You know, if Sony wanted to argue that they're targeting audiences that the DS doesn't, they might try mentioning some franchises that the DS doesn't have. Okay, DS doesn't have Rock Band, but it had Guitar Hero (before PSP got Rock Band), and the other franchises also have entries on DS.

Oh, and the author of this article neglected to mention one of the franchises Sony mentioned in their release. After bashing the DS as being kiddie, Sony then proceeds to brag about having Hannah Montana on the PSP. Am I missing something?

Sony, please tell me something. Why would I want to buy a PSP when most of your feature titles have better versions out on other systems? You know, non portable systems. With decent graphics, sound, etc. Have you perhaps forgotten that the PSP is, uh, a handheld?

If only they'd drop the firmware lockouts holding back PSP homebrew development.

Then they'd actually have an edge in the market. :/

PSP competition aside, the DSi does not really add any "must have" features, as most people's phones can take pics and video like the DSi can. This seems just like an update of the DS, as oppossed to an entirely new platform, like I feel Nintendo's marketing is telling me it is.

Well yeah Tom, the pictures and the video are kind of blah. However, being able to direct download lots of content and play multiplayer on built-in WiFi is pretty darn intriguing. It's Nintendo's attempt to catch up with the IPhone, which inherently has all the same WiFi capabilities. Sony, however, sees Hannah Montana has sufficient to placate the market. To hell with WiFi, give me Miley. :P

But why should Nintendo add something to the DS, that takes it to a new level? Of course the DSi is an update. The original DS was released 4.5 years ago, they would be insane to kill the extremly popular DS with a DSi that is significant better. By the way, the DSi has much more new features then previous PSP updates. The marketing guys at Sony are making a real bad job with press releases like this. Everybody knows the DS has a much wider gamebase then the PSP, it sold twice as much units and thanks to games like Brain Train, it sold a lot of them to people above the average gamer age. The whole argument, that 3rd party publishers can't suceed on the DS is simply wrong. If you take the numbers at vgchartz.com (knowing, that they can't be trusted 100%) the Top 10 3rd Party titles on the DS sold about 30 Mio. units and on the PSP about 24 Mio. units.

Tom,

The DSi is merely an update to the DS. All DS games (minus those that require an expansion that fits the SP slot) are compatible with it. It does add some major improvements, two cameras, larger screens, SD card slot, a download store better buttons etc. It is a massive improvement. I have been toying with the idea of getting an SP for all the GB, BGColor, and advance games, and a DS for the DS games. Now I think I will skip the DS and get a DSi for the same effect but with better hardware and services.

I agree with Logan. This is an attempt to compete with the iPhone (as if the 'i' in DSi was not a dead giveaway) AS a new iPhone game developer (currently designing my first game for the platform) I am glad to see the new DSi and its service. The platforms share so many features, it would be a breeze to port between the two. I hope for much success for the DSi and look forward to staring development for it.

As a bit of clarification, I was questioning Sony's dismissal of the DS, not Nintendo's marketing strategy. I will agree that, as a current DS owner, I currently see no reason to get a DSi (in fact, the loss of the GBA port discourages me, as I still have a large selection of GBA titles that I play regularly).

That said, I didn't see the portability between the DSi and iPhone. Then again, I still have trouble seeing the iPhone as a viable competitor in the game market, and am not sure how well the iPhone will perform in the long run. To me, the power/cost ratio of the iPhone severely limits the potential it might have, plus I have yet to see any truly interesting game releases (although, in its defense, I haven't looked that hard. But most of the games in the commercials, I played years ago)

The really telling thing is that Sony feels obligated to talk about Nintendo. The winner in a marketing/advertising competition never has to acknowledge the loser. Nintendo doesn't seem to spend a lot of time deriding Sony's product line.

Nintendo's all-white "it just works" casual attitude in their advertising and marketing reeks of copycatting Apple. The Wii looks like an iPod turned into a video game console. The lower-case "i" on there is just an open admission of this. I'm not saying that Nintendo is evil for doing this, by the way. Copying a winning strategy is smart, and I think that their bank account would probably back me up on this.

I think it's interesting the way Nintendo is marketing the DSi. In addition to trinkets like the dual cameras and the sound utilities, the hardware has received some significant upgrades. They doubled the CPU speed and quadrupled the RAM, as well as adding the SD card slot. It surprises me how low-key they are about the updates.

Pleasant upgrades but it's not like Nintendo even has to do much to keep their lead.

I'm waiting to see what kind of DSi exclusives get released. I could see myself buying another DS if there's software compelling enough.

The most important feature of the DSi should be the direct download. If this is well implemented (and they release the SDK and allow indie developers to put content onto it) it would be an awesome competitor for the iphone, given the huge Wii install base and what will probably be a huge DSi install base. This is something Sony has sort of dropped the ball on, it seems.

I am fairly excited about this, as I am not really a fan of the iphone as the largest (only?) outlet for portable indie development.

I'm with you Jeff. First there was a buzz about Palm Pilots, and then mobile phones, as the next big platform in gaming. I don't think the iPhone is a direct analogy to those, it will, and is (I think) more successful. But I don't see it being a permanent challenger. I'm not sure many consumers, especially gamers, view the iPhone as a "gaming platform". The DSi comes with that instant designation, and is also at a more accessible price (and no monthly fees for your connectivity, I think. Correct me if I am wrong). Especially if Nintendo opens up indie development, I see this as having the potential to go further than the iPhone.

The one thing I'd agree with here, from Sony, is that Nintendo does not tend to play nicely with third parties, especially indies. Other than that, I believe the phrase is "it prints money."

personally, i sold my DS but still support my PSP...so uh...yeah...there's not really anything coming for DSi that's making me go "gotta have it." But I'm getting face time with my PSP from Samurai Showdown Anthology, PS1 games, PSN games and PSN movies and TV shows...

"I think it's interesting the way Nintendo is marketing the DSi. In addition to trinkets like the dual cameras and the sound utilities, the hardware has received some significant upgrades. They doubled the CPU speed and quadrupled the RAM, as well as adding the SD card slot. It surprises me how low-key they are about the updates."

Why would they mention it? I'm a gamer and a computer hardware geek, and even I couldn't care less what the CPU speed is or how much RAM it has. Particularly because there is no frame of reference into which to put those numbers.

both Hannah Montana and Petz franchises are already on the DS. Thanks Sony reps.