The Nintendo DS is not even four years into its life cycle and Nintendo has already released a second hardware refresh to keep its sales figures moving while innovating the portable gaming market. This time round, the changes are more stark compared to the leaps the DS Lite made over the DS Phat. Back then, the DS Lite came in a much nicer form factor with brighter displays, but otherwise the hardware remained the same. This cannot be said for the newly announced Nintendo DSi, as it will feature some rather significant changes that we will go into greater detail right after the jump.

First of all, there won’t be any more GBA cartridge slot - you read that right, while many people still use their Slot-2 to enjoy retro games from the GBA era along with newer DS games that take advantage of that slot for enhanced gameplay experience (Guitar Hero: On Tour, anyone?), Nintendo has ruthlessly taken it out. Why? I’m not too sure myself, but with the DSi being able to download games from an online service now, it wouldn’t really matter if one wants to stick to classic GBA games, right?

Other improvements include larger displays that measure 3.25″ each, while the body itself has been slimmed down by another 12%, partly helped by the omission of the Slot-2. You will find an external 3 megapixel camera, while an internal VGA camera is located along the hinge. Nice to see Nintendo include an integrated browser application so there’s no need to purchase a bulky add on like before - hopefully this browser will work great with most web sites. An SD memory card slot rounds off the list of features - expect the DSi to hit Japan this November 1st for $180, while other regions will probably receive theirs sometime in the middle of 2009 onwards. Image courtesy of Engadget.

Source: Coolest Gadgets

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