Nintendo’s newest handheld system, the DSi, launches Sunday, and with it the online DSi Shop and the DSiWare line of original game titles.
Gamers who buy a DSi and connect it to the Nintendo DSi Shop by Oct. 5 will automatically receive 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points — equivalent to $10 — to use toward downloadable games.
But the first thing you should do when logging on is download the free Nintendo DSi Browser to enjoy portable access to the Internet, powered by Opera.
Here are the five titles visitors to the DSi Shop will find on Sunday:
>> WarioWare: Snapped! – Using the built-in Nintendo DSi camera, this outrageous title puts players right at the center of fast-paced mini-games, challenging them to race the clock and get a peek at Wario’s photo album.
>> Bird & Beans – Using an elastic tongue, players must scramble to collect falling beans. The harder a bean is to catch, the more points it’s worth.
>> Brain Age Express: Math – In this math-focused edition of the popular Brain Age series, players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar training exercises. A new Themes mode also lets Nintendo DSi users experiment with images and voice recordings in fun, unusual ways.
>> Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face – This game uses your Nintendo DSi as a prop in a card trick. Draw a face on the touch screen and astound your audience as the face tells them which playing card they picked.
>> Art Style: AQUIA – The newest addition to the eye-popping Art Style series, this mesmerizing underwater puzzle game challenges players to help a scuba diver reach the ocean floor by matching a series of colored blocks.
The DSi will be available in blue and black for $169.99. The system gives gamers the ability to customize, personalize and share their experiences with friends and family. Two built-in, interactive cameras let people snap and modify photos, while recorded sounds can be played and manipulated in interesting and imaginative ways.
The cameras – one pointing at the user when the system is open, one facing away – let people take photos and manipulate them with 10 built-in “lenses” including Distortion, Graffiti and Mischief. The cameras inspire creativity by letting users personalize their photos and trade them wirelessly with friends and family. The Nintendo DSi Sound application lets people put their own spin on their music with the ability to play and manipulate AAC sound files accessed from an SD card. These sonic tweaks are not saved or stored – they’re meant for having fun on-the-fly, changing the pitch or playback speed of a clip with a simple touch of the stylus.
“The concept of entertainment is clearly expanding to enable self-expression and creation in ways never before possible,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Nintendo DSi is loaded with software to help people do exactly that. It’s not just about the cameras or audio playback, but what people can do with these features that makes Nintendo DSi such an enjoyable game system.”
Software in the Nintendo DSi Shop will be available at four price points: free, 200 points, 500 points and 800+ points. Users can purchase additional Nintendo DSi Points in the Nintendo DSi Shop or via a Nintendo Points Card sold at retail locations. Nintendo DSi Points will be available in increments of 2,000 for $19.99.
