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, the third iteration of the world’s best-selling portable video game system. Nintendo DSi launches in the United States on April 5, 2009, at an MSRP of $169.99. The colors available at launch will be Blue and Black.
"Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”
Some features that will be built into the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase include the Nintendo DSi Camera, Nintendo DSi Sound and Nintendo DSi Shop. 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 your photos, the Nintendo DSi Camera offers an easy way to take and share your photos with family and friends. 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 Nintendo DS a sense of feel and the microphone allowed it to hear, the two cameras give Nintendo DSi the sense of sight.
Another enhanced feature is the Nintendo DSi Sound application, which serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. 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 mic 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.
In the world of software, Nintendo DSi will be the platform for the most relevant and fun on-the-go games and applications. The Nintendo DSiWare application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare has with Nintendo’s Wii console. Developers big and small are invited 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, 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.
Also on April 5, a new Nintendo DS game, Rhythm Heaven, will join this roster of games available for both Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS owners in the United States. 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 legendary Japanese pop-star producer TSUNKU♂. Simple gestures with the stylus combined with fun music and quirky visuals make Rhythm Heaven a completely unique musical experience for players of all ages.
Anthony launched Nintendo Life in late 2005 and has remained at the helm ever since. He loves Nintendo but sometimes gets confused and tells everyone that F-Zero X is the best game. We've tried getting him help, but alas...
Awesome, going to go reserve mine tomorrow. Blue...I think I will go with the black one. I hear that EU will be getting theirs in April as well (I think GoNintendo posted an article) and will be white and black.
So I just rang up my local Game store to pre-order the white console... and the store's closed down! I'm not too sure how I'll get it now, since I want to trade in my lite for it, and get a hefty bunch of reward card points as well (totalling £7.50, I do believe - enough for my first batch of Nintendo Points!). Either way, I'm not going to be impulse buying over the next two months
Definitely black for me. That blue is kinda cool, but too girly for me, so definitely black. Hopefully GameStop will have some sort of trade-in deal for it.
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Awesome, going to go reserve mine tomorrow. Blue...I think I will go with the black one. I hear that EU will be getting theirs in April as well (I think GoNintendo posted an article) and will be white and black.
Europe gets a few days earlier, but at £150 it is going to be much cheaper to import a US DSi (even with the terrible exchange rate!)
So I just rang up my local Game store to pre-order the white console... and the store's closed down! I'm not too sure how I'll get it now, since I want to trade in my lite for it, and get a hefty bunch of reward card points as well (totalling £7.50, I do believe - enough for my first batch of Nintendo Points!). Either way, I'm not going to be impulse buying over the next two months
Definitely black for me. That blue is kinda cool, but too girly for me, so definitely black. Hopefully GameStop will have some sort of trade-in deal for it.
im gettin black. its more my style. i would have gotten white if they released it here..... oh well at least im still getting one!
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