The rest of the world may be still waiting for the DSi, but Japanese buyers will soon have an extra three colors to choose from. Nintendo have announced pink, green and metallic blue versions of the DSi handheld, which will go on sale from March 20th.
Although you’ve been able to browse the internet on the Nintendo DS for some time now, the experience has never really a been a good one. That’s something that Nintendo promised to change with the new DSi, and going by this browser speed showdown from the guys at N+, they’ve succeeded.
Video showdown after the cut
Last November Nintendo starts selling DSi in Japan, and promised US launch sometimes in 2009. That sometimes has finally gotten a date, April 5th. The DSi is a small step up from current Nintendo DS Lite, with slimmer body, addition of two cameras, SD slot, and larger 3.25-inch screen.
With the announcement of DSi, Nintendo also roll out DSi Shop, a commerce system that allows gamers to buy and download games or demos using DSi points. I’ve been playing with DSi for quite sometimes now and these features upgrades are worth paying for.The DSi will be priced at $170 when it hits the shelf.
Take one Nintendo DS, a handful of solar panels, some spare time and this Instructable, and you could end up with this: a solar-powered DS that you never have to plug into the mains again. By strapping four 60 x 60mm panels – each capable of a maximum 3 volts at 40 ma power output – to the top and bottom outside casings of the DS, you can actually create a trickle-charger potent enough to avoid ever needing mains power.
According to a leaked GameStop internal newsletter, Nintendo have discontinued the DS Lite Onyx handheld. The GameStop daily newsletter suggests that no further stock of the black DS Lite will be delivered, and that once stores have sold their remaining on-site stock they should remove any Onyx boxes and promotional material from the sales floor.
Has the Nintendo DSi release date changed? Last month several sources claimed Nintendo were planning a roughly April 4th US release for the updated handheld, earlier than the company’s original Summer 2009 prediction. Now, according to a document [pdf link] on Nintendo’s Japanese site that details the 2009 release schedule, the DSi is expected in “2009 Spring-Summer”.
Nintendo has set amazing sales records in the year 2008 due to the growing popularity of the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS gaming devices. Never before has a gaming console sold more than 10 million units in a single year, but Nintendo has almost accomplished this twice in 2008.
According to independent sales data released yesterday by the NPD Group, the Wii had a total sales number of 10.17 million units for 2008 with the Nintendo DS coming in as close second with just 9.95 million. In the last generation of gaming devices, Nintendo fell short against Sony and Microsoft with its GameCube, but this generation Nintendo has redeemed themselves with amazing sales.
If you believe the little rumor birdies (or the guys over at IGN), it seems that Nintendo’s DSi will be dropping much sooner than anyone had anticipated. On top of that, there’s also a rumored price for the DSi.
Nintendo have trademarked two new gaming-related terms, one of which suggests that a motion-sensing add-on for the handheld DS is in the works. The trademark database refers to the “DS Houi Sensor Card”, with houi meaning “direction” or “cardinal point” in Japanese, and has led to predictions of a new range of cartridges that would offer title-specific motion-sensing.
We recently saw a knockoff version of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 as well as a knockoff of the PS3, but where do you ask is the Wii version? Well we’ve found it over yonder on Flickr via Engadget. This console goes by the name “MiWi2,” does this mean there was a first one?
SlashGear Japan
