Nintendo DSi First Look
Katt gave me an early Christmas present this year: an import Nintendo DSi! I haven’t had too much time to tinker with it, and the menus are all in Japanese (no language selection in this firmware; more on that in a second), but here’s a breakdown of what’s new.
- The unit is covered in a matte finish, as opposed to being glossy
- It’s a little wider and a little thinner than the DS Lite. The build quality is also better.
- It comes with two cameras, a 0.3MP one on the center of the hinge and a 1.3MP one on the top cover
- It has an SD card slot and upgradable firmware!
- Opera is preinstalled
- The screens are larger (3.25 inches as opposed to 3.0 inches), but they run at the same resolution as the older DS models
- It comes with a “DS Shop” application (much like the Wii’s)
So far, the build quality has been fantastic, and the screens are definitely better in terms of color and contrast. My only complaint is that unlike the other DS models, there’s no way to switch the firmware language to English. I’m hoping the homebrew community finds some way to convert Japanese units to north American ones at some point…
With that, here’s a bunch of pictures!
What about how it plays? The buttons seem slightly different, so does that impact the experience at all?
Alex
11 Dec 08 at 5:09 am
The D-Pad and buttons have changed. The D-Pad is now “clicky” like on the original DS, and the buttons have a little less depth to them. They don’t sink as far in to the case when pressed.
Kyle
11 Dec 08 at 8:17 am