The New DSi is Released

Tuesday 7 April 2009

On the 3rd April 2009 Nintendo's new DSi was released here in the UK at an average price of £149.99. Many people are wondering what is the difference between the DSi and the DS Lite, well the DSi comes with two built in cameras which are 0.3 mega pixels with no zoom function. Although this may sound very poor, it is perfect for all those fun images, keep in mind this was not built for its photographing capabilities. You can edit images taken on the DSi using its the same application you use to take the images, for example you can use the following effects:


  • Distortion
  • Graffiti
  • Colour - changing the colour of certain areas of the image
  • Mirror
  • Mischief - adds beards, moustaches and cartoon eyes to the image
  • Emoter - changes the subjects facial expression
  • Merge - take two image or two different people and it will merge the two faces into one
  • Resemblance - calculates how alike two people are in the same image
  • Frame
The DSi can also record sounds which can be edited afterwards. Editing sounds can do the following things:

  • Change the pitch
  • Change the speed

In addition to this you can make sounds sound like different things like a budgie, an electric fan and a whistle just to name a few. There are twelve of these things to choose from altogether (including the ones I mentioned). In the same application you use to record sound you have an option to play music files these have to be of an AAC format (iTunes music). This is played via a SD memory card which can be inserted into the side of the DSi.

The next feature of the DSi is a DSi Shop (DSi Ware) where you can purchase software and basic games for your DSi, you purchase these things with 'Nintendo DSi points'. 'Nintendo DSi points' can be redeemed from 'Nintendo Points Cards' or bought with a Credit or Debit card. For 1000 Nintendo DSi points it costs £9.00 but there are some free applications to download.

The menu system for the DSi looks considerably different from the DS Lite's, it now looks more like that of the Nintendo Wii. 'PictoChat' and 'DS Download Play' are exactly the same as the DS Lite's, but now you do not have to turn your DS off if you want to go back onto the main menu after using either of these. This is the same with the Nintendo DS games if you take a game out or insert one in, it does not freeze your DS.

The body of the DSi is basically the same as that of the DSi except for some very minor changes like the fact that the DSi is slightly longer but thinner, lighter and brighter. The screen size is also a shaving bigger making the gaming experience alot better. The sound quality has been rapidly improved along with a stronger WiFi connection. Also the volume control is no longer a slide mechanism, but instead two buttons (volume up/volume down). On the DSi you lose the ability to play Gameboy Advance games (Slot-2) as there just isn't a slot for you to insert a game card.

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