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New Nintendo DSi Announced

justme8800 writes "The DSi has a bigger screen, an SD card expansion, a 0.3 megapixel camera, is thinner (no GBA slot), and has improved audio. To be released in Japan on November 1st, everywhere else sometime in 2009."

16 of 290 comments (clear)

  1. Those features are great and all... by maugle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but where the hell is my goddamn WPA support?

  2. GBA slot will be missed. by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Losing the GBA slot is unfortunate, there were a lot of really good GBA titles that are still fun to play now.

    In all likelihood Nintendo realizes this, and will re-package the old GBA titles on DS media form factor, and re-sell us the same games again, like they have with the Virtual Console on the Wii.

    This makes total financial sense, but it's too bad. I can't think of any way as a consumer to act in a way that would give the incentive to Nintendo to retain backward compatibility so that I don't have to re-buy games I've already played. If we all don't re-buy, Nintendo would just not re-package to re-sell, rather than retain backward compatibility.

    It seems like console makers have some incentive to provide backward compatibility during the intro period when they are transitioning from the old platform to the new, but once the new platform is entrenched they drop backward compatibility to cut costs/up profits.

    Guess I'll keep my GBA SP2+ around, then.

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    1. Re:GBA slot will be missed. by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      GBA support isn't the real problem. The real problem is that the GBA slot was the DS's expansion port. Games like Guitar Hero: World Tour plugged hardware into that port. Without the port, these games will not work on the new DS. Even if the software is otherwise compatible.

    2. Re:GBA slot will be missed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      IAADSD (I am a DS Developer)
      Posting anonymously for obvious reasons.

      The main reason for the removal of the GBA slot is likely the removal of the ARM7 for replacing with a simpler, less expensive hardware that does the same (DS has both ARM9 and ARM7. DS games run on ARM9 while ARM7 can't be accessed by the developer -runs custom nitnendo code-, and GBA games run on ARM7). I think DS was engineered from the begining for this to happen.

      This will mainly impact homebrew developers, as homebrew will not run on DSi.

  3. The end of backwards compatibility for real? by damn_registrars · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I for one thought it was interesting that while Nintendo kept bringing out new home systems with approximately zero ability to play titles from earlier systems, they kept the ability to play old game boy games for years and years as they brought out new systems. If the GBA slot is gone, does that mean that now Nintendo no long feels it worthwhile to maintain the ability to play old titles?

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  4. Re:More Info by avanderveen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah, I think the point is now that the DS has an SD slot you won't have to have a homebrew cartridge in order to share data between your Wii and DS.

    A lot of the new add-ons the the DS are excellent, and they seem to be jumping ahead of homebrew in order to prevent piracy.

  5. Re:These new devices come out so often by DeltaStorm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The original DS came out in 2004, the DS Lite in 2006. Two years for a consumer electronics product is a reasonable cycle. Do you also complain about auto manufacturers producing new models every year?

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  6. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  7. Re:More Info by AKAImBatman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The only accessories you need are a GameCube controller and a save card. Both can be found at your local GameStop for less than $10. Along with plenty of used GameCube games.

    I imagine what this is really about is giving some games a second chance to shine. The GameCube wasn't exactly Nintendo's most popular system. And some of their best games (e.g. DK Jungle Beat) were sold in a fire sale because Nintendo needed to shift gears to a new strategy. (I got Jungle Beat + 2 bongos NEW for $14!) By reintroducing these games, they're pushing them out to millions of customers who never got the chance to play them when the GameCube was still supported. The advantage to re-releasing them as Wii titles rather than GameCube titles that work with the Wii is that Nintendo can distance themselves from the failure of the 'Cube.

  8. What About Rumble? by cybersquid · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No mention of built-in rumble that I can see.
    No GBA, no can use rumble pak. :-(
    Tactile feedback is good. Sony recently learnt this lesson the hard way.

  9. OMG! Ponies! by Neko-kun · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think I speak for a good majority of DS lite owners when I say that I will not be picking one of these up until Nintendo releases the Pink version.

    (Seriously, best theft deterrent I've ever had)

  10. Get a Pandora by tepples · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Otherwise *gulp* I'll have to start developing for the iPhone.

    The iPhone is even worse. Even the cheapest model (iPod Touch 8 GB) is $229, more expensive than a DS Lite + M3 Real. And there's as much anti-jailbreak cat-and-mouse on an iPhone as there ever was on a PSP. I'd recommend getting in on the next round of Pandora preorders.

  11. Re:The jury's out on homebrew compatibility... by pokerdad · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It will fall hard just like it has on the Wii. when will they get it through their heads that they can not win that war?

    They are winning that war; its just that their notion of win is different than yours. Nintendo's goal isn't to stop the people who are homebrewing from homebrewing, its to stop the masses from engaging in piracy (make it hard enough that most people either won't understand how to do it, or won't care to spend the time); that their actions give homebrewers some small challenges is just a side effect.

    The homebrew community laughs when Nintendo releases an update that breaks homebrew, but then the community has a fix within hours. What the community seems to be missing is that Nintendo hugely stops the proliferation of the explotation of the system every time such an event occurs. Sure your system barely misses a beat, but how many non-tech friends/relatives are you going to set up their system to run homebrew when you know that every month or so they are going to be calling you for help? More to the point, how many non-tech people are going to keep using pirated games when for reasons they can't understand the games stop working every time the system updates?

  12. Re:b-only APs at fire sale prices by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1, Insightful

    We ended up reaching a consensus that not everyone needs WPA, and people who do should buy a second AP for Nintendo WFC.

    "Consensus"? On Slashdot? [citation needed]

    Since I can only speak for myself: WEP is essentially a lock on a screen door at this point - it only keeps out those who make no effort to circumvent it. As it is, my wireless network stays as secure as I can make it with WPA security, and my DS stays disconnected. I have no interest in buying a redundant piece of hardware from Nintendo.

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  13. Re:GBA slot missing is not a problem by dances+with+elks · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the GBA slot is also the hardware expansion port

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  14. Re:Subtle by Captain+Spam · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Even if the specs haven't improved (beyond token WiFi upgrades to support potential WPA, the webcam, etc), there's the new toys on the device regardless. I'm certain Nintendo's included a way to access the camera from in-game, same with the SD card reader, so there may wind up being games that, even if the DSi's hardware isn't that much stronger than the DS's, won't run on the old DS solely due to it not having the neat new stuff.

    Granted, I seriously doubt they'll make the transition-period games DSi-only, especially given the massive customer base of the DS, but I can see it happening later down the line.

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