lol this is y i wait an extra generation now before i buy a handheld, they come out with a new one every year that makes you feel like a dumbass for buying the old one

Well, I guess that it's a good thing that I decided against sending my DS Lite to ColorWare and paying to have it professionally painted orange with black highlights.

WiiWare is a failure, and it is entirely Nintendo's fault for not promoting the service, but surely Nintendo knows that digital distribution is the future, and will step up its efforts in the area, starting with the DSi.

And yes, the other new features are necessary. Nintendo cannot ignore the competition (even as it claims to). There are millions of people who chose the PSP over the DS because of its (the PSP's) multimedia features, and mobile phones are well on their way to making all other portable consumer electronics devices obsolete--this is why the iPhone exists. If Nintendo did not add non-gaming features to the new DS, it would be Game Boy Micro all over again, and eventually all but the most devoted Nintendo zealots would stop caring about Nintendo products entirely. (And I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo is forced to enter the mobile phone industry within a few years.)

As for the SD card slot, surely there is something in place to prevent game piracy from becoming as easy as it is with the PSP.

I think I'll just stick with the DS I've already got.

The case looks totally overloaded with all that stuff and a bit ugly. I just hope it finally has WPA(2) support for WiFi encryption and not just WEP. I'm fine with my DS Lite as that is the only feature I'm missing (guess the web browser is just as useless as on mobile phones and PS3).

I haven't even gotten the DS yet and I'm still not sure if I will - I wouldn't buy this though. Web browsers on handhelds generally suck and I know I'm not going to get any use out of the camera. Plus, they took out the GBA cartridge slot, which is a step back from the DS - this is a total no-go for me.

i think this is excitinbg stuff. i cant wait to get mine. although now having a think about it i think this is more of a experimental thing for Nintendo to see if such features wil work well in a new handheld. just an idea still going to be awesome

The sales numbers of the DS on Japan have fallen drastically behind those of the PSP, so it makes perfect sense for Nintendo to release the DSi with functions similar to its competitor. Also, is this really a surprise to anyone? Sure, it is the first time than Nintendo adds extra funtions to a handheld beyond gaming, but I for once I'm happy since I've held back from buying a DS because I knew Nintendo would make a third version of the devise. They did it for the GB, the GBA and now the DS.

"Another -Ware channel? I think that might be a mistake considering how badly the Wiiware channel is doing, both in sales and critically. Will this one highlight the existence of the Wii one?"

Most Wii owners know full well about the Wii Ware channel, it does not need to be advertised at all. Is XBL and PSN, no. Besides, how do you come to the conclusion it's a "failure"?, what sales figures have you seen?. Nintendo are making **** loads of money on the service and releasing fantastic games. In the past 2 weeks we have had Bomberman Blast, Megaman Wii and Artist:Orbital. Nintendo's download services are FAR more successful than either XBL and PSN - [FACT] When they released a financial report last year the figures were astounding!, and that was even before Wii Ware arrived.

"Too much tech" :/ It has added tech needed to provide better inter-connectivity with the Wii. Do PSP owners complain about having too many multimedia functions? :/. If it fits, and it's needed, I see no issue at all.

"The internal SD card capacity is just asking for more piracy, the camera is asking for DSes to be banned on trains (think about it) and the webcam will bring up pedophile issues."

lol, that's exactly why it's there!, to lessen piracy!. Nintendo will be providing their own content via formated data to weaken the ill effects of the R4. The camera is intended to be used in the same way the original GB one was used for, for games!. Where's this talk of Web Cam functionality coming from!?, that's not the case at all to my knowledge. There is no web cam, of that I am sure. The DSi simply has a built in Web Browser this time. Do you really think Nintendo would include a Web Cam!, never!, it would demolish their child safety policy. Besides, on your point, mobile phones have that functionality, are they too asking to be banned?.

The DSi is great for Wii owners.

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I like the idea of more memory and the ability to downloaded old GB & GBA games to the DS if they do so on the DsiWare channel. I have to say the name is the most blatent iPod rip Ive seen to date.

Its probably not worth upgrading from a DSlite, but i have plenty of DS-phat owning mates who are pretty happy with todays news. Also, the laws of the universe dictate that the camera will eventually only be used for filth.

id rather not bust up my cash on the DSi, especially after they took the gba slots

The increase in space due to the removal of the GBA internals means onboard memory capacity, besides GBA is dead now, it's high time to move on. Most of the DS userbase do not play GBA games.

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When it adds a phone feature, I'm buying one. I like the camera and internet features (how adult of me ). I have enough portable electronics to carry around as it is.

i agree with lazyhoboguy

One consideration is that perhaps expanding the -Ware channel to the handheld -- which is even more successful than the Wii -- will improve on how it's doing commercially, if not critically. Half-empty/half-full difference, you know. I'm also not quite sure where the banning issue comes in because of the camera -- no one's banning Canon Elphs or cellphones as far as I can tell (but then again I live in the US; might be different in other countries). Finally, a lot of the functionality we're seeing is similar in function to what the PSP offers, aside from the camera, of course. It seems that piracy is the blight on the PSP's existence, so I agree with that concern as far as the SD slot goes, but seeing as the price is very affordable, the "too much tech" argument is otherwise puzzling and not something I can entirely get behind (otherwise we'd have to say the same exact thing about our PS3's and our Xbox 360's -- "ooh look, an awesome dashboard! But wait -- so much can go wrong! With so much functionality, there are MORE backdoors for hackers to get in! Microsoft shouldn't do it."). The DS as it is "prints money" -- as the internet tells us -- and although piracy is indeed a concern I share with you, at the end of the day, pirates are going to keep going until they get what they want regardless of what measures are out there. The additional tech will also reward someone who's paid and will continue to pay -- customers like you and me.

Edit: D'oh -- might as well read Thraxen's post for my thoughts. Serves me right for not reading other comments first...

Well I'll probably be getting that, I need a camera...

I just bought a DS lite. Lucky these changes aren't very significant.

Linkyshinks, the webcam is right there next to the microphone on the hinge. It's ringed in pink on the photo. It says カ ka メ me ラ ra.

Is Wiiware really doing that well? I don't know anyone that's bought a Wiiware or virtual console game despite nearly all my friends having a Wii. Those cards are expensive and designed that if you want more than one thing you have to buy another card. Connecting it up wirelessly is a pain that most people can't be bothered to do. Mega Man 9 is the only one on that list I would consider good, along with Lost Winds and Toki Tori in the whole line up. I think that everyone's waiting for the 360 release of the game, although it has already sold well.

Yes, in Japan, mobile phone cameras have to make a loud fake camera noise when they take a photo for that exact reason and there are many acts around the world regulating or banning phone cameras.

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It's not a webcam U1, it's the secondary lens, the DSi has two, the one pictured is for taking single shots of yourself cutting the image and placing it on a background shot you have taken with the other on the other side. There is no video, not yet anyway, and certainly no means to send it.::: There are some great games on Wii Ware now and some immense games coming very soon, including IGF winners World of Goo next month or so. Given it's only been out for a short while and games are still deep in production it's doing fine, certainly on the sales front among the hardcore Wii owners. (I myself have 54 VC/Wii Ware games. I know I am not the norm but I do know my friends on the forums still have a very ample average of around 10 games)::: There are also "New Classics" on the way, new retro Nintendo games made in the same vein as Megaman 9, made by the youngest members of Nintendo EAD, the junior designers. These games are made with the consultation with Miyamoto and other notable lead designers at Nintendo, including Eiji Aonuma... There are rumoured to be 2 top down view Zelda Wii Ware games in production, well a 2 part adventure, just like the SatellaView Zelda games that were never released outside of Japan.::: Nintendo release both VC and Wii Ware games as they please, sometimes not as soon as people would like, that then makes many assume that there are no games when simply Nintendo are choosing not to release them because they do not what releasing those games to hamper sales elsewhere.

Is that really all it does? How useless. I don't see the point, money could be saved by... I don't know... removing one of them then.

It's a fairly useless update to an ageing handheld. It's only saving grace is that it sells such an inordinately high number of units still. I'd consider getting simply because my fat old ds has dark scratched screens and I didn't bother buying a "Lite" one. I still probably won't bother with this one though.

Nice....another useless hand held. I don't use any of the ones i already have. The PSP is virtually useless with its lack of games and the DS is so inundated with goofy "new game play mechanics" its impossible to find a really good game to play,("Zeldahantom Hourglass" and "The World Ends with You" not included in this blanket statement). Now they want to stuff a camera and web access and audio/video editing as well....that's just stupid. Why didn't they put a phone in there while there were at it?

I've lost all faith in Nintendo. Really. No more respect for anything they do...
They have turned into bigger money grubbers than Americans, and that's saying something...

i dunno if i would upgrade to 1

I think that Nintendo could had came up with something better and new gen. I dont know about you guys, but arent you sick of buying the same old gameboy, but with just one or two new things?

TeabagChampion: they know how to keep me coming back for more