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Games: Nintendo DSi

Lovelies parade the new look DS.

And so Nintendo announce their new device. The DSi. A games console so advanced it can solve crimes in several major US cities using obscure forensic data. Oh wait. That’s CSI. The DSi is… well, a bit of a damp squib.

While our impressions may change as and when we get our hands on one – Spring 2009 or November 1 if you fancy a trip to Japan – at first glance the DSi seems underwhelming.

Announcing it as the DSi suggests a quantum leap forward. Instead it’s merely the DS with added bells and whistles: two 0.3-megapixel cameras, SD card slot and slightly larger screens. In the circumstances, that feels more like half a bell and a bit of a whistle.

‘We want to change the DS from something that's in every household to something that's for every person,’ announced Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, suggesting that the DSi could be the first toy camera for a child.

It’s a nice idea, and the addition of the SD slot means the DSi can also become a music player and, according to Iwata, gamers will be able to change the speed at which sound or music is played. Er why? Save for a foreign language lesson that you want to slow down a little, is there any point to that?

Worst of all, all these additions come at a cost – and some might say considerable cost: Slot 2 has gone meaning the new version is no longer backwards compatible with GameBoy Advance cartridges.

The introduction of the DS Lite and its touch screen technology was a genuine move forward. The introduction of the DSi feels like a move to prove to shareholders that look, we have been doing something to compete with Apple, honest we have.

While we concede we may change our minds when we actually touch one, Apple is an interesting comparison. Steve Jobs stands up and announces a new iPod and we want one. We should feel the same about Nintendo but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the DSi is a stop gap.

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