There's a new Nintendo kid on the block. On Wednesday, Nintendo confirmed rumors of a new version of the popular DS portable game machine, called the DSi. The announcement was made during the game giant's fall press conference.
The new device offers a 640x480 camera, a slot for SD cards, the ability to play music, a screen that is 17 percent larger than on the DS Lite, a built-in Web browser, and the ability to download games via Wi-Fi from a DSi Shop. The DSi is slated to be released in Japan on November for about $180, with worldwide release on a regional basis sometime next year.
New Uses for the Camera
The camera could enable new forms of game play, allowing the user to write on images, modify faces, or mix photos. As with its popular Wii console, which introduced video games to market segments that were not previously considered gamers, the company said the DSi is designed to be the first camera for children as well a tool for older users.
Games in the DSi Shop will be available free or for Nintendo points, such as the 1,000 points DSi customers get to spend through 2010.
Industry observers see this newest version of the DS as a countermove by Nintendo against new advances in portable game devices from Sony and Apple. Sony has indicated it will sell a new version of its PSP portable this month with a higher-resolution screen and a built-in microphone. Apple's iPods and iPhones are becoming popular game devices, helping to expand the growing category of motion-sensing games.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told news media that, while DS sales have been strong, he doesn't expect "the momentum will last much longer because the player has been available for almost four years." The DS has sold nearly 80 million units since its introduction in the holiday season of 2004, and the DSi is the first new version of the player since the introduction of the DS Lite in 2006.
'Next Generation of Mobile Games'
Even with huge popularity in Japan -- one in six people own a DS -- Iwata said the company wants the DS line to go from something in every household to something that every person owns.
Michael Gartenberg, vice president for consumer strategy at Jupitermedia, said the newest version of the DS "sounds like a nice evolution," but he noted that the challenge for the company is to keep its focus on gaming and not become "distracted" by media-player functions such as music, a camera, or Web browsing.
Gartenberg said the key goal for Nintendo is to "create the next generation of mobile games," and the store "could be a good thing if done properly" because it provides a direct, continuing contact with the consumer.
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