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 640×480 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…