If ever there was a reason to move to Japan (not that I’d take much persuading) it’s the news that the US might have to wait even longer than initially expected for the new Nintendo DSi. According to Nintendo of America chief Reggie Fils-Aimé, while the handheld will make it to Japan in around a month, US buyers will have to wait until “well into calendar year 2009″.
Nintendo’s new DSi handheld, announced today, may be a bit more portable than its DS Lite predecessor – 12-percent thinner in fact – but if you’re expecting to use that portability to take it further afield for even more gaming then the estimated battery life ratings may be a disappointment. While the DS Lite could last for 15-19hrs on a single charge at minimum brightness, that figure drops to 9-14hrs in the DSi; at highest brightness you’ll get a mere 3-4hrs from the DSi, whereas the DS Lite would have entertained you for 5-8hrs.
On Nintendo’s new Japanese site for the DSi there’s a photo viewer to compare the existing DS Lite handheld to its new DSi sibling. SlashGear reader Sion extracted and pieced together the two images for us as a direct size comparison between old and new; as you can see, the new 640 x 480 3.25-inch screens on the DSi (left) are significantly bigger than the 3-inch displays on the DS Lite (right).
Larger version of this image after the cut
Nintendo has announced its new DSi, the update to the DS Lite, at the company’s Fall presentation in Japan earlier today. As expected, it features the same dual-display clamshell layout as the DS (both larger at 3.25-inches, with the bottom display remaining a touchscreen) with additional media features: an external 3-megapixel camera, an internal video-call camera and an SD slot, together with internal storage. The removal of the GBA cartridge slot has meant the DSi can be 12-percent thinner than the previous DS Lite.
More details, including the DSi Shop and a video overview of the DSi, after the cut
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