Nintendo DSi

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The Template:Nihongo<ref name="nojds">Template:Cite web</ref> is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS handheld.<ref name="noe">Template:Cite web</ref> It was first announced during the Nintendo Conference on October 2, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is currently only available in Japan and will be released elsewhere during the first half of 2009.

1 Specifications
2 DSi Shop
3 Release
4 References
5 External links

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Specifications

thumb|150px|left|The DSi when closed, showing its second camera The Nintendo DSi is about 12% thinner (2.6 mm) than the Nintendo DS Lite.<ref name="noe"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new handheld has two VGA (0.3 megapixel)<ref name="noe"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> digital cameras; one on the internal hinge pointed towards the user and the second one in the outer shell.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also has larger screens (3.25 inches, instead of the previous 3 inches) and improved speakers.<ref name="noe"/> The power switch has been replaced with a power button, as the original DS had, now located next to the bottom left side of the touchscreen. The DSi has five brightness settings compared to the DS Lite's four; however, battery life is reduced to 14 hours on the lowest brightness setting compared to the 19 hours of its predecessor.<ref name="dsi-comparison">Template:Cite web</ref> The internal rechargeable battery can still be replaced by the user at the end of its useful life of (typically) several hundred charge/discharge cycles.

A new SD card slot is used for external storage of pictures and downloaded software and to play AAC audio.<ref name="noe"/> The front slot for Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridges has been removed,<ref name="noe"/> thus removing the unit's backward compatibility and its compatibility with accessories that require the GBA slot, such as the Nintendo DS Rumble Pak; as well as the Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades grip, which is required for those games. The removal of backward compatibility prevents games such as Pokémon Diamond and Pearl from accessing saved data stored on GBA cartridges. The DSi has 256 MB of internal flash memory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Photos taken using the DSi can be synced to the Wii's Photo Channel.<ref name="noe"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Similar to its competitor, the PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo's own Wii console, the DSi has upgradable firmware; a first for a Nintendo handheld system. All existing flash cards for the Nintendo DS and DS Lite are incompatible with the DSi,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but DSi compatible flashcards are now being produced - the first one was created by Acekard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Whether they are locked out by future firmware updates remains to be seen.

It has been reported that the DSi uses region locking for DSi-specific software, since it provides Internet services tailored individually for each region,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but the DSi itself does not have region lock-outs, so Nintendo DS games from any region can be played.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the DSi uses rating-based parental controls, which differ by country. The WPA and WPA2 support is not backward compatible with original DS games. Only DSi services can use WPA.<ref>http://www.gamecyte.com/iwata-dsis-wpa-security-not-backwards-compatible</ref>

Nintendo has also improved some of the DSi's hardware (compared to the DS Lite), such as the main CPU and the RAM.

CPUs: Two ARM processors. The main processor is an [ARM9? ARM11?] clocked at 133MHz, a significant upgrade from the original 67MHz ARM9 processor that was in the DS and DS Lite. The co-processor is the same as the previous generations, a 33MHz ARM7 processor.
RAM: 16 MB of RAM. (Four times that of previous DS models)
Storage: 256 MB of internal Flash memory.
Wireless: 802.11 internal wireless connectivity.

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DSi Shop

Template:Seealso The Nintendo DSi is able to connect to an online store similar to the Wii Shop Channel,<ref name="noe"/> called the DSi Shop. Here, using Nintendo Points (previously known as Wii Points),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> users will be able to download DSiWare games and applications to the internal memory or the SD card of the user's DSi system. Each DSi that accesses the DSi Shop prior to March 2010 will receive 1,000 Nintendo Points.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The applications will either be free, or cost 200, 500, or 800+ (marked with a 'Premium' tag) Nintendo Points.<ref name="noe"/>

The DSi Shop was launched with the DSi Browser, a web browser being made available for free download.<ref name="noe"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Release

The system was first released in Japan on November 1, 2008 for ¥18,900 (tax included; ¥18,000 before tax),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> around US$192,<ref name=reuters/> in matte black and matte white.<ref name="noe"/> In Japan, Nintendo had shipped 200,000 DSi units for its launch.<ref name=reuters>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=gamasutra>Template:Cite web</ref> During its first two days on sale in Japan, the DSi sold 170,779 units according to Enterbrain;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or 171,925 units according to Media Create.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In its first month on sale, the DSi sold 535,379 units in Japan, according to Enterbrain;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in comparison to 550,000 DS Lites sold in its launch month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In its first two months of availability, the DSi has sold 1,280,000 units in Japan, according to Enterbrain.<ref name=Japansales>Template:Cite web</ref>

The DSi will be released in regions outside Japan before Q4 2009 according to Satoru Iwata.<ref name=reuters/><ref name=gamasutra/>The DSi is being released in Europe in spring 2009.<ref name="kt-pal">Template:Cite web</ref> Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime claimed that DS Lite sales in the United States were still strong, so introducing the DSi to the USA is not a high priority,<ref name="mtv">Template:Cite web</ref> and will not be available in North America until "well into 2009".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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