The DSi will be released outside of Japan in just over a month, it's common knowledge that the new handheld is a mere upgrade to the existing DS Lite, but what has truly changed? The goal of this article is to let you know what's new, both from a technical and cosmetic standpoint, and to shed some light on some of the available DSi Ware, so hopefully when you're done reading, you'll know if upgrading to the DSi is right for you.



Originally released in 2004, the Nintendo DS was quickly embraced by the public as not only the successor to the Gameboy, but a new way to play their games on the go, with it's unique touch screen control methods the Ninendo DS was unlike any other handheld videogame system that was available at the time. The original DS was bulky when compared to the Gameboy Advance SP, was it was slightly larger then the original Gameboy Advance, but shared the SP's clamshell design. One change from the Gameboy line was the DS had two speakers which allowed it to support stereo sound, as opposed to the Gameboy line which each featured only one speaker, the DS also now had four face buttons giving it a similar button layout to that of the Super Nintendo, and also had a microphone which has compatibility with certain games. The DS also featured backward compatibility with the Gameboy Advance through a cartridge slot just below the unit's touch screen, the cartridge slot was also later used for the DS Rumble Pak and for accessories like the Guitar Grip controller. On the technical side, the DS sports two processors an ARM946E-S, this is the main CPU, it is clocked at 67 MHz and it used for 3D rendering, the second processor is an ARM7TDMI, this processor is clocked at 33 MHz and is used for 2D rendering and playing Gameboy Advance games, the unit also had 4 MB of mobile RAM. DS games are a proprietary game card, these cards are typically 256 megabits, with the largest being 2 gigabits in size, the DS also contains a built in wireless network connection, which is used for the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection and multiplayer play between multiple DS units. Much like the GBA SP, the DS ran on a built in lithium ion battery, the battery averaged about ten hours on a full charge with factors such as the brightness setting, speaker volume, use of the wireless connectivity, and whether one or both screens are in use can contribute to the battery life. Upon turning on your DS, the DS firmware will always boot with the health and safety warning, the system then enters into the menu, assuming that you don't have the system set to auto boot, where you can load a game that is inserted into either the card slot or the GBA slot, or access either the wireless communications, used to download demos of games from the Wii, DS Download Stations, or another DS, and finally pictochat, which offers up to four chat rooms, that can hold up to sixteen people each, where DS units within range of each other can chat or draw pictures to send to one another, all content is lost upon powering off the DS with no option to save the chat.

The first upgrade to the DS hardware was announced in early 2006 and was released in Japan that spring and the rest of the world that summer. The DS Lite was a smaller redesign of the system that featured several upgrades, the most notable of which included brighter and more durable screens, though the option to turn the backlight off has been removed, though it now features four different brightness levels and the microphone being moved to between the two screens. This smaller redesign of the system did cause Gameboy Advance games to stick out the bottom of the handheld, where as they fit snugly into the original DS, the connector of the GBA carts is also more similar to the one used in the Gameboy Micro, the last release in the Gameboy line, the DS Lite is also available in several colors including White, Black, Crimson and Black, Pink, Metallic Rose, and a few others, with some special edition version available as well. Overall, the DS Lite was a wonderful upgrade to the original system and since it's launch in early 2006 has sold more than 75 million units worldwide.

Finally we come to the DSi, the DSi, unlike the DSi, is much more than a cosmetic upgrade, and while Ninendo hasn't released much information regarding the DSi's technical specifications the DSi features a brand new CPU, additional RAM, and internal flash memory. To start, the DSi's main CPU is now clocked at 133 MHz, which is double that of the previous versions, it also features 16MB of portable RAM, four times that of its predecessors. While the internal features may not be the first thing a player notices when picking up the DSi, they will likely noticed the system no longer features a GBA slot, removing backward compatibility and making it impossible to use accessories that require the GBA slot, in place of the GBA slot the GBA now features an SD card slot, which allows you to view pictures, play audio files that are AAC format, and an SD card can also be used for software downloaded from the DSi Shop, which I'll get to later. Another addition to the unit is the inclusion of two camera, one on the inside of the clamshell and one on the outside, both cameras are 0.3 megapixels. The new firmware is setup to be more similar to that of the PSP, and thanks to internal memory the DSi is now allowed to receive firmware updates, once again like those available on the PSP.

The final notable feature for the DSi, and likely a reason for the added RAM and new processor is DSi Ware. DSi Ware is similar to the Wii's WiiWare, where is contains original games that can be downloaded from the DSi Shop using Nintendo Points, the newly renamed version of Wii Points. The DSi store contains both games and programs for the system, including the DSi Web Browser, which is a free download. Many of the games available for the service are small and are some were mini games from compilation such as Master of Illusion and Club House Games, other games include Solitaire, Mr. Driller, and Dr. Mario, the games range in price from 200 points to 800 points. On the software side, they offer various programs such as calculators, a notepad, a clock, and the internet brower, the prices on software can range from 200 points to 500 points, with the internet browser and notepad being free.

Overall, the DSi is certainly an interesting piece of hardware. The ability to access the internet and the addition of audio file support, despite it being AAC format only, and DSi Ware is more than enough reason to warrant a purchase, if you're interested in those new features. For owners for the original DS, this would be a great upgrade, as long as you're okay with losing your GBA slot, and should be considered if you're looking at upgrading to one of the newer DS models. For owners for the DS Lite, I can't recommend it as much, unless you're interested in DSi Ware and the features added by the SD slot, especially since the DSi's battery life is more similar to that of the larger DS. Overall, I hope this article answered any questions you may have had, sadly there currently isn't a lot of information available on the system, but a simple internet search should reveal the answer to any questions you may still have.
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