Nintendo announces DSi

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 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.