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Nintendo announces DSi

Third iteration of DS console to be released in Japan on November 1; features bigger screen, SD memory slot, two cameras.

The DSi with new features highlighted.

The DSi with new features highlighted.

In another one of those "worst-kept secret" moments, Nintendo has today confirmed the rumours that it would be updating its DS handheld hardware for the second time. Announced in Japan this morning, the Nintendo DSi will boast a slimmer body, bigger screens, two cameras, and new image and music players. It will also lose the Game Boy Advance cart slot, replacing it with an SD memory slot for storing music, images, and downloadable content.

The chassis of the new console measures in at 2.6mm less than the DS Lite--making it 12 percent thinner than its forbear. In turn, the screens have become larger at 3.25 inches, 17 percent bigger than the original 3-inch LCDs. As for the new additions to the console, Nintendo has packed a 3-megapixel camera on the exterior of the case, with another lower-resolution camera on the interior hinge. The cameras integrate with new multimedia features for the DS, with images and music stored to SD card via the new slot, and software on the console to play multimedia content. A new Internet browser will also be installed on the machine, allowing people to browse the Web and the DSi Shop to download games and applications to SD cards.

The DS Lite and DSi together.

The DS Lite and DSi together.

The DSi will launch in Japan on November 1 for ¥18,900 ($179, £101). International releases will follow in 2009, but Nintendo Europe would not confirm rumours that the console would launch next spring in the rest of the world.

513 Comments

  • Halo3g0d

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 2:36 pm GMT

    hey joe list 3 good non mario or pokemon games for the ds. It's hard to find good games on nintendo consoles now cuz the 360 owns

  • JoePiervincenti

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 9:07 pm GMT

    wackyw3, you're criticizing them for not supporting the PREVIOUS portable system that's been dead for years? that's all that matters? so older generation games are more important to you than the uncountable number of good games on THAT system? then you should have kept your GBA lol... that's exactly the kind of attitude that hinders the game industry. apparently, the freakin 10 year life cycle of the GBA wasn't enough, nintendo should support it forever! lol

  • riariases

    Posted Feb 4, 2009 6:32 pm GMT

    Tomic2505, they're BACK BUTTONS. They can be as thin as freaking paper and they'll still be easy to press.
    And wackyw3, don't be a freaking retard They get rid of GBA Cartridge compatibility and add what? an SD CARD! Well hmm... I guess with a DSi Shopping Channel that STILL wouldn't put any bright ideas in your head.
    That's why you're not a game producer and you're just... "stupid".

  • wackyw3

    Posted Jan 31, 2009 5:17 pm GMT

    So, this is a video game console, correct? Obviously a portable video game system, but a video game system, nonetheless. The way that Nintendo proposes to "improve" this video game system is with a bunch of junk, and by "removing" its functionality to play GBA games. A video game console with less video game playing ability. Impressive Nintendo.

  • Tomic2505

    Posted Jan 30, 2009 12:29 pm GMT

    did any body see how small and thin the r button is on the dsi from the side angle? Its like a third of the ds lite's r button!

  • riariases

    Posted Jan 29, 2009 5:37 am GMT

    Everyone complaining about the loss of the GBA slot, don't be stupid.
    "GBA" is now old and Nintendo can't keep recorporating something they no longer make sales on. 'Cause really, no one will actually BUY a GBA these days and game sales are down as well probably because its about 10 years old. And if you really missed it that much, i'm sure they'll find a way to put roms on the SD Cards or purchasable in the DSi online shop.
    Don't complain about "two cameras being useless". If you haven't noticed, a built in camera and a mic is really useful thinking of online gaming capabilities included with that(if Nintendo stop being sceptical about safety, but maybe they could do it in Teen or Mature games). Bottom line, this is a big jump for portable gaming.

  • zedjay

    Posted Jan 25, 2009 9:27 am GMT

    mmm, im hoping they do something about the GBA games. Perhaps the SD slot along with the downloadable content feature allows you to re-purchase those old GB games. I still dont see what use a camera would have though, considering nintendo is very picky about how their customers communicate using their hardware and how most of the games we have seen so far (even on more advanced hardware) dont use cameras very well.

  • pokenerdlee

    Posted Jan 11, 2009 9:40 am GMT

    We'll see what happens, righ?

  • bayliem

    Posted Dec 11, 2008 2:32 am GMT

    You can get pretty much the same features in an "m3-ds" or one of those r4 things. The only real new thing is the camera. Is it really worth upgrading???

  • wyme2

    Posted Nov 7, 2008 3:05 pm GMT

    will it have virtual console on it?

  • wyme2

    Posted Nov 7, 2008 3:01 pm GMT

    looks hella awesome! Nintendo should release in America b4 christmas so i can get it.

  • keyblade42

    Posted Nov 3, 2008 3:04 pm GMT

    Hmm this thing looks like a piece of crap I think I'll wait for it to come out so I can get a regular DS lite for less.

  • Hellmonkey012

    Posted Nov 3, 2008 1:54 pm GMT

    I have the original DS and skipped out on the Lite. I will have to wait to see if this one is a buy.

  • Tainaled

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 12:02 pm GMT

    what a dumb feature, who would even consider getting this

  • Gretzky1106

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 9:27 am GMT

    For the removed GBA Slot, they would release an add-on.

  • N0sferat_ninty

    Posted Nov 2, 2008 5:20 am GMT

    no money left...

  • Abercrombie929

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 4:25 pm GMT

    I'm so glad that they updated the Nintendo DS Lite! I mean, the DS Lite is really amazing, but an update is so much better! The two camera are making it a must buy, especially to get those games that make use of the camera like WarioWare: Photograph! I'm probably gonna trade in my DS Lite to get a discount on the DSi and my sister is going to keep her DS Lite since she got Guitar Hero for it (I'll be playing it too ;D). I was a little surprised when I heard the camera was ONLY 0.3 MP. Really? You could make it a little more! I mean, my phone is 2.0 MP! All in all, I'm so excited for this, and I can't wait for it to be released in the US!!!

  • Land-0-Funk

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 2:28 pm GMT

    Hmmm..might be time to update. I still have the first release DS

  • flastic

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 2:26 pm GMT

    I honestly don´t think Nintendo can convince people who already own a DS lite to buy this upgrade. On the other hand, if you don´t own any DS system (or the big ol' DS) this just might be the thing for you. I'm sticking with my Lite for the time being...

  • Nabsol

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 9:58 am GMT

    I saved up for my DS Lite, now I have to save up for this!?

  • MrSaturn33

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 9:56 am GMT

    There's no f*cking way I'm spending 200$ MORE for the exact same thing.

  • pmrkhj

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 9:50 am GMT

    Is it too late to bet that this will be another GBA Micro? Because a DS fused with a PSP taking out backwards compatibility is failtastic.

  • blood_dragonx

    Posted Nov 1, 2008 9:20 am GMT

    WICKED!!!

  • I1yodsyo1I posted Oct 31, 2008 6:43 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    I1yodsyo1I

    Posted Oct 31, 2008 6:43 pm GMT (hide)

    The PSP with two screens pretty much. No buy.

  • merkavaforce

    Posted Oct 27, 2008 9:44 am GMT

    I liked the 2 rectangles on the top of the DS lite when its closed. Too bad they removed it and stuck a circle and a dot at the bottom right hand corner instead in the DSi. The 2 rectangles look nicer, but I know I'm just being nitpicky, like a minority.

  • Gobbomob

    Posted Oct 24, 2008 1:38 am GMT

    I like the idea of bringing back the power button instead of the switch, though. But I don't like the idea of the battery life being less compared to the ds lite. I've been wondering if the larger screen will make much of a difference or not.

    Region-locking on DSi-specific software, that's fine so long there's no locking on the actual games (fingers-crossed..). The use of the SD card sounds good. Improved speakers.... I use discreet earphones anyway.

    All in all, I can't make a good decision yet. Going to have to see it when it comes out. And after all this time, how come they never made the DS firmware upgradable?

  • PkGam

    Posted Oct 20, 2008 10:04 pm GMT

    This is completely pointless IMO. We don't buy a portable gaming system for a Camera, Music player etc... We buy them for the games. Most of us already have the things included in this "upgrade" anyway. The people on this site have access to a computer with internet and most people already have a digital camera in some form, whether it be cellphone or a actual digital camera.

    The loss of the GBA slot is a mistake. Lots of people like to play GBA games on their Lites because of a nice bright screen. Not to mention the many DS games that are compatible with GBA games plugged in the GBA slot such as Pokemon D/P. This will also alienate use ofthe rumble pack too. (not that it is that important though)

    The games that will support the camera will be far and few and will most likely be compatible with the older DS versions anyway. The bonus of playing it on a DSi will most likely just be using a picture you take as your avatar. Whoopty doo...

    There will also be reduced battery life which is a major problem because everyone knows digital cameras drain batteries like mad. (also Wi-fi) It's said here:
    http://www.slashgear.com/nintendo-dsi-battery-life-drops-up-to-50-from-ds-lite-0218027/

    The only good points of this is bigger screens and thinner size. But 12% thinner isn't even going to be noticed considering how thin the Lite already is. The screens might work at our disadvantage too. It'd be doubtful that they will change the resolution of the screen to compensate for the increase of size. So what that means is much larger pixels, 17% bigger to be exact making the resolution appear much more pixelated. Also, who knows how well it will play older DS games. The increase in screen size may throw old DS games off, because they were programmed for the older size only and vice versa for playing newer games (afterthe DSi is released) on the old DS systems, they may not work well on the small screens.

    The only way that I'll get one, will be if they reduce the awful ghosting on the screens (also called "motion smear"), touch gameplay stays the same and they improved the awful D-pad of the lite. Nearly 2 years of break in time and I still can't hit diagonals consistently on that piece of poo!

  • Dbproguy

    Posted Oct 14, 2008 9:38 pm GMT

    It's not just a camera... It's also the music player, integrated web browser (I honestly didn't know why they secretly discontinued the web browser some time back..) and a few other things. An extra 50 bucks sounds worth it, not to mention it will be smaller. Although I do admit I was always a Nintendo Fanboy until I got a psp for my birthday last year

  • RedYoshiKing

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 5:47 pm GMT

    I don't see no point in buying a ds with a camera for $179 save your self some money and keep the ligth

  • alien100000

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 5:16 pm GMT

    I like the idea, but does it have a hard drive of some sort, Or will the music and images need to be stored on an SD card to be accessed on the DSi.

  • Shikyo

    Posted Oct 13, 2008 4:31 pm GMT

    Gah just when i get a system of any kind, here comes a new one

  • wiimadness69

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 10:59 am GMT

    so is this like DS2??

  • menon9

    Posted Oct 10, 2008 12:35 am GMT

    what does it mean that it has a sd card slot? does it mean that i will not be able to play my ndsl games? also if it has a sd card slot wouldnt that make it so much easier for people to download games of the internet?

  • TallMario95

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 8:33 am GMT

    These improvements look promising. I think that removing GBA slot is a good idea because no one plays GBA games any more. Replacing it with a SD memory slot is also good and I'm left wondering dose that mean that games saves can saved to the memory card instead of the game card.

  • nintmanag

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 2:42 am GMT

    Think about the new features they could put in DS games with a camera and an SD Card...

    Unfortunately, the DSi hasn't been rumoured to receive a (much needed) memory upgrade. I hope they do...

    Oh, and make music playable WHILE the DSi is closed, please.

  • eaglegrad09

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 3:44 pm GMT

    Why would you want a ds with a camera? Dont most of us have those on our phones. lol Just another way for nintendo to make monney. I love my DS Lite, I just want ff7 for the ds that would be amazinggggggg

  • pspeck_1

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 12:08 pm GMT

    I would be very unhappy about this if i still had my ds lite , but i mean, three versions of the same system. Something in the back of my head is saying "this is wrong in so many different capitalist ways!"

  • BLuFAlc0n

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 11:53 am GMT

    I can't believe I've predicted there will be a DSi Shop, and I was right, AWESOME!!!!!!!!
    They removed GBA Slot for better harddrive, and better online. With SD cards, you can download games straight from DS! Camera's better than the PSP camera! plus DSi got their own Webcam, SWEET!!! THIS DS will be awesome, but I have to keep the DS Lite for obvious reasons..

  • hi-buzz

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 9:45 am GMT

    DSi is 12% thinner than DSLite...not much thinner !!!
    20-30% thinner with no GBA SLOT is more like it ...
    MAYBE THEIR NEXT DS UPDATE MODEL WILL BE SLIMMER ...
    WHO KNOWS !!!!ONLY NINTENDO DOES !!!

  • lionheart234

    Posted Oct 8, 2008 2:58 am GMT

    its pointless but its nintendo what else can you expect... must have it..... xD

  • punkdsk8erdude

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 3:04 pm GMT

    nintendo is doing this because it has to keep up with sony. think about it.
    Nintendo has released different versions of the same handheld in the past...mainly the GBA. there were a bunch of versions of GBA, the original, the SP, the better SP, the micro, etc.
    But i feel like with the DS, it originally was doin the same thing. First with the Lite, adding better lighting and a better body design (similar to the upgrade from GBA to GBASP)
    but since then, now with the DSi, i feel like its doing it just because of the constant upgrades Sony is making to the PSP.
    PSP 2000, now the 3000, making it a sharper or better screen, thinner body, etc etc.
    Nintendo is doin the same. its the DS 3000 lol. Bumping up the screen size, increasing functionality, "better" body design, etc.
    Its pointless really.
    0.25" is a nothing of an increase. in my opinion the screens should have been at least that to begin with.
    the SD card - useless. Zero of those i know with PSPs use it as a multimedia device. they all have iPods and stuff anyway, theres no point with the SD.
    The only opportunity the SD cards give is some sort of functionality with the Wii, because they both use SD cards for memory.
    The cameras - pointless! Everyone who can afford a DS has a cell phone, and every cell phone nowadays has a camera.
    All of these upgrades are truly useless. I rly think its just so Sony isn't the only one upgrading their system.
    I think both Nintendo should stop upgrading, and start focusing on a brand new system!

  • rbenns2

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 1:59 pm GMT

    Sounds pretty underwhelming. Multimedia capability? Probably the most overrated, underused feature in this handheld generation. How about something we can really use, like Wii-esque motion sensing technology, or an analog stick (or two)?

  • SteveTwo

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 12:19 pm GMT

    So it's even thinner now? Someone is gonna sneeze and the thing will explode in thier hands!

  • ultralesus

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 11:19 am GMT

    Sooooo... how will I play Guitar Hero or transfer Pokemon from Emerald to Diamond???

    This is just Nintendo trying to win back the Japanese market thats been stolen a little by Sony's PSP's multimedia features and the Monster Hunter games. The camara is to appeal to Japans love of photos...

    The rest of the world however, isn't emused.

  • fpsgunguy

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 9:56 am GMT

    what's the point? its just some flashy add ons you'll never use, they should have made it a better gaming experience by doing something like tuning up the awful graphics. and WHY did they get rid of the GBA slot?

  • I_Like_Muffins

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 4:59 am GMT

    how many times is nintendo going to remake something that should have been right the first bloody time!? for gods sake, this is just ridiculous. who needs a damn camera (a 3MP one at that) with the technology already out in society today? and most people have access to music and photos. personally i think this is a HUGE mistake on nintendos behalf. its been years sinse the release of the original DS and then the DS lite, everyone who wanted one enough would already have one by now, whos going to waste their money on something that does a few crappy new things but gets rid of the important stuff?

  • zomglolcats

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 1:57 am GMT

    "this iss awesome, especially the camera considering a full priced camera is only 4 megapixels"

    I could buy a "full priced camera" from newegg that is 12 megapixels. 3 megapixels is pretty dreadful for 2008/2009

  • zomglolcats

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 1:55 am GMT

    I want to know if they are going to upgrade the wifi security. Right now the DS only has WEP, which sucks. Any word on if they will add other wifi security settings, like the PSP or even Wii?

  • MorningEpic

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 1:50 am GMT

    The slightly improved thinness of the DSi is not worth losing the GBA slot on the DSL.

    I do not know how many developers will embrace the camera technology in games as that would alienate the larger DS/DSL community.

    This device will be good for people who do not have a mp3, video player, or camera. I doubt this integrated solution will be high quality.

    I will likely not get a DSi.

  • ssjdagas

    Posted Oct 7, 2008 1:30 am GMT

    The camera will be crap. 3MP isn't much, a cell phone has about 5MP and a camera around 7MP, but most importantly the number of pixels don't say much at all about the quality of the pictures. Not that it matters though, anyone using a cell phone or a gaming device to take pictures probably don't care about quality.

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