Eurogamer has reported that Nintendo of Europe is keeping quiet on release date details for the DSi, after IGN revealed the handheld could be landing in the US as early as April.

Last night’s story from ‘an inside source’ suggested the DSi would cost $179.99 (50 bucks more expensive than the Lite) and would launch on April 4th. Nintendo of Europe dismissed the information as - you guessed it - ‘rumour and speculation’, with the camera-packing handheld apparently bound for release in Spring 2009.

It seems as if Nintendo will be positioning DSi as a premium option for hardcore gamers in the west rather than suggesting it as a replacement for DS Lite, presumably continuing to target the expanded audience with the latter, and bigging up the downloadable games on the former as a nod to the real enthusiasts. Because girls and grans can’t use the internet, can they?

That said, a camera with funny face-morph software is bound to appeal to a wide market, so it’ll be interesting to see how Nintendo markets this - particularly as the DS isn’t facing particularly strong competition from its handheld rivals in the west.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 4:04 pm by Chris Schilling
DSi, Hardware, Release dates, Rumour and speculation.