Nintendo of Australia have today let us know the Nintendo DSi, an updated version of the DS featuring a bigger screen, thinner body and small camera, would be arriving in Australia after an uber successful sales run in Japan that began in December last year.

And to prove this is no joke, the DSi will launch here on April 2nd (not 1st). The DSi also features music compatibility, an SD slot, improved speakers as well as built in web browsing to spend your hard-earned dollars in the newly crafted DSi Store.

The new handheld will have an SRP of AU$299.95. We'll give you more info as it becomes available.

$300 for a MicroSD slot, camera (crappy quality), better speakers & web browsing?

I think I'll stick to using my DS Phat and spend the money I'll save on some of the upcoming PSP titles (Dissidia being prime candidate #1)

The PSP has games now?

Dissidia, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Patapon 2 are all due in the next 6-8 months (well, Kingdom Hearts is probably going to be a bit longer but still). Sony's also promised that 2009 will bring lots of AAA titles, so here's hoping :)

The PSP has games now?

Well duh, the PSP has always had Lumines.

I need a new DS cause the wife accidentally put my old one in the washing machine. Thought the DSi could be a decent option if i'm in the market for a new DS anyway, I read somewhere there's a number of compatibility issues with some games though, will be interesting to how bigger problem that actually is. I wouldn't buy one unless I knew all my current games were going to work on it.

Main compatibility issue is that you lose the GBA slot.

Yeah I know that. This was more to do with the change in screen resolution or something, maybe I just dreamed it.

Possibly, link?

From Nintendo:

The new features also include the dual LCD screens being 17 per cent larger than those on the Nintendo DS and PictoChat is now available in colour as you can choose between a black or rainbow pen! Nintendo DS software is compatible with Nintendo DSi, except for software that requires the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, as this has been removed resulting in a slimmer Nintendo DSi.

Possibly, link?

There seems to be a few articles around like this, they're all from around late Oct / early Nov though which is probably when I originally read about it. The articles are a bit light on details as well at that point. Maybe it's been resolved if there hasn't been more recent news about it.

edit: Thanks Steve, guess that answers that.

last edited by Nailbomb at 13:58:14 19/Feb/09

Main compatibility issue is that you lose the GBA slot.

Give it about eight days, someone will come up with a way to play pirated GBA games via the SD card :(

More just with the one GH game, but that was meant to be a massive strain on the hand regardless.

Homebrew could be interesting, considering it has 2 touchscreens.

Not enough for me to bother getting it though. I'm happy with my DS Lite, all I use it for is reading eBooks.

hooray for DS home brew, boo to the new up-datable firmware on the DSi.

"considering it has 2 touchscreens."

You sure about that? Last I heard that was a debunked rumour.

Pictochat in colour!!! Wow awesome, I know we are use that every day. Not just on the day you purchased it, to draw a penis.

lol Pictochat. You can use it to pester so many randoms at supanova.

cameras = pointless gimmick
browser = same s***ty opera one that has been out ages and is far too slow and clunky to bother using
better speakers = who gives a s***
sd slot = meh, flash cards are so cheap that every DS owner should already own one
physical dimensions = hardly different from the lite and it uglier due to the camera

the only worthwhile change is the bigger screen, but if you look at comparisons to the older ones its hardly noticeable. not really worth the loss of being able to use a slot2 device to play gba games.

i can't really see why anyone would bother upgrading, even if you are new to the ds i would say save yourself $130 and just get a lite

last edited by Jum at 23:37:06 22/Feb/09

Does the SD card allow for music playback? Else yeah, just the screens.