NINTENDO pioneered hand-held entertainment in the ’80s and made it fully mobile with the Game Boy video game system. Now, Nintendo is transforming the way people access, experience, create and share content with the new Nintendo DSi system. This is the third iteration of the world’s best-selling portable video game system – after the Nintendo DS and DS Lite. The DSi has been on sale in Japan since Nov. 1, 2008 and has already sold over a million units. It goes on sale in Europe on April 3 and in the USA two days later. Colors available at launch will be blue and black, and the game system will be priced at $169.99.
The DSi is 2.6mm or about 12 percent thinner than the DS Lite. To achieve that thinness, Nintendo killed the slot for GameBoy Advance software. Plus any DS title that uses that port won’t play with the DSi. The DSi comes with a 3.25 inch LCD screen, improved speaker volume and better sound quality. Other new features include an SD card slot, two 0.3 megapixel cameras and a new menu system. New upgradeable firmware will be exclusive to the DSi and offers a DSi Shop online store, photo editor, music player, audio recorder and PictoChat. Unfortunately, it only supports AAC files not MP3 files, so the DSi’s audio functions still disappoint.
The most noticeable feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras — one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. As the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive “lenses” that can manipulate photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share photos. The cameras also present people with unprecedented ways to interact with their games while giving developers a new tool to devise creative games and experiences. If the touch screen gave the Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give the Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.
The Nintendo DSi Sound application serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song. The microphone is located between the two screens when the device is flipped open, and there is also a stereo headphone output that lets users listen to music saved on an SD card, even with the screen shut.
The Nintendo DSiWare application will allow users to populate their Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded directly to the portable system using Nintendo DSi Points, just as WiiWare operates with Nintendo’s Wii console. Nintendo is inviting developers big and small to create software that makes use of the properties and functions of the hardware. Nintendo DSiWare games and applications will be available at a range of values, starting at 200 points.
In addition to downloadable games, the Nintendo DSi is able to play games made specifically for the system and sold at retail. The system can also play most Nintendo DS games, and will have access to a library of more than 850 titles originally made for that system. Timed with the release of the DSi in new markets, Nintendo will be making available the game Rhythm Heaven. Having sold more than 1.6 million copies since its July 2008 launch in Japan and still increasing sales today, this infectious game challenges players to tap and slide the stylus on the touch screen in time to original music created by Japanese pop-star producer Mitsuo Terada, who’s also known as Tsunku. Simple gestures with the stylus combined with fun music and quirky visuals make Rhythm Heaven an addictive musical experience for players of all ages.
