Nintendo DSi – History and Background

The Nintendo DSi is one of a family of products, with DS being the original design whilst Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi are redesigns of the original console. Gamers will be familiar with this handheld dual-screen game console. The Nintendo DS first came on the scene in 2004 when it was released in Japan, Canada and the United States. The console has what is described as a clamshell design. The Game Boy Advance SP is similar although the Nintendo DS was not designed to be a successor to that console. Inside there are two LCD screens, the bottom one of which is a touch-screen. To allow players to interact with each other the console has a built-in microphone and complies with Wi-Fi standards. These two features also allowed players to take advantage of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service which was launched later.

The first redesign of the console was the Nintendo DS Lite which was released in March, 2006 in Japan. Later in the year it was released in Europe, North America and, in June 2006, in Australia. The Nintendo DS Lite is lighter and slimmer than the original console and the screens are brighter.

In October 2008, at the Nintendo Fall Media Summit, Nintendo announced that it intended to release the next redesign of the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DSi. Although Nintendo had been doing well in 2008 it had reached market saturation in its home country of Japan which led to a slowdown in the sales of the DS Lite console. To maintain its position as leader in the field of handheld game consoles Nintendo produced the Nintendo DSi. The system was released in November 2008 in Japan and it has proved very popular. The release date for Europe and America is likely to be the first quarter of 2009.

Nintendo DSi stock should be arriving in UK retailers in spring 2009. Many retailers will have the Nintendo DSi in stock so availability will not be a problem. Specialist Nintendo sites or online price comparison sites provide consumers with the ability to compare prices and select the Nintendo DSi cheapest price. Fake Nintendo DSis are currently being offered for sale in the UK. Online adverts for ‘Nintendo DSi cheap price’ are unlikely to be genuine so make sure you check out the site’s credentials before making a purchase.