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New Nintendo DSi Announced

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gimme-my-puzzlequest dept.

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."

6 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.

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
    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.

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      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    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. 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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    .sdrawkcab si gis siht
  4. 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)