Facebook plugs into DSi

At the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live subscribers would be able to connect to popular social networking site Facebook directly through the Xbox 360. Though a date has yet to be attached to that service, another console manufacturer, Nintendo, will be beating Microsoft to the punch, announcing today that gamers can imminently upload photos to Facebook using their camera-equipped DSi.

After 5:00 p.m. PDT, Nintendo will release a free system update for its portable platform that will allow for the new feature to be used in the US; the service is already live in Europe and Japan. The uploading function takes advantage of the platform's two interactive cameras, better known as the hallmark feature of Nintendo's twice-redesigned handheld that debuted in the US and EU in April.

Nintendo also provided a brief sales update on the DSi, stating that the handheld has sold over 1.7 million units in the US according to NPD Group figures. In early June, the manufacturer announced the DSi sold over 1 million units in both the United States and Europe, though its DS line's combined sales dropped 14 percent to 5.97 million DS systems during the company's April-June quarter. According to Nintendo's most recent figures, more than 107.75 million DS systems have been sold worldwide since the original model shipped in 2004.