Nintendo has once again introduced a new era in gaming, this time on the portable side of things. Nintendo’s new handheld gaming console the DSi may look similar to it’s predecessor the DS Lite but it’s packed with new features including two built-in digital cameras, taking handheld gaming to a whole new level of interaction.

The Nintendo DS handheld gaming console has been around since early 2005 in some iteration or another, and was the first handheld to integrate a touch screen, microphone and WIFI. This allowed gamers to interact with games by having to touch the screen, speak on the mic, or in some cases blow balloons, while WIFI connectivity allows players to play networked games with friends or chat to one another. In early 2006 Nintendo released the DS Lite, a redesigned version of the DS which was slimmer and lighter; and now we have iteration number three.

Looks can be deceiving

The Nintendo DSi looks a lot like the DS Lite. However, it’s slightly thinner and longer, but can still fit a DS Lite carry case. The DSi packs a much faster CPU speed, jumping from 67MHz on the DS Lite to now 133MHz. They have also increased the RAM to 16MB, making it four times faster than the older DS models. Also added is 256MB of internal memory to store games and apps. The DSi has a matte finish so it is less prone to scratching and has more grip while holding it. You’ll also notice the first camera on the front panel and there is no power button outside. The handhelds screen is slightly larger than the DS Lite, the power button is on the inside of the console, and the second camera is located in the middle next to the mic.

A change for the better

With the release of the DSi Nintendo have dropped support for GBA games, so there is no longer a slot for GBA cartridges. The drop made the console slightly thinner, and really who out there is still playing GBA games? Come on, I think its time for an upgrade. Anyway, in place of the GBA slot the DSi comes with a SD Card slot. SD cards are used in digital cameras and can be used to store pretty much anything. An SD card in the DSi means you can transfer photos taken from the DSi to your computer, or you can load music to the SD card and listen to it on your handheld – yes it’s got a music player as well, but first let’s look at the cameras.

Take a photo – and then deform it

Nintendo DSi’s main feature is the integration of the cameras. There are two cameras here: one on the inside to take a picture of yourself, and the other on the outside to take a picture of your friends, your cat, or well whatever. Now let’s be honest; the camera is far from good. It’s VGA 0.3 mega pixels and has no flash, forget about taking photos in low light, and any action shots or panoramic shots. It’s not used to take a high quality shots, instead it’s used for fun and gameplay. Once you have taken a photo there are various things you can do with it.

I expect to see many games in the future incorporating use of the DSi cameras as gameplay. One that has already been released is DSi Wario Ware. Like the Wario Ware on the Wii, it’s a series of small games that test the full functionality of the console. DSi Wario Ware are small games that require use of the DSi’s camera to position your self on the screen, finally when you have completed all the games a short movie is made of yourself with all the actions you made in the games. The cameras on the Nintendo DSi have opened the door to developers for new creative game ideas that will get you more involved in a game – good one Nintendo.

Play music and shop online

The camera was not the only new feature on the DSi. The operating system has changed to a series of scrollable boxes – like iTunes cover flow. Game cartridges can also be removed and put in without having to restart the console, also know as hot swappable; also, system changes no longer require you to restart the console.

With the introduction of the SD card, the DSi features an application to play and record sounds. Nintendo DSi Sound is used for both these things. Using the mic you can record a 10-second sound clip. Once recorded, you can edit it, use the stylus to adjust pitch or speed up/slow down the sound. You can also apply different filters to create a completely different sound, like a trumpet or a robot. With tracks stored on your SD card you can adjust the eq and visualisation settings. The player only supports ACC audio, so it reads MP4, M4A and 3GP – it has no MP3 support.

The Nintendo DSi WIFI connectivity allows you to connect to a wireless network to connect to the Internet. New to the DSi is the Nintendo DSi shop, here you can download games you purchased using DSi points. There is also a free section, which at the moment only has the DSi Internet browser. Browsing the web on the DSi is not the best experience; it’s slow, the colours are limited and there is no flash support, so viewing videos is out of the question, you may also find it hard to listen to most audio players as they are mainly flash. Connection to the Internet allows you to download firmware updates for your DSi automatically, just like Nintendo Wii users. Firmware updates keep the DSi hardware updated with the latest fixes and security updates.

Gameplay on the DSi

If you are new to playing games on a DS console you might at first find it a bit distracting, as most of the games require the use of both screens. This takes a little getting used to, and the other element that requires practice is using the stylus during game play. The voice detection also needs some getting used to – you have to shout at the DSi if you are in a moderately noisy environment, or a large room – which makes you sound like someone crazy, and you can forget about using that feature on the train. Dual screens make the gameplay space much larger because all the games instructions/information are on the non-touch screen. The Brian Training game is also played vertically, so you are more inclined to use the touch screen and stylus for everything.

Playing games horizontally and using the D-Pad means you rarely need to use the touch screen and stylus. Some games may require both the D-Pad and stylus, but again, it just requires some getting used to.

The Low Down

The Nintendo DS family is still a very popular bunch of handheld gaming consoles. Although the device physically has not changed much, the DSi’s new features provide future games with a new level of interactivity and also allow gamers to use the device for other fun things. It’s the same market as more powerful handhelds like the PSP, but it’s still a fan favourite. The DSi’s layout and interface is appealing to gamers both young and old, as its controls haven’t really changed since the good old days of the NES. The introduction of a special online shop accessed via the console means your DSi is always up to date, and gamers get exclusive games made for the console that can be downloaded straight into the console.

The Nintendo DSi may look the same, but don’t be confused as it has changed, and these changes make the future of the DSi look pretty bright.