DSi
Latest
Nintendo DSi coming Stateside by summer 2009, tomorrow in Japan
Nintendo's tip-toeing around an overseas, US release date of its new DSi handheld has now been narrowed to the summer of 2009, according to president Satoru Iwata. That's a whole lot better than "well into" 2009 if you ask us. Meanwhile, Japan gets theirs starting Saturday for ¥18,900 or about $192 tax-inclusive -- that's up from $178 earlier this month thanks to a skyrocketing Yen. Nintendo has already shipped 200,000 of the slimmer, dual-cam handheld consoles in preparation for weekend sales with another 100,000 planned for the following week. Clearly there's no such thing as an economic slowdown in the land that Mario built.
Iwata and staff discuss Nintendo DSi development, rumors of SDHC support abound
The latest entry in the "Iwata Asks" series has returned with an up-close look at the Nintendo DSi. For this exercise, Iwata carefully prepared a pot of green tea (possibly), sat down with three chaps from Nintendo's technology division (definitely), Yui Ehara, Kentaro Santa, and Masato Kawabara, and then talked some DSi.As usual, all sorts of interesting nuggets get dropped. Apparently, a new DS was discussed in late-2006 (just a few months after the DS Lite launched!), the chipset was basically completed by February 2007, and for quite some time the DSi was going to have one rotating camera, and two cartridge slots. As it happens, Iwata was concerned that a rotating device would break easily, and believed the extra cartridge slot made the DSi too big, so both got the chop.There was also some brief discussion of the DSi supporting SD cards. Supposedly, it was Shigeru Miyamoto himself who requested this feature, promising that he'd find a way to utilize it. In related news, a DSi spec sheet has appeared at NeoGAF with the SDHC logo on it, suggesting the new handheld supports the extended SD format. The DSi may only be two days away, but there's clearly plenty we're still not aware of!Source: Iwata asks!Source: Spec sheet hints! %Gallery-33263%[Via Tiny Cartridge]
DS Daily: On 'i'
Only one letter separates the Nintendo DSi from the original Nintendo DS, but what does that letter, an inconspicuous "i," mean, readers? Hm?Is it DSimproved? DSinnovation? DSinternet? Maybe it's just DS I, as in "this is my DS, a DS for me." Actually, that last argument could be supported by a Miyamoto quote from a recent MTV Multiplayer interview: "With DSi we've really tried to create in a way that makes the system feels much more personal to you."Alternatively, maybe it means nothing at all, but is an attempt by Nintendo to Apple-ize its handheld. Believe it or not, this kind of stuff keeps us up at night.%Gallery-33263%
Japan: not crazy about Nintendo DSi
... According to this Dengeki poll, anyway. The Japanese site conducted a survey of its readers just days before the Nintendo DSi launches in Japan, and discovered that most were pretty nonplussed by the shiny new upgrade.The most surprising statistic? Only 3.6% stated they'd be purchasing the DSi "soon," a worryingly teensy minority, and perhaps another sign that the DSi won't match the Lite's epic launch. In the next bracket, 29.4% of readers said they'd wait a little bit before jumping in, but 40.7% said they'd already made their mind up against buying a DSi. The new, larger screens are the most attractive feature of the console, said 30.8% of respondents, but the two cameras got considerably less love: only 15.1% of people named them as the best bit of the DSi.Exactly how representative Dengeki's survey is could be debated. There's no mention of how many readers voted, for example, and Dengeki readers undoubtedly represent a very small proportion of all potential DSi buyers. Still, 3.6% is, y'know, small. Hit the break for a more complete statistical breakdown.%Gallery-33263%
DS Daily: Three hundred dollars
If you want to import a Nintendo DSi at launch, that's what you're going to have to pay -- that is, if you can even get one. That's about $100 over its retail price, for a system with only two confirmed launch titles (the browser and the notepad program) and only two more known titles (mini-Brain Ages) on the way.Have the prices affected your decision, if you were previously planning to grab one? Or have the reports of rarity, which are helping to drive those high prices, accelerated the decision process?%Gallery-33263%
How much?! Importers charging several arms and legs for DSi [update]
Click to enter our DSi gallery. When the Nintendo DSi launches on November 1st, it will cost Japanese consumers ¥18,900, or the equivalent of $200 at current exchange rates. Alas, import stores apparently didn't get that memo. Earlier this week, YesAsia was one of the first major importers to open its DSi preorder scheme, demanding an eye-watering price of $299.99 for Nintendo's upgraded handheld. That's a 50% rise on what you'd pay on a Japanese high street.Since then, others have followed suit, with Play-Asia opening its preorders yesterday at the same price. A quick scan of Google's Shopping channel turned up the following offers (bear in mind the top three will also add shipping costs): YesAsia.com: $299.99 Play-Asia.com: $299.99 Model-Gadget.com: $272.29 Gadget-Asia.com: $318.30 (free shipping) Egads! It appears importers, rather than Nintendo, are dictating prices here, and even though the likes of Renchi have yet to start offering preorders, we can assume they will also be pricing the systems at roughly $300. Anybody still tempted?Update: Renchi has now updated its DSi preorder page: they're offering handhelds for $298, but reserve the right to make price adjustments based on demand. That doesn't sound good.%Gallery-33263%
DS Daily: Keeping a record
While we're still not fully convinced the DSi is the second coming of awesome, some of the features are undoubtedly neat. We spoke a little about the camera and some of the photo manipulation possibilities the other day, but another feature of the DSi (that also has nothing to do with gaming) is the ability to create an album-of-days, or basically, a photo diary on your DSi. It's a neat idea, considering a lot of people carry their handhelds around nearly everywhere, though it certainly won't convince anyone to buy the reimagined handheld by itself (probably). What do you think of the feature? Is it something you would use, provided you had a DSi?
See the Nintendo DSi in action
With the handheld's Nov. 1 release just around the bend in Japan, Nintendo has released a new "informational video" showing off the user interface, camera functionality, and DSi store for the Nintendo DSi. As expected, there's a lot of wacky face-stretching and bestickering of cute photos to be found, along with some hah-larious pitch modulation of recorded voice clips. You know, like the voice changers you've tried on XBL and PSN for all of two minutes.The DSi store and the DSi's revamped UI are unquestionably the most interesting aspects of the short video. We're still interested to see if the DSi allows for things such as changing game cards and system settings without having to reboot the unit. That'd be so ... 2008. (2009 if you live in the US.) Check out the video after the break.[Via DS Fanboy]
DS Daily: DSindifference
Here's an unthinkable thought: could the DSi actually flop? Earlier this week, GamePro speculated that there was a distinct lack of buzz around the upgraded handheld. This viewpoint was based on the fact that DSi reservation tickets (essentially guarantees that you'll get your desired product on launch day without the need to queue for hours) have hardly been setting Japanese auction sites alight.We'd personally offer one of our limbs for a Japanese DSi at launch, but we also know that our reader's views on the DSi vary from wildly excited to massively underwhelmed. For what it's worth, we fully expect DSi to be a rip-roaring success, but it hasn't been that long since another upgraded Nintendo handheld met a frosty reaction at market. Could the DSi also fail?%Gallery-33263%
The DS Life: i
As far as the Nintendo DSi's new features go, most of the opinions we've heard seem to think unkindly of the upcoming hardware's cameras -- some calling it a gimmick that needlessly raises the system's price, others describing it as an absent-minded addition that hardly competes with their digital cameras or phones.As someone who runs a column on photographs about handheld gamers, however, I'm thrilled about the whole deal! I expect to see a lot more image submissions from our readers after next, um, April, when the updated handheld finally comes to the States.With only eight days before the DSi debuts in Japan, Nintendo has put out a trailer with a guide for the portable's new features, including the camera and image manipulation capabilities. Join us past the post break for the four-and-a-half-minute clip.%Gallery-33263%
DS Daily: Browsing
Thanks to the DS homebrew community, you can enjoy at least one rudimentary web browser, and thanks to Nintendo, you can enjoy ... well, one official rudimentary browser. Come the time of the DSi, a browser will be included, and web browsing will just become a part of the DS experience.Or will it? Not only was the official browser not very engaging, but we just never felt much need for net-surfing from the DS. Does that appeal to you?
Engadget Podcast 113 - 10.13.2008: The Engadget Podcast returns!
You read that right -- the Engadget Podcast is back... with a vengeance. Recently we've been getting a ton of emails and comments suggesting we bring back the show, and since we're all as much a fan of it as you are, that's just what we did. We've been dying to get the podcast back in action -- especially with the holidays, CES, and Macworld on the very near horizon -- so now seemed like the ideal time. We've just wrapped the official reintroduction, and you can listen in via the links below. This week we cover quite a few exciting developments in the world of gadgetry, including (but certainly not limited to) RIM's new Storm, the upcoming Apple laptop event, and Nintendo's unveiling of the DSi. We hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for more! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Guest: Ryan Block (gdgt) Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Professor Murder -- Dutch Hex (Brothers) 01:02 - BlackBerry Storm 9500 hands-on 14:06 - T-Mobile G1 launch day roundup 20:10 - Nokia 5800 XpressMusic hands-on 26:58 - Apple "notebook" event is on, October 14th! 48:21 - Nintendo announces DSi with dual cameras, "DSi Shop" content store (updated) LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) We're working on getting the proper iTunes / Zune / AAC / OGG feeds up and running -- hopefully they'll be ready for next week's show! [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com
DS Daily: Camera games
Whether or not you're excited about the DSi's camera(s), it's sure to have some potential for future fun. Is there anything you'd like to see done with the handheld's included cameras? Any particular apps? Do you want to make faces? Wave things in front of the camera? Just take random pictures of friends who don't realize that's what you're doing with your DS? Gallery: Nintendo DSi
Unlikely rumor: Kingdom Hearts bundle includes GBA-capable DSi?
A Neowin forumite has produced what he claims to be a picture of a document faxed from a friend who works at Mandarake Galaxy, detailing a Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days/DSi bundle for Q2 of next year -- which is after the just-announced February release date for 358/2 Days. But that's not the really interesting bit -- in fact, we fully expect such a bundle will show up.No, the interesting bit, which makes us fully doubt this, is that according to his translation, the bundle will include not only 358/2 Days, but Chain of Memories as well -- and that the included DSi will include Game Boy Advance compatibility. Due to the quality of the picture, we can't make out a lot of the kanji, but we can clearly see mentions in katakana of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and the Game Boy Advance. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is written out too, but not correctly. It doesn't matter what it says, in the end, because this is a picture of a page some guy typed. In real Kingdom Hearts news, Gamespot has a hands-on preview of 358/2 Days, describing in detail a playthrough of the TGS demo. %Gallery-26441%[Thanks, B Marriner!]
Point/Counterpoint: Nintendo DSi
Click to enter our DSi gallery. It's on everyone's mind. The upcoming Nintendo DSi handheld is quite the attractive gadget ... or is it? We're back with another edition of Point/Counterpoint, this time dealing with Nintendo's upgraded portable system. Click the button below to read the pros and cons of Nintendo's DSi. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } %Gallery-33263%
DS Daily: Feeling the squeeze?
Since we talked yesterday about the price of the just-announced Nintendo DSi, it seems prudent to discus other matters of price today. To be specific, we're curious as to whether or not your gaming spending habits have taken a hit due to the economic issues currently plaguing most of the globe. Are you buying fewer games, or considering it? Taking a break from buying anything to save up for the holidays, or planning to hit up friends and family for more gaming gifts?
DS Daily: The price is right?
¥18,900, or roughly $180. That's how much the Nintendo DSi will cost when it launches on November 1st in Japan. For North American importers, that's a $50 hike for a system with a few extra functions, but also with its GBA compatibility removed. At the same time, it's not a dramatic leap for Japanese consumers -- ¥18,900 is just ¥2,100 ($14) more than what a Lite costs there.In your view, is the DSi fairly priced? And what's the highest price you would be prepared to pay when it arrives in your region next year?%Gallery-33263%
Nintendo Points won't make the leap between Wii and DSi
While it's not exactly a huge surprise given that Nintendo doesn't have an overarching account system for the Wii and DS, plenty of folks will no doubt still be disappointed to learn that the company's new Nintendo Points won't be transferable between the two consoles. Instead, when you buy a points card (available in 1000, 3000 and 5000 points versions), you'll have to pick a console and spend all the points in that one place. Not exactly an ideal option, to be sure, but it seems like it's one that we'll be stuck with -- unless Nintendo has some plans to make some major changes to the way the Wii and DSi do business.[Via gamesindustry.biz]
DS Daily: Still going to import one?
Click to enter our DSi gallery. With the news that the DSi is region locked, as well as the handheld not officially arriving on North American shores until after April 2009, we're wondering if many of you still plan on importing the handheld? We already know you're going to pick a DSi up eventually (who can resist its awesome features?), but we would like to know if you still plan on snatching one up super early. So, will you?%Gallery-33263%
Wii Warm Up: Your favorite reveal
There was a ton of stuff to come from Nintendo's big news day last week. What we're wondering is what your favorite item was? Were you stoked about a certain game more than any others? Are you thrilled to hear about Club Nintendo coming to the States? Was the Nintendo DSi your favorite thing from the show? Nintendo's storage solution? What was your favorite thing to come out of Nintendo's fall media summit?
