Nintendo unveils DSi, the third generation DS

Not content to stick with the five year console cycle that gamers have grown accustomed to, Nintendo unveiled the third version of their popular DS portable gaming device at their fall press conference early this morning. The DSi will feature a number of new enhancements while removing some of the functionality that the DS Lite currently offers.

Basic enhancements that we might have expected include a larger screen (3.25 inches compared to the DS Lite’s 3 inches) and improvements to audio.

Several new additions have been made that will likely make this a must buy for many users. The most noticeable of these upon first glance is the inclusion of a .3 megapixel VGA camera capable of 640×480 images. The pictures can easily be stored on the DSi’s new SD card slot. But SD cards will be good for a lot more than just pictures.

Nintendo will soon be debuting the DSiWare Store. Similar to WiiWare, it will provide downloadable games and content to the third generation of Nintendo DS. It’s important to note that this will only function on the DSi as the SD cards will be required for storage.

The trade off for all this goodness? The DSi won’t feature the GBA slot as previous models have. While many gamers may not make use of it for GameBoy Advance games, certain titles like Arkanoid DS and Guitar Hero: On Tour have peripherals that attach through the GBA slot.

The DSi will be released in Japan on November 1st for ￥18,900 and will be available in white and black at launch. Other markets are set to follow in 2009.

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