Preorders for the
Nintendo DSi launched today, with the new portable due to arrive April 5 in black and blue designs for $170. Do you need one? Here's what you should know:
- Slimmer design with larger screens and improved speakers
- No more GameBoy Advance slot, so if backward compatibility is important to you then skip this
- SD Card slot supports downloadable games via a new Nintendo DSiWare store, which - similar to WiiWare - offers downloadable games for purchase
- Two 0.3 megapixel cameras, one on the back and the other between the dual screens - this isn't just for snapshots as some DSi games require the cameras for play, and you can doodle on your pictures with your stylus using built-in software
- Wireless WPA security, though older games will still use WEP since that's how they were programmed
Basically, it looks like Nintendo has taken a few notes from Apple's iPhone. Worth the upgrade? Maybe, eventually, if the online store takes off like Apple's App Store and you don't mind abandoning the GBA support...
I bought the "phat" DS, and when the new one came out I bought that one and gave other to my little brother. To be honest I have not touched my DS in a while, so I don't think I need this little extras.
I had the phat and got a Lite for the improved screen. Now my Lite is getting pretty worn out (though not cracked or anything), so I'm only mildly tempted to get a DSi - probably by the end of the year.
I still play the DS a lot, though less now that I have an iPhone.
technically you lose backward compatibility but isnt it a good assumption that the DSiWare will have a lot of retro titles to offer in the same way the Wii store does? In actuality this could bring a whole new realm of retro gaming to the system.