Valkyre Profile (Square-Enix)
Chocobo and the Magical Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl and the 5 Warriors (Square-Enix)
Mysterious Dungeon: Fuuren no Shiren DS 2 (Sega)
Let’s Make a Soccer Team DS: Touch and Direct (Sega)
Avalon Code (Marvelous)
DS Nishimura Kyotarou Suspense Detective Series 2 (Tecmo)
Tales of Hearts: Anime Movie Edition/CG Movie Edition (Bandai-Namco)
Prof. Layton and the Last Time Travel (Level 5)
Know by Walking: Life Rhythm DS (Nintendo)
World Food: Talk! DS Food Navi (Nintendo)
Power Pro-kun Pocket 11 (Konami)
Self-indulgent Fashion: Girl’s Mode (Nintendo)
Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace/Red Joker (Capcom)

The new Nintendo DSi has several new functions including the ability to download software via the internet so that the user can customise their console. The new console has a SD memory card which slots into the right hand side of the console and allows it to store pictures, music and games. Just as users of the Wii can download games from their own download store users of the Nintendo DS will also be able to buy games directly from the company’s DSi Shop. Some of the downloadable software will be free whilst other software will need to be purchased using Nintendo Points. DSi customers will receive 1,000 points to spend in 2010. Software will either be free or cost 200, 500 or 800+ Nintendo points. One of the free applications that will be available is the web browser. The browser is the result of collaboration between Opera and Nintendo and has been especially tuned for the Nintendo DSi to make browsing faster. Wi-Fi communication will also be faster with the Nintendo DSi.

The front slot for the Game Boy Advance has been removed which means that any games such as Guitar Hero: On Tour and Nintendo DS Rumble Pak that relied on this slot will not be compatible with the new console.

After its release UK consumers will be able to check which stores have the Nintendo DSi in stock and the Nintendo DSi prices using various online sites.

As Nintendo DSi stock will be held by many retailers Nintendo DSi availability should be good.

Industry observers who have been comparing the two systems came to the following conclusions:

Graphics – Here the PSP 3000 wins out. Its display of sharp colours and post-PS1 graphics gives it the winning edge over the Nintendo DSi which remains playful and cartoon-like. This is great for Mario, but less impressive for other more modern games.

Controls – The Nintendo DSi wins this contest with its compact, robust and non-fiddly controls. The PSP on the other hand has a good joystick and shoulder buttons, but Sony failed to add a second analogue stick that would have unlocked the FPS gaming potential. The Nintendo DSi is also more comfortable to use for a long period making it good for commutes.

Screen – Most reviewers consider this one to be a draw. The PSP’s smaller, anti-glare screen makes images sharper and produces more colours, even in the daylight. The Nintendo DSi has a larger screen and both are touch-sensitive.

Connectivity – The winner here is the PSP 3000 with its Wi-Fi connectivity, 3.5mm audio out, analogue video out and USB 2.0. The Nintendo DSi has Wi-Fi for multi-play and downloading games from the DSi Shop.

Game Choice – This is believed to be Nintendo’s strongest selling point. True the PSP has some big titles such as Pro Evo, Need for Speed and the Wipeout Revival. However, for sheer fun and gaming ingenuity Nintendo wins out. Despite the removal of the Game Boy Advance slot it still has the classics such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Brain Training and the Mario and Sonic Olympics.

Extras – The winner is the PSP 3000 with a microphone that can be used with Skype and its Go! Explore GPS, Go! Cam Camera and Go! View that allows users to watch TV on the go. Nintendo has improved with its addition of two cameras and an SD slot but it still falls short of its rival in the multimedia stakes.

Overall the PSP 3000 is considered to be the better game console, but it has failed to see off its rival and the superior games and innovative touch-screen of the Nintendo DSi will continue to make it an attractive proposition. The Nintendo DS has also been more successful in attracting a wider range of users than the Sony’s PSP. PSP sales in America have been showing a 5% increase year on year, but the Nintendo DS still continues to outstrip it. The Nintendo DS also tops the sales figures in other parts of the world, although figures have been dipping in its home country of Japan due to market saturation. Nintendo hopes that the new Nintendo DSi will reverse this trend.

At first sight you might think that its detractors have a point. The addition of a couple of digital cameras whose resolution falls short of that of mobile phones, an iTunes-compatible audio playback and some improvements in the speakers and screens do not seem to be guaranteed to get the pulses racing. However, Nintendo’s aim is to make the DSi a more personal console which will allow users to swap music and pictures. With the Japanese market for DS reaching saturation Nintendo needed to offer something to encourage families to stop sharing a single DS. There have also been suggestions that Nintendo may have had an ulterior motive for upgrading the DS. The R4 module has been extremely popular as it allows DS users to store and use homebrew content on a microSD chip. However, it can also be used for playing pirated copies of games which has been creating some concern at Nintendo headquarters. The new Nintendo DSi will not work with any R4 unit, and plugging one in causes an error message to be displayed. Of course Nintendo will argue that the new features of the Nintendo DSi allow you to do everything that you can legally do with an R4 unit.

The 640 x 480 resolution of the external camera is no replacement for a digital camera or phone, but it is good enough for taking pictures to be displayed on the console. The Game Boy Camera was very popular and users may find the DSi camera just as much fun. The DSi is also lighter and has a larger screen than the DS Lite. It has five brightness levels compared to the four of the DS Lite. The audio playback allows the user to record their voices via a microphone and the speed and pitch can be altered independently. There is also a lot more RAM and built-in internal storage for downloading games from the DSi shop. Once data has been stored on the console users can activate it using the Nintendo DSi Menu. DS developers have indicated that they find the new features interesting, opening up the possibility of using them to create new games for the DS.

After its UK release Nintendo DSi availability should be good, as many retailers will ensure that they are well stocked to satisfy all those keen gamers out looking for Nintendo DSi stock! No one knows the UK Nintendo DSi price as yet, but online price comparison sites will enable consumers to find the Nintendo DSi cheapest price. Nintendo DSi prices can vary widely between different retailers, and of course there are bundles to be considered as well.

Over the years the Nintendo Company has produced a number of game consoles, starting with the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. The console came with the Super Mario Bros game which to date is still the best selling game ever developed. In 2004 they released the Nintendo DS, the first of the Nintendo DS consoles.

In October 2008 Nintendo introduced the Nintendo DSi, the latest member of its DS range. This is the third version of the console; the first was the Nintendo DS which was followed by the DS Lite. The Nintendo DSi went on release in Japan in November 2008 and European gamers can expect to see the Nintendo DSi in stock in European retailers in the spring of 2009. The release of the Nintendo DSi was announced at a Nintendo press conference by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. According to Iwata the aim of releasing the Nintendo DSi is to expand the customer base for the Nintendo DS. With this in mind Nintendo have listened to their customers and made some enhancements to the functionality of the DS as well as introducing new functions.

According to statistics produced by Enterbrain (a Japanese publisher specialising in video games and computer entertainment) the Nintendo DSi sold 170,779 units in the first two days and 535,379 units within the first month of its release in Japan. This compares favourably with the DS Lite which sold 550,000 within its first month on sale.

Spring 2009 will see the Nintendo DSi in stock in UK retailers. Nintendo DSi availability will be good as many retailers, from supermarkets to specialist game shops will stock the console. To find the Nintendo DSi cheapest price, online price comparison sites or specialist Nintendo sites are a good bet. Some of the sites will not only list all the Nintendo DSi prices but also the Nintendo DSi stock held in the stores. HMRC has issued a warning of fake Nintendo DSis on the UK market. Any online advert currently offering ‘Nintendo DSi cheap price’ is almost certainly a fake.