Nintendo announces new DSi gaming portable

Update: CNET Crave has confirmed that the new external camera will be a 3-megapixel one and the internal one on the hinge has a 300,000-pixel resolution.

Like the transition from the original DS to the DS Lite, the DSi is not a new platform but merely adds to the console's existing capabilities. Most significantly, the GameBoy Advance (GBA) slot has been axed while an SD card slot has been added. While you won't be able to play your old GBA games on the DSi, it will now be able to playback music and images. What's more, Nintendo will be offering a new service called "Nintendo DSi shop" where you can download applications and games. The removal of the GBA slot enabled Nintendo to make it slightly thinner than the DS Lite though it is longer and wider. Its weight doesn't differ much--214g, just 4g lighter than the current model.

Other significant hardware improvements include larger 3.25-inch screens (up from 3 inches) and two cameras like in clamshell mobile phones. According to the specifications, the screens will have five brightness levels, up from the DS Lite's four. The bad news is that the maximum battery life at lowest brightness has been reduced to 14 hours, down 5 hours from the DS Lite, which we presume is due to the higher energy requirements of the larger screens.

The new Nintendo DSi will first be available in Japan on 1 November at 18,900 yen (about US$179). It will find its way to the rest of the world thereafter in 2009.

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Image credit: Nintendo DSi site