Nintendo DSi Out Now - A Look At Nintendo's Improved Handheld!

Its finally arrived, Nintendo's improved DS lite has finally arrived in Europe and even though the technical specifications dont look much different, compared to the original DS lite, there is alot of differences to be noticed - and thats before turning the machine on.

The new "Nintendo DSi" (or Nintendo DS Internet, as it has been dubbed on some forums) is, in my opinion, a few centimetres bigger and slightly heavier than the original DS - but feels completely different, not to mention a slightly small design change.

The Original DS is shiny and fingermarks are easily noticable after a peroid of time, much like the PS3 and Samsung TVs, however the new DSi is the solid non-shiny charcoal black (or ice white, depending on which one you buy) - similar to an xbox 360 elite or a standard Panasonic TV. The DSi also feels different, more like a harder rubber than shiney plastic and im guessin over time the DSi will still look as good as when it was first used.

Other Differences to mention, espically the the DS (Double Square) Logo that you usually see on top of the DS is not present in the new DSi machines, instead its just a dull top with a small circle in the corner for a camera - the DSi aint winning any awards for looking cool at the moment.

However there are other more noticible differences, such as the GBA Slot (aka Slot 2) has been removed, so no more playing GBA Games on your DS or even playing Guitar Hero DS Game on the new DSi. Other small differences include:

* Power Button changed from a "Slide Switch" To A Button
* Power Button on the inside of the machine, instead of on the right hand side of it
* Volume is now 2 buttons like on a TV remote, instead of it being a slide switch
* Volume button is now on the left hand side of the unit instead of on the front
* Charging Indicated now added, so there is now 3 lights shining, instead of 2
* Charging, Power and Wifi Indicators are now highlighted
* Charging, Power and Wifi Indicators are now on the left side of the DS, instead of the right
* Both DSi Screens are slightly bigger than DS Screens
* The Left & Right shoulder trigger buttons stick out more - More comfortable and easy use
* SD Card slot to save DSi Store games and Pictures

Those are the main differences, in terms of appearences - which even though they are "slightly different", it still makes the DS and DSi two totally different machines, however its not only just the style and shape of the DS thats changed, its also the operating inside thats changed.

The new DSi is on the left, and the old DS (well the Guitar Hero Edition) is on the right, as you can see the OS for the DSi is completely different from the old style DS menu.

The original DS Menu was easy to use, if you wanted to play a DS Game, you tap the top box, for GBA Game you tap the bottem box etc, well with the new DSi Menu you have to scroll (or tap the scroll bar) along to move to DS Game Box, Camera Box, Internet Box or DSi Shop box - which in my opinion looks like a watered down version of the Wii Channels on the Nintendo Wii.

The new DSi Menu does take a fair few minutes to get used to and , for a handheld console, is rather in-depth - plus not to mention every new feautre has an introduction on how to use it - which is a good thing as their is afair amount of options to choose from - espically in the camera.

The new DSi OS also, much like the Wii, requires new firmware downloaded onto the device, this is done Via Wifi connection - when i loaded up the DSi Shop, which is indentical to the Wii Shop, it asked me to download and install a firmware update - once i had installed it i could go to the Shop and download the FREE DSi Web Browser, which is powered by Opera and acts the same way as the Internet Channel does on the Wii.

One main thing people were looking forward to on the DSi were the two built-in cameras, which are 1.3 Megapixel in quality, which is not much compared to Samsung's 8 Megapixel and Nokia's 5 Megapixel phones, however the quality on the DSi screen makes it look alot better.

As i mentioned the DSi has two built-in cameras, one underneath the top screen and another one on the lid (right hand corner) of the DSi and at anytime, when taking pictures, you can swap between the two cameras.

Once you have taken your picture you can then start to edit it by changing effects and colour such as Mirroired effect (as shown in the picture) or making the picture into a negative - so even without a game cartridge, the DSi can be alot of fun!

There is alot of difference in the DS and DSi, mainly thanks to the different OS (Operating System) layout and built in memory, which again uses "Blocks" like the Wii System memory uses, however the list of differences, OS wise include:

* Navigation menu instead of 4 Square blocks
* Easy Access to DS Menu & Settings
* Exit from Pitochat without Restarting the machine
* DSi Camera Mode & Editing (Take photos and play around)
* DSi Sound Mode & Editing (record music and play around)
* DSi Store (Download mini games and other programs)
* DSi Download & Play Mode
* Opera Powered Web Broswer (Free Download from DSi Store)
* Advanced Options for Wifi Connection

As you can probably guess, its the same games used on the DS that are used on the DSi, however DSi games are expected within the year which will use the in-built cameras and these games will not be compatible with a standard DS, also on another note illegal DS Cards such as R4 Will not work on a Nintendo DSi - this is due to a different operating system and not only that new firmware every so often will stop the games from working.

The Nintendo DSi is now available in Europe for 150 GBP, and the console is expected to be released in the USA on Monday (5th April). But for now check out the pictures of this "interesting" gadget, Enjoy!