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Report: Nintendo To Launch Larger-Screened DSi This Year
by Chris Remo, Brandon Sheffield [PC, Console/PC]
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October 26, 2009
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With Nintendo's DSi less than a year old, a report out of Japan claims that the manufacturer is already planning another update to its successful handheld console, further enlarging its dual screens.
Financial publication Nikkei claims Nintendo "is planning to release a new product in its recently-debuted DSi line within the year," suggesting the company hopes to compete with Apple's large-screened iPhone.
The device will feature two screens that "will be closer to the size of Sony's PlayStation Portable screen, at over 4 inches inches," reports Nikkei, edging out the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen, and approaching the PSP 3000's 4.3-inch display. (The screen in Sony's new PSP Go is only 3.8 inches diagonally.) The boost would result in total screen area nearly 1.8 times that of the original Nintendo DS, launched in 2004.
Nikkei also speculates slowing DSi sales are spurring Nintendo to put new hardware on the market; the manufacturer has historically used hardware revisions to great marketing effect.
The standard DSi is already the third major version of the long-running Nintendo DS hardware. Unlike its predecessor the DS Lite, however, it includes new hardware functionality such as a camera, and lacks the legacy Game Boy Advance port.
The new DSi, if it is confirmed, is expected by Nikkei to run the same price as the current DSi (18,900 yen) and to be sold in parallel, rather than as a replacement, at retail.
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It should be noted that a chinese manufacturer originally outed this new machine before the DSi appeared. Claiming that Nintendo were actually working on a widescreen version of the DS. It would appear this claim is now actually true. This begs the question of just what the heck was the DSi then. Why didn't nintendo just jump straight to the widescreen version?
I am not sure Nintendo is prepared to release a widescreen version, since it would make virtually every single game incompatible with the current 110m units.
What doesn't make sense is that you will be selling both at the same time under the same price. There must be some drawback that forces you too choose the current 3.5'' over the new 4'' one, otherwise everyone would choose the later.
...also, I don't think original DSi users will be surprised. Nintendo does this all the time.