Nintendo DSi Console

Nintendo has spilled the beans of their new second iteration of the DS – the Nintendo DSi and since the announcement, many handheld gamers were eagerly waiting for the launch day. But the excitement was nothing compared to the excitement of the people in the United Kingdom. Just a day following Australia’s successful launch, the Nintendo DSi went to the United Kingdom on April 3rd .

The following day after Australia’s launch, the launch went straight to the stores in the United Kingdom on April 3rd. While there was no major launch party to kick things off, the launch was absolutely successful surpassing all expectations by selling over 90,000 units over the weekend. This launch record quickly made it to the history books as the fourth fastest selling console in the UK.

What Made the Launch Successful

There are several factors that contributed to the UK’s successful launch. Here are the most notable factors.

Nintendo DS Legacy

When the first Nintendo DS handheld was launched back in March 2005, around 87,000 DS handhelds were sold in a two day period. Since then, the Nintendo DS had a loyal audience in the UK and Nintendo has been striving to keep launch dates very near to the US dates to keep fans from waiting too long.

The New Features

Nintendo’s revised handheld doesn’t only contain cosmetic changes and minor improvements like the DS Lite, but it offers a slew of nice features that any person in the UK would want to get their hands on. On aesthetics side, the new DS model sacrificed the inclusion of a GBA slot for making the handheld a bit lighter and 12 percent thinner than the DS Lite. The screens were slightly bigger as well measuring 3.25 inches diagonally for each screen. The glossy finish of the DS Lite was replaced with a matte surface on the DSi to prevent fingerprints from showing up. Some minor changes are noticeable as well like the return of the power button from the original DS.

Although there is no GBA slot present, many new hardware features were introduced like the two VGA 0.3 megapixel cameras and SD card slot which can write data in a similar fashion to the Wii. The SD card capabilities allow the DSi to act as a file storage device. The files in the SD card can be read by using some of the DS software including a new audio player that can play AAC file formats. It can also store photos that are taken using the any of the two cameras.WPA encryption for wireless networks is supported as well.

DSi owners can access the DSi Shop to download DSI exclusive games and applications. Some of the applications can be downloaded for free like the DSi browser giving it added productivity functionality. Because of the new features of the latest revision and the overall love of the original Nintendo DS and DS Lite amongst UK fans, the Nintendo DSI is looking to sell big and set new records in the UK.