Nintendo DSi hits North America on April 5, $169.99

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Home Nintendo

7:09 AM on 02.18.2009, Nick Chester

48 comments | 7275 views

Nintendo DSi hits North America on April 5, $169.99 photo

#DS #Nintendo #top stories

Nintendo said mid-2009 and it's keeping its promise -- the Nintendo DSi will launch in North America on April 5, 2009 for an MSRP of $169.99. Initially it will be available in blue and black.

This new version of Nintendo's popular handheld features two cameras -- one on the front, and one that points at the user. The system will also support Nintendo DSiWare applications (think WiiWare for portables), which users can download to an SD Card.

Are you happy with your current model, or do these new features appeal enough to you that $169.99 sounds like a good proposition? Our suggestion? Reserve one wherever you can; stories about Nintendo not being able to "meet demand" in three, two ...

LAUNCH GALLERY (3 IMAGES)

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47 comments | showing # 1 to 47

linuxguy

I'll take a DS lite kthx bye

Doomsday Forte

I still have my original model DS that works well with me. The lack of a GBA slot hurts this in my opinion. But, it's also interesting to note that I read somewhere that the Lite will still be sold (but not in force) alongside the DSi, but at the same price as always. Hmm.

Dr Kai

At least it isn't $189. They currently don't have any "killer apps" to drive sales.

Now, how much do you want to bet that New Super Mario Bros 2 is being held as a DSi Ware exclusive? Now *that* will move units.

Y0j1mb0

Awesome! I know what crap not to buy on April 5th!

Wedge

Boo, guess that means no price drop on DSL. Better hurry and try to pawn off my crappy old Phatty to upgrade before then though...

casualweaponry

Sorry, I'll keep my DS Phat, NOT R4, and NOT homebrew . NeoDS FTW!

zombiekiller13

Nope, I'll pass. I still like to play the occasional GBA game, so my DS Lite will suffice for now.

Though, it does suffer from the hinge crack, and I may look to replace it sometime this year. Even still, I'll probably go with another DS Lite, not this thing.

Rhoq

Was going to upgrade my launch day DS to a lite just when the DSi was first unveiled. I've waited this long, I can wait until 4/5/09.

covah

I might buy... if I have spare money, which I wont.

Gen Eric Gui

I like my big, friendly, original DS.

Anviltongue

I'll probably be getting one, but only because I don't have a DS or PSP...probably black, although the blue is growing on me.

Any folks with a family around here? Do you find that portable gaming is easier to manage time-wise than console gaming?

Spelunking raccoon

If i was just getting a DS now this is what i'd get but unless something truly spectacular comes out on DSiware, and by spectacular I mean a game i'd be willing to pay $170 bucks plus for i'll be leaving this well alone.

funran

I can't help it, I'll be picking it up for sure. I'd like to think with the built in SD card, neat "non-downloading" tools and "non-emulation" will become featured after awhile.

funran

I can't help it, I'll be picking it up for sure. I'd like to think with the built in SD card, neat "non-downloading" tools and "non-emulation" will become featured after awhile.

Chicken008

Still have my DS from launch 2004.

Micorku

I'm sure I'm going to pick it up at some point, but I just don't have the money to drop right now. If there are a lot of good DSiWare games, then I'll pick it up either later this year or sometime next year.

Doomsday Forte

@Anviltongue: With both the PSP and DS, you can force the game into sleep mode when necessary and not lose any progress, and at any time too. With consoles, you have to find a save point or wait until the story finishes before you can really get up and leave. Not to mention, portable systems are portable. =P

BlindsideDork

I don't have a DSLite so....probably.

Dan CiTi

Goddammit now I want one...WTF

SamBasinger

@Anviltongue
yea man, ive got a kid and another one on the way, portable gaming is definatly way easier, mostly due to Doomsday Forte up there. but still, its nice to have that nice, sexy home console (or PC, whatever turns you on) to go to after they go to bed.

JQuantumH

I might pick this up later. While the fack you cant play gba games is a bust, hte othere features look kind of cool. Plus, my old ds left trigger is messing up which is annoying the heck out of me when I have to play a ds game that requires it.

th3deceased

so when are they going to stop revamping the ds, and finally create a new handheld. for the past 3 years i have upgraded my ds every year, and now for a third time...wtf?

Anviltongue

@Doomsday and Sam
Ah, that sounds good. I just had my first one a couple of months ago. I love him to death, but he dominates free-time and doesn't work by a schedule (what infant does?!), so looks like portable gaming is the way to go.

Not that I'm going to give up the consoles I have...you'll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands!

Projectexodus

I'll get it once some decent homebrew arrives. An entire library of my favourite NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, MasterSystem, Megadrive, Game Gear & Neo Geo games on one SD card? Yes please!!!

I'm getting tired of carrying around all my GBA cartridges every time I'm traveling. Besides, some of them don't work as properly anymore, so its nice to have a digital back-up.

OmegaPlatinum

With the hinge of my DSlite breaking, I might actually buy this...

CBunn

I'll pass. And I'm a guy who had every iteration of the GBA (including the micro), bought a ds phat, and a ds lite, and later on changed my black lite for a cobalt blue one. But this one... doesn't do nothing for me. I can't feel any real innovation, and it's not even a new face for an old toy. They should do a real hardware revision, cell phones are more powerful than the DS.
Yeah, I know power isn't everything, but it's something. Where is my portable gamecube?

Dan CiTi

I'd want this, but I think I'll get a Lite before this. I REALLY want a DS 2.

jsutcliffe

I used to think that the $189 price point was laughably high. This is much more reasonable. However, they need to let me play GBA games on it if they want me to upgrade from my Lite. The GBA slot is my favourite feature.

Novakaine

I'm so torn... on one hand, DSiWare could be amazing, and the system itself looks so sleek... but on the other hand I still have my collection of GBA games, and if I trade my DSLite in (no doubt GameStop will have deals) I'd have to play them on my generation-1 GBA....

Gibbo

I'll stick to my DS and not Supercard thanks.

PappaDukes

I just got my first DS Lite on Saturday, and I already own a camera, and my phone can surf the net.

BluDesign

@funran

They already have homebrew running on the DSi. It was cracked within a month.

I see no point in the DSi. The tradeoff "benefits" of the newer version are really outweighed by the drawbacks, honestly.

No GBA slot, worse battery life, crappy browser with no flash support/java support.

Why do I want this again? Oh, right. DSware. Yeah, I'm okay without the random organizer software or camera face-warping tool.

I can buy another DS lite as a backup and continue to get everything I want.

GBA support, longer battery life, and easy to use homebrew support.

I've been wanting to get a Crimson/Black for awhile now anyways.

Cynical Gamer

Such a ripoff. I'll stick to my DS Lite.

Rabite

So I can pay $50 or so more for a pair of built-in cameras I didn't ask for and the removal of the GBA slot? Oh god I need this. I was bitching about how much the GBA carts stick out in the DS Lite and now they remove it altogether. I'll stick with my PSP, which oddly enough doesn't have a cart sticking out anywhere but DOES play the same GBA games and more.

silmeria

Sticking with my DS Lite. The GBA slot is important to me.

lovemana23

@dvddesign

You said it man. This shit reeks of taking the piss out of consumers.....aimed at an even wider non gaming youthful target audience, with its duel cameras - wow!!! Bullshit.

Dr Kai said:"Now, how much do you want to bet that New Super Mario Bros 2 is being held as a DSi Ware exclusive? Now *that* will move units."

No that will PISS me off! If they pull that, I may just lose all faith in Nintendo. My DS lite is only a year or so old, and the thought of having to fork out again just to play, for example, NSMB2, would irk me to the point of feeling utterly raped as a consumer by (what used to be) the 'big friendly N'. Plus i`d never give up my trusty GBA slot - its like having a micro SNES in there.

Tron

can't wait to homebrew the shit out of that.

Novakaine

Y'all are forgetting one important thing: I think Nintendo's confirmed future titles will be for DSi, and incompatible with the prior DSs. Think of the Game Boy Color. The DSi has some more power under the hood, and thus future Nintendo titles and cartridges may very well be exclusively on this SKU.

scsitransfer

I know in my quaint little town Target had a GIANT line for the DS Lite....well....three people.....and it was me my best friend and my girlfriend. The wal-mart in my town didn't even get the ds lite on release day. But yeah If I decide to get one of these it won't be for a while though I don't think I'd have trouble on launch day.

Knives

I'll get it sooner or later, haven't really seen anything I like about it, but I've owned everything since the original gameboy, so yeah, I know I will buy it.

killatia

i might get it. the no gba slot thing doesn't bother me since i have played any gba games in a while.

Necros

I buy every Nintendo handheld, so I'll probably get this, but certainly not at launch. I could see myself picking it up a year after it releases (and doesn't take off) like the Game Boy Micro.

Chack

I'll buy it when Mexican retailers offer it at a more competitive price than US$320 (I'm seeing this price already)...

whormongr

does the dsi support wpa? something I haven't seen mentioned anywhere- I may get one with a ak2i

Noah

Not interested, I'm waiting to get a PSP

wanderingpixel

Looks good. I don't have a DS yet so I was thinking of getting a DSi. Still, the DS Lite is cheaper.

peachboy

DS has long been my favourite console to date, and the first handheld I really got into. I think I'll wait a few weeks to see how everything looks on the DSi before i drop the cash. I'm a bit gunshy, not sure whether this will stray more to the 'hey it's cheap so we can experiment with ridiculous stuff!' side of nintendo that the DS had been exhibiting, or the typical 'it prints money' side that the wii has given us.

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