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Rumors of a new version of the popular Nintendo DS system have been confirmed. Nintendo’s newest addition to the DS family, the DSi, is slated to hit Japanese markets in November and American markets in 2009.

Since its release, Nintendo has been steadily riding the huge wave of DS sales. Originally released in 2004, the small handheld gaming system introduced a touchscreen, a microphone, and a vast array of games for almost every genre and player. In 2006 the Japanese-based company then released the sleeker, slimmer DS Lite.

But is the DSi just another rehash of the DS Lite?

Thankfully, the answer is no. When the DS Lite was released, there was little in the way of component changes; most of the modifications were made to the physical casing. It was thinner and sleeker in design, but it was not that much different, component-wise, from the original DS. The DSi does offer a whole new set of features and gadgets that will truly legitimize it as a separate system.

Cosmetically, Nintendo has made some slight modifications. Like the DS Lite, the DSi will have some slight physical changes to the design, including bigger screens (3.25 inches) and matte colors for the casing (versus the glossy DS Lite).

Nintendo will also be reducing the size of the DSi, making it 2.6mm thinner than the already slim DS Lite. Unfortunately the reduction in size means that Nintendo had to sacrifice backward-compatibility. The DSi, unlike its predecessors, will not be able to play Game Boy Advance titles.

Perhaps the biggest cosmetic addition to the system are the two built-in cameras. There will be an external camera and a VGA camera, which will be located in the hinge. Users will be able to edit the 640×480 pictures using the touchscreen capability.

The DSi’s most exciting new feature, however, is the the inclusion of the SD-card slot in addition to the on-board memory. DSi owners will be able to listen to music (although only in AAC format; the DSi will not support MP3) with full playback functionality.

Nintendo has also announced that the DSi will come already equipped with a DS web browser. Users will have the ability to download DS games and demos using so-called Nintendo Points.

The DSi is certainly chock full of new features and gadgets, making gamers and technophiles alike giddy in anticipation, myself included. Nintendo has done a terrific job garnering attention and excitement regarding the release of the new system, but will it surpass the DS Lite? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

Tags: Biology and Technology