It is confirmed that there will be only one touchscreen.

A bigger display really complements the whole console, but the display resolution hasn't changed at all, meaning that we would still see even blockier textures. The biggest loss here is the removal of SLOT-2, which obviously caused a lot of worries/tantrums from users relying on it. In short, there will be no rumble pack, no added memory (unless more RAM is built in), and most importantly, no more GBA games.

Also, they have not announced what type of batteries will be used on the DSi. Most speculate that it would share the same battery pack as the Lite, but with the new console being 12% thinner and again, the removal of the GBA slot, there is still a trace of light for a new redesign.

About the camera, this really isn't much to bark about but with a 3.0 megapixel cam, I hope Nintendo decides to be generous and don't throw in a fixed-focus lens. Who knows, games in the future might feature taking objects, and autofocus would be very handy in this case.

Also, the relocation of the power button is a serious mishap. They should have left it where it is on the Lite, and used a button instead of a spring switch.

Battery specs taken from the Nintendo Japan site:

Battery Duration:
DS - Minimum brightness - 15-19 h | Low - 10 to 15 h | High - 7 and 11 h | Maximum - 5 to 8 h
DSi - Minimum brightness - 9 to 14 h | Low - 8 to 12 h | Medium - 6 to 9 h | High - 4 to 6 h | Maximum - 3 to 4 h

Even if there was a new battery redesign, things aren't looking good for the DSi. Not sure if WiFi gaming is considered, but seems like it isn't, which I would give a minimum of 1.5 hours of gaming on the highest setting.

Edit: Didn't notice that the DSi now has an extra step in the brightness setting, so it's hard to say if it's the same as the Lite.

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 2 2008, 06:47 PM

Even with the built-in browser, people who use their DSes to surf the Net will know they would only use it on a last-resort basis. It's just too slow IMHO.

Also, it's 3 megapixel on the outside, 0.3 megapixel on the inside.

If they did multi-touch functionality it's going to break backwards compatibility with the DS and DS Lite. Then again, what's going to happen if you plug a game requiring the camera into pre-DSi handhelds...

Not really officially mentioned anywhere, but if there were supposed to be two touchscreens Nintendo should be hollering it out since it's release. Furthermore it's already been mentioned that it's not a new platform altogether, but a new product to extend the DS platform.

-SD slot on the left side, there seems to be a slot where the power button originally used to be for the NDSL but unclear
-Smaller shoulder buttons
-Where's the volume control?

If they made a paradigm shift with it's features, it'll be a new console platform altogether. Nintendo's main goal is to extend the life of the DS platform, obviously you can't make many changes aside from a few things to retain compatibility.

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 2 2008, 07:15 PM

Anyone noticed that the START and SELECT buttons are slightly bigger on the DSi?

Certainly looks bigger from here.

Charging LED. At least Nintendo wasn't stingy with the LEDs now

Well, if the DSi is able to access the firmware while playing a game (like how the PSP does), the battery bar would most definitely be there. I'm hoping for a built-in soft reset in the firmware as well.

Oops, mistook the volume control for the SD slot. Now the volume control being controlled by buttons, one with small hands might accidentally press it, yet we won't know if it's at the maximum volume by a glance and definitely lower sensitivity intervals.

But those people who carry their DS for music in their pockets would find the button arrangement handy. Maybe a long hold to switch tracks?

I would say so too, as the DSi isn't really the complete successor to the DSL. The absence of a SLOT-2 really affects my decision to get one of these. If the SD card can replace SLOT-2 functions (other than guitar frets, paddles, and rumble feature which I don't really care about), I might consider one.

I would say that between the SLOT-2 and the extra updates of the DSi, they do have their own merits. Support for WPA, bigger screen and improved speakers are definitely catching my eye here, but that means we won't be seeing anymore extra equipment that could be inserted into the DS for games and the like, which means the SLOT-2 will eventually be obsolete anyway.

Likely so, Nintendo seems to be pushing their online service for now, unless DS and DSL users get a firmware update

Just a guess, but probably not. With all the work involved just to re-flash a DS or DSL and their small capacity flash chips, chances it's not going to happen at all.

In terms of hardware, we still don't know much about what the DSi has to offer. There's definitely extra RAM and storage, just how much is there?

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 2 2008, 08:30 PM

Hmm, never thought of that.

Technically it is possible that the update could be delivered to users via Download Play, but it'll only have access to a portion of the firmware, not all of it. Unless Nintendo is able to develop some compression system that'll fit everything into that portion, and NDSi users being able to download stuff from them which is a selling point for the NDSi, it won't work. Where would we DS and DSL users store our DSWares anyway

---

Added on October 2, 2008, 8:50 pmIt's not about the game, but the console itself.

Definitely would, no doubt about that, maybe apart from a few games.

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 2 2008, 08:50 PM

If that happens, then the previous console owners will just need to wait for some 'unauthorized development'. It is already possible to emulate the current DSL firmware on an emulator.

Also, if DSVision users are already able to download content, why need a NDSi? There should be something that separates the both of them, maybe different downloadable content, I suppose.

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 2 2008, 09:00 PM

Why is the DSi reusing the old GBA EXT connector?

Couldn't Nintendo just reuse the previous connector from the Lite, unless they're planning on a new battery or different functions...

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 3 2008, 10:27 AM

What?

So who's in the running for a new DSi? If the suggested price would be around RM630, how much would the shops offer for it once it's released?

This post has been edited by colinwong89: Oct 5 2008, 06:58 PM