In a press conference in Tokyo today, Nintendo revealed the successor to the wildly popular DS and DS Lite handheld consoles.

The Nintendo DSi picks up where the DS Lite left off, and incorporates a myriad of new features that make the DSi a true multimedia device. While many will lament the lack of a Game Boy Advance cartridge slot (removed to allow for a 12 percent thinner profile), the DSi more than makes up for it by adding an SD card slot as well as a 0.3 megapixel camera. The SD memory card slot will allow the user to take pictures with the new camera and transfer them to a Nintendo Wii’s Photo Channel. The DSi also features larger screens with both the top and bottom displays bumped to 3.25-inches, a quarter inch bigger than the current DS.

The DS and DS Lite both have built-in WiFi, but the DSi takes internet connectivity to a whole new level. With the new DSi Shop, customers can download and store games directly to the DSi. Like every other console online store, the DSi Shop will work on a points system, with some content being free, but most going for 200 points, 500 points, and 800 points for "premium" content. DSi buyers will automatically receive 1000 free points, which will be good until 2010. Assuming the DSi Shop works in the same way as the Wii Shopping channel, 1,000 points will be equivalent to $10 USD.

While a U.S. release date has yet to be announced, the DSi will hit store shelves in Japan on November 1 for 18,900 yen, or about $179 USD.

Because Nintendo is skipping this years Tokyo Game Show, the press conference covered more than just the new Wii. Nintendo also elaborated on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which will be out for both the DS and the Wii. In fact, Crystal Chronicles will link the DS to the Wii for what promises to be some very unique gameplay. Animal Crossing DS was also detailed, including a feature that will allow users who also own a Wii to transfer their Mii over to the DS title to use in game.

Nintendo CEO Saturo Iwata finally addressed an issue that has been on many a Wii owner’s mind: storage. Starting in the spring of 2009, said Iwata, Wii users will be able to download games from the Shopping Channel directly onto SD cards, completely bypassing the Wii’s internal memory. Nintendo also dated and priced the Wii Speak for Japan. The "Wii Speakerphone" will be released on November 20 and go for about $74 USD.

Taking a page from its wildly successful Virtual Console, Nintendo will soon make popular GameCube titles like Pikmin available in a series called "Wii de Asobu Selection", or "Play on Wii Selection" in English (likely to have a different title stateside). While old favorites are always good, some new Wii titles were also announced. Expect to see Punch Out, Another Code, Sin and Punishment 2, and a Dynasty Warriors title (Sangoku Musou 3, to be specific), sometime in the near future.

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