The Nintendo Dsi

The Nintendo DSi is a new console that’s very similar to the DS. It’s 12% thinner than the DS Lite and has two cameras built-in. One of the camera’s is positioned on the inside hinge while the other camera is on outside top half of the DSi. The DSi will have slightly bigger screens compared to the DS Lite and the power button will be moved back inside like the original DS. Due to the higher power consumption and slimmer profile the battery life is reduced compared to its predecessor, the DS Lite. A new SDHC card slot is utilized for external storage of pictures and downloaded software and to play audio. The front slot for Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges has been removed, thus removing the unit’s backward compatibility and its compatibility with accessories that require the GBA slot, such as the Guitar Hero: On Tour grip, which is essential to play the game. The DSi has 256MB of flash memory. The photos can also be synced to the Wii’s photo channel. The Nintendo DSi is able to connect to an online store similar to the Wii Shop Channel called the DSi Shop. Here, using Nintendo Points, users will be able to download DSiWare, games and applications that can be downloaded to the internal memory or the SDHC card of the user’s DSi handheld. The Nintendo Points can be used on the Wii. The applications will either be free, or cost 200, 500, or 800+ points. The DSi was released on November 1st, 2008 in Japan and is expected to be released around middle of 2009 everywhere else.