On April 2nd, 2009, Australia will see the release of the third iteration of Nintendo's popular handheld gaming device, the DS. Named the "DSi", the system was first announced at the Nintendo Press Conference on October 2, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The "i" in the name is meant to symbolize the two cameras that are built into the handheld, looking like a pair of eyes.

So what exactly is the DSi and what makes it differ from previous iterations of the handheld?

The History of the DSi

The DSi was first said to have been conceived by Masato Kuwahara of the Engineering Department at Nintendo shortly after the Wii began to ship in 2006. He had received instructions from his supervisor to began development on a new version of the DSi at this time, and began to draw up prototypes immediately. The main difference between the DSi and previous DS versions was to be the implementation of two cameras, built into the DSi hardware. Along with this, Kuwahara also admitted that it would be difficult to "sell the console on its own. It also has to be able to meld into the already-existing DS market."

Originally, the DSi had two DS game slots at the request of fans and some in-house staff. However, at the showing of the first prototype, the original concept, which was 3mm thicker than the current finalised version, was not well received by those on hand. Kuwahara said, "The response wasn’t that great, and, to tell the truth, we’d sort of been expecting that". This led to the removal of the extra slot to make the final product slimmer.

The Hardware

The DSi is 2.6mm thinner than the DS Lite, which is noticeably smaller. However, it is slightly longer. There are two 0.3 megapixel VG digital cameras installed, with one on the outer shell and the other on the hinge pointed towards the user. The screen is larger by .25 inches at 3.25", with improved internal speakers.

The main aim of the DSi shell was to keep it "neat and simple", according to its designer, Yui Ehara. To further implement this, the power switch has been replaced with a button, exactly like the original DS. The shell is also made of a matte surface to prevent fingerprints, unlike the DS Lite, which has a glossier, fingerprint prone finish.

A major nuisance of previous DS versions was that you couldn't return to the main DS menu without shuttung the handheld down completely. That has been rectified, with a soft-reset of the power button that allows you to change games and return to the main menu without powering off.

The larger screen will have five brightness settings compared to the DS Lite's four, although battery life has been reduced by a few hours on the lowest setting when compared to the DS Lite. The unit uses a 840mAh battery compared to 1000mAh for the DS Lite.

An ambitious yet slightly controversial move has been the removal of the GBA slot, which means the DSi loses the backwards compatibility with GBA software and ability to use specific accessories that use the slot, like the Guitar Grip for Guitar Hero games.

The main CPU and RAM processors have been improved, with an ARM processor clocked at 133 MHz. 16 MB of RAM has been included, which is four times as much as previous DS versions, as well as an included 256MB of internal Flash memory, including an SD card slot.

The SD Card slot can be found behind the right-side of the cover and can be used to externally store images and downloads, as well as AAC audio. The "Nintendo DSi Sound" feature allows sound recording and playing of AAC music files, however MP3 files are not supported. You'll be able to adjust pitch, playback and add audio filters when you play specific audio. Audio can also be listened to while the DSi is closed.

The Nintendo DSi camera allows users to take images, as well as manipulate images imported to the DSi via an SD card. Photos taken on the DSi can also be synced to the Wii's photo channel.

The DSi will be the first Nintendo handheld to have upgradeable firmware.

Nintendo has also announced that the DSi will use region locking for DSi-specific software, considering that some products that can only be used on the DSi will use Internet services specific to regions. Most other features that use the internet, such as internet browsing and photo sharing, are region free however.

DSi Shop

The DSi will be able to connect to an online store that will be similar to the Wii Shop Channel. The store, called DSi Shop, will use Nintendo Points to allow users to download DSiWare games and applications to the DSi memory and SD card. It has been reported that each DSi bought prior to March 2010 will received 1,000 Nintendo points.

Launch

The DSi hit Japanese streets on November 1, 2009 for ¥18,900 in matte black and matte white. During its first two days on sale in Japan, the DSi sold around 170,000 units. In its first month on sale, it has been speculated that it sold more than 530,000 unites, which is slightly less than the DS Lite figure in the same period.

The DSi will hit Australian shelves on April 2, 2009 for a RRP. of $299.95 and in Europe on April 3, 2009 for £149.99 in matte black and matte white. It will be released in the United States and Canada on April 5, 2009 alongside the game Rhythm Heaven. The unit will be available in matte black and matte blue, for US$169.99 and CAD$199.95.

Nintendo of Australia is also giving Melbourne gamers the chance to go hands-on and get their DSi before anyone else at the Nintendo Experience at EB Games on Swanson St. at 10pm on April 1st, 2009. For additional information, visit the Nintendo Experience website.

Sources: MTV Nintendo.com MCVUK Gamasutra Reuters Famitsu.com Official Nintendo DSi Website Tech Radar

26/03/2009 1645 16

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