DSi Gets Dated and Priced for U.S. Market
With all the different video game news that’s been coming out lately, one thing suspicious in its absence is any mention of the Nintendo DSi. Well, Nintendo can’t have any of that, so the company took this morning to finally give the U.S. market a date to mark on its calendar, as well as a price to start saving up for. In a release sent out this morning, Nintendo announced that the DSi will hit U.S. shelves on April 5th at a retail price of $169.99. For the fashion conscious gamer out there, the DSi will make its stateside arrival in black, but not white. Giving the import markets something more to salivate over, the U.S. will initially replace the white model with a new blue color.
“Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”
For those that may have missed the details on the DSi the first time around, the DSi features two built-in cameras, an SD card slot, larger screens, and better audio capabilities, which is perfect considering the DSi comes preloaded with new audio management software, turning the DSi into a basic voice recorder and music player. And by using the system’s built-in flash memory, the DSi’s built-in browser, and a Wi-Fi connection, DSi owners will be able to purchase and download new games, and let the road weary game journalist kill some time in the airport browsing the news at their favorite gaming news site (*cough* Crispy Gamer *cough*) while waiting for a flight.
On the downside, though, the DSi ditches the GBA port in favor of a slimmer, lighter form factor, meaning that gamers might not want to ditch their DS Lite or even Game Boy Advance just yet. Also, while the standard DS software has always been region free, a fact I’m thankful for every time I pop in my copy of Jump Ultimate Stars, the DSi specific software, as well as the downloadable titles, will have region lock in place.
So, with an official release date and price finally set for the U.S. market, but with the demand for the DS Lite still running high, just how many of you out there will be lining up to grab the latest and greatest DS model?
