$170 DSi drops in US April 5

  • By Guy Cocker, Tor Thorsen, GameSpot UK
  • Posted Feb 18, 2009 6:33 am PT

[UPDATE] Dual-camera-enabled third revision of handheld arrives stateside in less than two months alongside Rhythm Heaven; Nintendo plans to continue sales of DS Lite.

Since the DSi was first announced in October 2008, Nintendo has remained coy about its US release date. After saying only that the handheld would arrive in North America "well into 2009," the company announced last month that it would launch stateside "before summer."

Coming soon! (Seriously.)

Finally, this morning Nintendo announced that the DSi will arrive in the US on April 5 at a $169.99 price point. The handheld, which has been on sale in Japan since November 2008, will be available in black (pictured) and an all-new blue hue. Unfortunately, when contacted by GameSpot UK for a European announcement, Nintendo Europe declined to comment on the DSi's release in Europe, its final major territory.

Today's announcement also confirmed that the game Rhythm Heaven will make its American debut on April 5. The rhythm action game has proved to be incredibly popular in Japan, where it has sold 1.6 million copies after earlier versions proved popular in arcades and on the Game Boy Advance. GameSpot recently previewed the US version of the minigame collection.

Last but not least, Nintendo also announced that the DSiWare application will also be making its way to the US. The application lets owners of the portable download new software from the Internet a la the iPhone's App Store, with prices starting at 200 Nintendo points ($2). Nintendo declined to reveal any release-date information about DSiWare.

[UPDATE] Speaking with GameSpot, Nintendo said that it plans to continue to make and sell the DS Lite at its $129.99 price point in the US. "The DS Lite will continue to be supported at retail alongside the DSi," said a Nintendo of America rep. "The DSi is not meant to replace the other systems. There has been no news in terms of a price drop."

To find out more about the DSi, be sure to check out GameSpot's hands-on with the Japanese edition of the handheld.

275 Comments

  • Rougehunter

    Posted Mar 25, 2009 9:18 am PT

    Have a DS phat, picking this up

  • ugadog

    Posted Mar 21, 2009 2:00 pm PT

    I will consider getting the DSi, but only if I can sell my old DS lite for $100. The improvements are too small to justify anyone who already has a DS Lite buying a new system. Also, the loss of Game Boy Advance titles is a big thing when many gamers still have those titles.

    If Nintendo really wanted to attack the PSP Market -- which they didn't need to do -- they could have gone much farther. I fear this system just isn't enough when compared to cell phones and everyone else entering the game.

    *sigh* But I still have faith...

  • Alex_09

    Posted Mar 11, 2009 12:49 pm PT

    They should shift the style back to the older version. Not the hardware, but the build. I know 3 people who have had their DS Lites break. My DS feels like a tank, it can definitely take some damage from my experience without side effects. Also, it just has a nicer look in my opinion. Not the color, I am a bit sick of grey gameboys(all of mine have been), but the shape is a lot nicer, and more comfortable in my opinion. Have any of you guys tried both?? I couldn't stand how the Lite made some colors in games look really off. Red was pink in Age of Empires haha

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 12:20 pm PT

    About bloody time!

  • kaliban

    Posted Feb 24, 2009 9:22 am PT

    whats up with the no revers compatibility? Some of the new DSi features are solid but alot of them are in my opinion just fluff. come on, 2 cameras? Picture editor and music file player/ half-assed editor? And shame on them for sell people that "not meant to replace the other systems" de ja vu malarkey. sigh*

  • togo2828

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 3:51 pm PT

    How was the PSP the iphone of Handhelds, Last time i checked The Iphone was actually selling well.... So yeah

  • lonewolf1196

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:38 pm PT

    the psp was always the iphone of handhelds but now nintendo kicking it up in america. Now all we need is microsoft to get a handheld and we can have a mini console war

  • lanmanna

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:35 pm PT

    @ akobi
    I can't believe some of you. Acting like "PSP is pwns DS" is a fact. >_> You can have an opinion, but don't think for a second everyone else thinks the same. I personally think the amount of great, exclusive DS games is twice as much as the amount of great, exclusive PSP games(and I do own a PSP, but thinking about selling it).

    Anyway, I might get the DSi, since my DS Lite has a cracked hinge. At least it has been almost 3 years since the DS Lite. Was there this much complaining when the PSP ver. 3000 came out?

  • KAISERKONG

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 5:23 am PT

    The biggest draw here is not the cameras, but the ability to download apps from the DSiWare shop similar to how we have been using the WiiWare shop. That SD slot on the system is what will allow this, so I can see many people upgrading to the DSi. Unfortunately, as CeltQueen's reaction to this may indicate, this move is certainly going to alienate some of the newer DS Lite owners out there. You know what they say: you can't make an omlet without breaking some eggs!

    Bottom Line: I salute Nintendo's forward thinking, but wish there was a way to accomodate the DS Lite owners with a peripheral that fits in the GBA slot that reads SD cards so DS Lite owners can enjoy DSiWare as well!

  • EV-9D9

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:04 am PT

    According to Argos the DSI will be available in the UK from the 3rd of April !!!

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 23, 2009 2:03 am PT

    The DSi just doesn't have anything big that makes everyone want to buy it.

  • starfoxmcleoud

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 7:38 am PT

    Don't worry too much CeltQueen, i'm sure GameStop will have a trade in deal for your DS to get the DSi. And glad I held off on getting my DS replaced. I can wait two months!

  • CeltQueen

    Posted Feb 21, 2009 6:44 pm PT

    HA! I just got a DS Lite for my birthday last month and NOW they come out with DSi! Sheesh!

  • XeonForce

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 10:15 pm PT

    drangel_jam - "Nintendo is just doing what they've been doing for years. They are going to keep selling the DS, and keep updating it, until its sales are no longer relevant, and only then, they will launch their true next-gen portable device. And I think that they might just do the same with the Wii, just like Sony has been known to make slim PS's."

    Business 101: "Supply and Demand."

    Thank you.

  • otanikun

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 2:33 pm PT

    Huzzah, looks spiffy to me, will get when it's released; wonder how the homebrew will be handled.

  • Abercrombie929

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 12:24 pm PT

    everyone who already has a ds lite (at least the majority) isn't going to "upgrade" to the dsi. i am definitely going to get the dsi! people are saying that the upgrades aren't that good, but i'm disagreeing with them. it has a camera! yes, i know, the interior one is an itty-bitty .3 MP, but judging by the videos that i've seen, it's not terrible. i think that the dsi is going to fun. they're adding these features so you don't have to go out and buy all of those games for it. now you can lay and have fun with the features that are already built in. plus, some of the dsi-only games have some really cool functions, such as WarioWare: Photograph. the dsi, i think, sets itself apart from the nintendo ds lite (which i DO own). my ds lite is messed up, though, so it's not like i'm buying the dsi for no reason (especially after naming all that other stuff). the L shoulder button doesn't work unless you push it down as hard as you can, when you put a new game in it sometimes doesn't recognize it and you often have to do the old-fashioned cartridge blow, and sometimes when i turn on the system i have to enter all of the information again. i'm gonna say bye, now, because i'm getting off topic.

    BUY THE DSi !!!!!

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:23 pm PT

    Isn't $170 the US price? Isn't the article all about the US.

  • aduttyfoot

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 6:38 pm PT

    i still dont see the point of spending 170 bucks on this with such minimal upgrades. the memory, hdd, and proc upgrade are good, but its still a bit steep. i could use that money and get a 360. nintendo knows what to do to get people to run out and spend more money on upgrades that aren't really worth it, and then a few years later come out with the real ds2. remember that stupid ds micro, lol. i guess if you dont own a ds you will probably get this, or wait and see if the price of the ds lite goes down. people keep saying there are many improvements but i really dont see it. the screen got a little bigger, but how much graphical improvement is there. everything nowadays has a camera, stores photos, and can play music. i am sure the dsi will sell well in the usa and in europe. last time i heard it was really selling the way they hoped for in japan.

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 2:14 pm PT

    @thunderhorse55

    I dont have a DS yet I couldnt decide between the PSP with its webbrowser music etc. or the DS which had most of the games I want and a better cartridge design.

    Im just upset the two colors first made avalable to the US are (Black and Blue) I wanted White -_-;

  • zomglolcats

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 2:11 pm PT

    From the gamespot hands-on article:

    "We took a peek at the networking settings and it looked like the system still only has WEP compatibility."

    No thanks. My router setup uses PSK2, which all of my consoles support. I'm not going to change my entire setup to WEP just for a DS. I was considering the DSi had they changed the network support to include more security encryptions for wifi, but I guess not.

  • M8ingSeezun

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    No thanks. I'm perfectly happy with my DS Lite and my PSP.

  • thunderhorse55

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 1:41 pm PT

    Kravyn81 is right. Everyone who cares about DS stuff already has one by now. the ds lite was bad enough, they don't need to make this worse

  • thunderhorse55

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 1:38 pm PT

    looks cool. I'd probably get it if I didn't already have a DS

  • Blueblaze02

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 12:48 pm PT

    oops clicked wrong thumb button. yay, it's coming to US!

  • santiagochile

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 12:09 pm PT

    Akobi, I had a psp, and is just isn't any good. Sorry. The DSi will be the greatest handheld of all time, until the next Nintendo handheld, that is. Try harder, Sony.

  • akobi posted Feb 19, 2009 11:58 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    akobi

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:58 am PT (hide)

    and you know what? people are going to buy these damn things before they buy a PSP. what a messed up world we live in.

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:50 am PT

    Only Nintendo can get away with this sort of crap. That's like selling a CD walkman alongside a cassette walkman and expecting consumers to be stupid enough to buy both when they only need one.

  • Kleeyook

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:08 am PT

    I'll get DSLite when DSi come!

  • D3j1k0

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 11:06 am PT

    rephin, if you're going to talk about math, at least get it right. 170-130=40

    and I wasn't trying to say the DSi deserves no blame, I'm just saying the PSP should have people complaining too =/ sorry about that.

  • gesloc

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 10:51 am PT

    lol.. Wow what great new features.. NOT.. i wont be upgrading.. We need a new hand held device not just another update.

  • longtimegamerr

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 10:11 am PT

    yikes that is overpriced for a built-in camera with no flash.

  • puppiemaster

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 10:04 am PT

    k0r3aN_pR1d3

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:48 pm GMT

    Europe might be getting it two days before us, but Europe is paying about $214 for a preorder noobs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We always pay more, it's nothing new.

    The standard of living is higher here.

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 10:03 am PT

    Nintendo is just doing what they've been doing for years. They are going to keep selling the DS, and keep updating it, until its sales are no longer relevant, and only then, they will launch their true next-gen portable device. And I think that they might just do the same with the Wii, just like Sony has been known to make slim PS's.

  • k0r3aN_pR1d3

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:48 am PT

    Europe might be getting it two days before us, but Europe is paying about $214 for a preorder noobs.

  • XanderZane

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:09 am PT

    I'm happy with the regular DS Lite. I have no plans get this right away. Maybe next year when the economy starts to recover. I have no plans to buy much of anything this year. I actually started playing the retro game Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. Man, that old stuff is addictive. So many great games in one package.

  • mddg_mmcc

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 8:48 am PT

    If you have old GBA cartridges, you should also have an old GBA or old DS to play them in. No one is forcing you to give up your current DS or GBA to play this.

    No, it doesn't have a GBA port for you to play your 5 to 8 year-old games. Get over it! As for DS Guitar Hero, why don't you play the real thing on the consoles instead?

    Those of us who have had an empty GBA slot for years will enjoy this.

    As for it not being new or different enough, Sony has already released 3 identical versions of their crappy handheld without any major differences.

  • isaacmj

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 8:42 am PT

    Tough decision, buy the DSi or wait till E3 to see if a new handeld comes out...

  • nintendo-naut

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 8:34 am PT

    I want some sort of sweet deal at Gamestop. Ya'know trade in a Lite and a couple of games and get a huge discount. Although I can't STAND trading games so...

  • dzimm

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 7:32 am PT

    So it's $170 for the DSi and another $50 for a used Game Boy Advance SP to play your GBA carts. Hmmm...

    I really like the idea of the DS Store, but I'm not convinced that it'll be worth it to give up my GBA slot. Decisions, decisions.

  • Luigi12901

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 7:00 am PT

    YAY! I don't care what crap other people say, I can't wait for April 5th to pick this up!

  • jgirl20

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:24 am PT

    I wonder if the DSi will have better internet support - I can connect to my internet with my iPod Touch, but not my DS, which sucks.

  • mattcake

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:23 am PT

    Wow only Nintendo could get away with not only not dropping the price of the original ds/lite for how many years now, but actually release a near identical "new" handheld with a price *increase*? Hey Nintendo, theres a recession over here, cut us a break and cut your prices / huge profits if you want to sell anything thanks My xbox360 cost twice my wii when I bought it, now it costs almost half a wii which hasnt moved in price. Sick of hearing how much money Nintendo makes while not seeing it passed back onto the consumer with price cuts!

  • Rugbyspelaren

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 5:11 am PT

    Hell yee!!! Europe is geting it 2days before you all !!!

  • mikeyg756

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 4:41 am PT

    I can't believe anyone will buy this peice of crap. Wheres a BRAND NEW handheld?. I'm sick of the DS and PSP now, all Sony and Nintendo are doing is making there handheld what it should have been like in the first place OR adding stupid pointless camera's and other gimmicky crap so they can milk more out of them.

  • toa1995

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 4:12 am PT

    well i still only have the original ds so this is a must have for me cant wait for april 5th!

  • viewtiful_jay

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 4:05 am PT

    Like: bigger screens, DSiWare, SD cards, WPA support (FINALLY!), cameras, if for no reason other than they might add another interesting gameplay element.

    Don't like: Loss of GBA port, price, cameras are too low resolution for anything that a cheap in game gimmick.

    I'm still not sure if I want one or not. The lack of GBA support really has me turned off, and I'm not really jumping at the price. Basically, none of the things I LIKE really sell me on the DSi, but two of the things I don't like make me want to turn the other way and run.

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:36 am PT

    I agree Fatal Byte that the PSP is unmatched - but then, there isn't a handheld like it in the market.... the DS is also arguably unmatched as there is nothing competing against it either.

    The reason the DSi has two screens is because it needs two screens, just like the DS and DS Lite. It has two cameras so you can either take photos or use the internal one to show a picture of yourself whilst it's open and being played on. I still think the DSi is a waste of space though..... the DS lite is perfectly adequate.

    Out of the two systems, the DS has more fun games, but the PSPs multimedia capabilities make it a good choice if you don't have a personal media player to watch movies on.

  • Templar_Bladema

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:31 am PT

    I still do not get the DSi. I still have my old DS... somewhere. It is probably packed up with all my room stuff in the storage. I prefer PSP, but I still play DS cause of the game choices only on there (Castlevania for instance). Both good systems, but the problem witht the DS is the same with the Wii, Third-party developers do not know the system as well as Nintendo, thus the touch screen is either overused or underused in their games.

  • Fatal_Byte posted Feb 19, 2009 3:19 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Fatal_Byte

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:19 am PT (hide)

    PSP is still unmatched. If Sony ever done anything right it was making an excellent handheld. And why 2 screens and two cameras on the DSi?

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:13 am PT

    Hmmm, I feel a new acronym coming here - WOM = Waste Of Money.

    Oh, and how about NAUG = Nintendo Are Unnecessarily Greedy?

    I mean, come on? The DSi really is a waste.... I love Nintendo's DS and the Wii and they are ever improving them, but this DSi stepping stone until "DS-2" comes out is laughably over priced. Nintendo are becoming masters at fleecing buyers who don't have a clue what they're paying for and as much as you can admire a company for generating profits, morality has to creep in somewhere for the consumer.

    If only they spent as much time on their Wii games titles as they have done concocting ever more ingenious methods of selling rubbish games for loads of money over a long period of time, there wouldn't be so many of us putting question marks over the Wii's viability as a console for the "hardcore" gamer.

    That said, they're stepping in the right direction with some great new titles coming up - Madworld in particular. It's taken them long enough though....

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