The launch date of the new Nintendo DSi has been confirmed! The new system will be the newest member to the Nintendo DS family, and will be released to Japanese fans in November. North American markets can expect to have the system on their shelves no sooner than April 2009.

Since its release, Nintendo has been steadily riding the huge wave of DS sales. Originally released in 2004, the small handheld gaming system introduced a touchscreen, a microphone, and a vast array of games for almost every genre and player. In 2006 the Japanese-based company then released the sleeker, slimmer DS Lite.

Will the DSi be just another DS Lite?

Thankfully, the answer is no. When the DS Lite was released, there was little in the way of component changes; most of the modifications were made to the physical casing. It was thinner and sleeker in design, but it was not that much different, component-wise, from the original DS. The DSi does offer a whole new set of features and gadgets that will truly legitimize it as a separate system.

Cosmetically, Nintendo has made some slight modifications. Like the DS Lite, the DSi will have some slight physical changes to the design, including bigger screens (3.25 inches) and matte colors for the casing (versus the glossy DS Lite).

Like the DS Lite, the DSi will also see a reduction in size. Nintendo has announced that the DSi will be 2.6mm thinner than its predecessor (that’s a 12% reduction). The bad news for some gamers is that Nintendo sacrificed the DS’ backwards compatibility; in other words, the DSi will not be able to play Game Boy Advance titles.

Certainly, the biggest cosmetic addition to the system is the inclusion of both an external camera and a VGA camera, which is located on the hinge. Nintendo has stated that users will have to ability to edit their pictures using the touchscreen.

The DSi’s most exciting new feature, however, is the the inclusion of the SD-card slot in addition to the on-board memory. DSi owners will be able to listen to music (although only in AAC format; the DSi will not support MP3) with full playback functionality.

The DSi will also come with a built-in DS web browser, and DSi owners will be able to download games. Nintendo will utilize the same point system that was adopted for Wii. With these so-called Nintendo Points, games and demos can be purchased and downloaded.

Based on Nintendo’s announcements, the DSi seems to be a revolutionizing of the DS line of products. Nintendo fans, gamers and technophiles alike are eagerly awaiting the release, but will it meet their expectations? Only time will tell.