Nintendo DSiClassic Handheld
Photo: Evan-Amos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Classic HandheldDiscontinued
Nintendo DSi
Nintendo · Released Nov 2008 · DSi (TWL-001)
A slimmer, camera-equipped DS revision with a download store — at the cost of the original's GBA backward compatibility.
8.5
out of 10
$169
Launch price $169
Pros
- +Slimmer, lighter design
- +Two cameras and the DSi Shop
- +Brighter screens with brightness control
- +SD card storage for DSiWare
Cons
- −Dropped the GBA cartridge slot
- −Region-locked DSi-enhanced titles
- −Cameras are low quality
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full speedPlayableLimitedNot supported
Nintendo DSFull speed
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- Nintendo (ARM9 + ARM7, faster)
- CPU
- ARM9 @ 133 MHz + ARM7 @ 33 MHz
- GPU
- Custom 2D/3D rasteriser
- RAM
- 16 MB
- Storage
- Internal + SD DS Game Card + SD card
- Weight
- 214 g
- Dimensions
- 137 x 75 x 19 mm (closed)
- Cooling
- Passive
Display
- Size
- 3.25″
- Resolution
- 256x192 (x2 screens)
- Panel
- Dual TFT LCD (lower is touch)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- Yes
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 840 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~9 hours
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
- Bluetooth
- None
- Ports
- DS card slot, SD card, Stylus, 3.5mm headphone
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 0
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- No
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- No
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Nintendo DSi Menu
Also plays natively: Nintendo DS cards, DSiWare downloads
No third-party custom firmware tracked for this device.
Our verdict
Value8.0
Build8.5
Screen7.0
Performance6.5
The DSi trimmed the DS down, added two cameras, brighter screens, and the downloadable DSiWare store via SD storage. The trade-off was the removal of the GBA slot, ending backward compatibility with Game Boy Advance carts. It is a refined take on the DS that points toward the digital, app-store future of handhelds.