produced some of the most beautiful gadgets the world has ever seen. Since the N64s multiple color choices to the sleek white design of the Wii, Nintendo has taken many ques from apple and in my humble opinion, the world is better off because of it.

So what's next you ask? It's a new "i". It's not an iPhone or an iMac but a new i from Nintendo. For apple, adding the character before a product name has pretty much ordained it to be a huge success. This strategy is one that Nintendo has now decided to employ for the all new Nintendo DSi.

The DSi is a redesign of the DS. Much unlike the transition from the DS to the DS lite, the DSi adds some new features rather than just being a cosmetic make-over. The first new thing you'll notice are the gaping black holes in the away and forward facing sides of the top cover of the DS. Nope, these aren't to improve aerodynamics or to shave a few more milligrams off the DS's weight. They're cameras. That's right. As if saying "we're going to do everything that apple does." the folks at Nintendo have decided to bring two cameras on the new DS putting the name "i" to practical use for the first time in it's long career in the field of product endorsement. The i's (or "eye". See, it does work! Oops, no pun intended.) cameras will offer a variety of new features that can be implemented into games and dare I say, the possibility of video chat right on your DS??? No. Probably not. But that would be cool!

Along with this new addition, the DS has been downgraded in several ways. The redesign has made it impossible to use old peripherals such as the guitar grip for Activision's "Guitar Hero World Tour" (a game we reviewed here). The change has also resulted in the loss of a slot for GBA games. If you ask me, this isn't a problem. At this point the GBA is overshadowed by the DS and is becoming obsolete (just ask your local game store clerk what NEW games are being released for it). And if you still love your GBA games you can always pick up a handy dandy Game Boy Advance for under $50 on eBay.

We still haven't gotten our hands on one for a full review, but I believe that this system will be the next step in the handheld world much how the Wii evolved the platform experience. The DSi releases in Japan next week, but you can get your grubby little mitts on one (a japanese one) below.