Nintendo mum on Euro DSi date

By Robert Purchese Published 14 January, 2009

As US arrival leans towards April.

Nintendo has told Eurogamer there's still no movement on a European launch date for the DSi, and that anything other than "spring 2009" is "purely rumour and speculation".

The comments follow inside source-based word from IGN that the redesigned handheld will arrive in the US as soon as 4th April.

And when it does, we're told to expect a price of USD 179.99 (GBP 125), which is 50 dollars more than the DS Lite currently sells for.

The DSi launched in Japan last November, where, rather predictably, the public have been lapping it up.

For those unaware, the DSi has bigger and brighter screens, a built-in camera, 256MB of onboard memory, an SD memory card slot and various ergonomic nips and tucks.

Another big new feature are downloadable DSiWare games, which mimic Nintendo's WiiWare counterpart.

But beware, importers, as DSi-specific software will be region-locked. Also, scurvy devices such as the R4 will no longer work.

We picked an imported DSi to pieces back in November, and concluded that it wasn't as essential as upgrading from the DS to the DS Lite.

Head over to our hands-on impressions of the DSi to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (24) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • schnide #1 3 years ago

    When I first read the title for this, I though it was just a slow news day and was expecting the article to be about a US soccer mom purely guessing when the DSi would come out here.

  • Dan234 #2 3 years ago

    We picked an imported DSi to pieces back in November, and concluded that it wasn't as essential as upgrading from the DS to the DS Lite.

    Er, why? The only difference between a DS and DS Lite is the case and screen brightness, the DSi has many more improvements over the DS Lite.

    (Not that I'd rush out and buy a DS Lite if I already had a DS and I won't rush out and buy a DSi to replace my DS Lite.)

  • DaDon123456 #3 3 years ago

    @ Dan234
    Actually the DS phat was too big, too heavy, too ugly, and too dark. There was a need for a newer DS version. The DSi seems to me just a few nice extras.

  • DFawkes #4 3 years ago

    Thank goodness Wiis and DSs don't sell in Europe, otherwise Nintendos incompetence would be offensive. Though to be fair, I don't thinks there's a console out at the moment where we don't get the raw deal.

  • Tonka #5 3 years ago

    YOUR MUM!

  • insincere_dave #6 3 years ago

    Can you please start reporting correctly the fact that only DSiWare is region locked instead of the blanket "DSi-specific software" which suggests incompatibility of cartridges which is incorrect speculation on your part.

  • Dan234 #7 3 years ago

    @DaDon123456: For someone who had the first GameBoy, the DS Phat looks positively anorexic...

    @insincere_dave: DSiWare is locked to the console it's downloaded on anyway, so region locking just for DSiWare makes little difference (or even little sense).

  • Santino #8 3 years ago

    "Thank goodness Wiis and DSs don't sell in Europe"

    lol good one, you almost fooled me into thinking you were serious, almost.

  • merkdot #9 3 years ago

    The original DS had terrible, terrible screens that also faded pretty quickly.

    The stylus was way too small as well.

    But apart from that it was vastly superior IMO, the DS Lite gives me handcramps because it's too small. I'm not going anywhere near this new thing.

  • Markusdragon #10 3 years ago

    I could do with replacing my Phat, which has screen scratches and backbutton issues. If it runs imported original DS games, I might give it a whirl sometime.

  • speedjack #11 3 years ago

    Funnily enough...

    When I first read the headline I assumed that in a further effort to appear 'family friendly' and accessible to casual gamers Nintendo had now sacked its PR and was making all its product announcements via a newly created 'Nintendo Mum'.

    Cooking Mama maybe ?
    Edited by 3 at 14/01/09 @ 13:26

  • Duckula #12 3 years ago

    Can't see me ever getting a DSi, they really should have spent another year developing a true successor to the DS.

  • Les #13 3 years ago

    I 'still' have a fat DS and am thinking of giving that to my girlfriend (she likes brain training) and getting myself the DSi. I'll be in the US at the end of April so I hope IGN is right about the release date.

  • Les #14 3 years ago

    "Can't see me ever getting a DSi, they really should have spent another year developing a true successor to the DS."

    Why? I mean, for you specifically that might make a huge difference but for most of the DS public, its current capabilities are perfectly adequate and the extra features of the DSi are a nice bonus. The time where graphical power was the most important characteristic of a console or handheld is over.

  • Dan234 #15 3 years ago

    If you buy a US DSi, you'll be stuck with a DSi that'll go to the US versions of the online services and although it will work with European DS cartridges it won't work with European DSi-only cartridges (according to CVG).

  • Bagpuss #16 3 years ago

    "The time where graphical power was the most important characteristic of a console or handheld is over. "


    Only to the sheep and pleb population, of which there seems to be an unlimited number these days.

    Jeez, i fucking despise Nintendo and their whole philosophy of the console market these days, they are setting it back 10 years.

  • Les #17 3 years ago

    "If you buy a US DSi, you'll be stuck with a DSi that'll go to the US versions of the online services and although it will work with European DS cartridges it won't work with European DSi-only cartridges (according to CVG)."

    Thanks for the tip but that's exactly why I want to get a US one. I import almost all of my games, saves a lot of money. :)

    ( that and MLB games don't get released in Europe at all most of the time)

  • Duckula #18 3 years ago

    Well done Nintendo as well for introducing the first region locked portable console, you bastards.

  • Santino #19 3 years ago

    "Well done Nintendo as well for introducing the first region locked portable console, you bastards. "

    i swear some people cannot read, only the DSiWare download games are locked not the actual game cards.

  • LowEnergyCycle #20 3 years ago

    After only just buying my 3rd DS Lite (thanks to burglars), I can't exactly see myself running to the shops on the DSi release day even if it's not until 2015.

    You've had enough of my money, Nintendo.

  • Dan234 #21 3 years ago

    i swear some people cannot read, only the DSiWare download games are locked not the actual game cards.

    Tell that to CVG who talked to Nintendo (see link above).

  • aine #22 3 years ago

    will there even be such thing as DSi-specific cartridges though? that statement was given back in October by Nintendo Europe, who generally seem to know fuck-all about what the Japanese side is planning, and i don't think any have been announced so far (i could well be wrong though)

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #23 3 years ago

    The time where graphical power was the most important characteristic of a console or handheld is over

    Graphical power never was the important characteristic of a handheld.

    People with memories that stretch to almost 20 years might remember the 4-shade monochrome, blurry, pixelly original Gameboy caning all technically superior comers into the handheld market for nine years until Nintendo themselves bothered upgrading it to colour.
    Edited by 1 at 15/01/09 @ 09:56

  • Les #24 3 years ago

    "Graphical power never was the important characteristic of a handheld."

    Tell that to the video game press in the build-up to the launches of DS and PSP... But you're right in that on the actual market place, it never played much of a role for handhelds. Glad to see the same sense finally moving to home consoles.