A camera, audio playback, internal memory, downloadable software, SD card support, built-in browser, and much more inside. It launches in Japan this November.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata didn't waste any time at the company's autumn press conference earlier today in Japan by announcing the Nintendo DSi, a new iteration of the Nintendo DS platform. It will bring a lot of new features, all in an attempt to achieve Iwata's stated goal of having "one DS for one family."
The DSi will have a built-in camera on the top lid, facing away from the player. This camera will have a resolution of 300,000 pixels (640x480). Additionally, the DSi will have a second camera located on the hinge pointed towards the player. As rumors have speculated, the new DSi will also have AAC audio playback capabilities, and Iwata mentioned the hardware's specific ability to adjust the pitch and playback speed of audio at will. Iwata gave an example of how this could be useful by explaining that users might be studying a language via this function, or learning a song by ear.
The DSi is 12% smaller than the DS Lite, trimming off 2.6 millimeters in width thanks to the removal of the GBA cartridge slot. However, the screens on the DSi will increase to 3.25 inches in size.
The DSi is compatible with SD cards, one use of which may be to transfer images from the DSi to the Wii. The DSi can have additional applications on the handheld, including a web browser application.
DSi owners will also be able to download software from the Internet, much the same way Wii owners can. In fact, Nintendo is naming this new service DSi Shop. It will be using Nintendo Points, which up until this point have just been referred to as Wii Points. Downloadable DSi titles will come in several cost categories: free, 200, 500, or 800 Points. New users will find that each DSi purchased before March 2010 will come with 1000 free Nintendo Points.
Nintendo will also be upgrading their Nintendo DS download stations in Japan to what it is calling the Nintendo Zone. This service will also be available at participating McDonald's restaurants in Japan.
The DSi will launch in Japan on November 1, for 18,900 yen (about $180), and will be available in black and white. Nintendo World Report will have more information and specifics about the Nintendo DSi at Nintendo's Fall Media Summit in San Francisco tomorrow, where Nintendo of America is expected to announce the portable for the U.S. market.
UPDATE: Nintendo's DSi flash page confirms that the DSi will have two cameras.