Inside the DSi

The new "DSi", white (left) and black (right)
Nintendo of America recently revealed some more details on the upgraded Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DSi. It's North American release is set for April 5th, and will launch at the price of $169.99. To make it clear, this is not a brand new video game console. Like the Game Boy Advanced SP and Gameboy Micro, it is simply an upgraded version of the Nintendo DS.

The new DS boasts a wide array of new features and changes that set it apart from the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite. I'll start by getting the one major fault in the new DS - the removal of the GBA game slot. This might not seem like a big deal, but this stops anyone owning the DSi to play games with added attachments that fit in the GBA slot - namely, Guitar Hero: On Tour.
There are a lot of minor changes, like the power switch being replaced with a button, which has been moved to the bottom left of the touch screen. The screens are both .25 inches larger, and the entire system is 12% slimmer. The DSi even has 5 brightness settings (the Lite only had 4); however, the battery life has been reduced, an unattractive feature in my book.
Then, there are the big changes. Two cameras have been added to the DS. One is on the outside of the DS, on the lower left side. The other camera is on the inside of the DS, and allows you to take a picture of yourself while using the DSi. Another big change is firmware - like WiiWare, this new iteration of the DS has DSiWare, a service that allows you to download original games onto your DSi (saved on an SD Card, which the new DS is compatible with).

A view showing the camera on the outside of the DSi.
The new DS, although lacking some features, has a great many changes that I hope will make it worth the $170 price. I'll post a hands-on review of the DSi once it hits the states.