The launch date of the new Nintendo DSi has been confirmed! The new system will be the newest member to the Nintendo DS family, and will be released to Japanese fans in November. North American markets can expect to have the system on their shelves no sooner than April 2009.

Nintendo's DS was originally released to eager gamers in 2004. The hugely popular system introduced an intuitive touchscreen, a built-in microphone, and a wide range of titles for almost every genre. In 2006, Nintendo released the DS Lite, a sleeker repackaging of the original DS.

But is the DSi just another rehash of the DS Lite?

Thankfully, the answer is no. When the DS Lite was released, there was little in the way of component changes; most of the modifications were made to the physical casing. It was thinner and sleeker in design, but it was not that much different, component-wise, from the original DS. The DSi does offer a whole new set of features and gadgets that will truly legitimize it as a separate system.

Physically the DSi has some modifications from the DS Lite. Nintendo has announced that it will be available in matte colors, as opposed to the DS Lite's glossy casing (good news for those who cursed the fingerprint smudges on their DS Lites). Also, both screens on the DSi will be increased to 3.25 inches.

Like the DS Lite, the DSi will also see a reduction in size. Nintendo has announced that the DSi will be 2.6mm thinner than its predecessor (that's a 12% reduction). The bad news for some gamers is that Nintendo sacrificed the DS' backwards compatibility; in other words, the DSi will not be able to play Game Boy Advance titles.

Perhaps the biggest cosmetic addition to the system are the two built-in cameras. There will be an external camera and a VGA camera, which will be located in the hinge. Users will be able to edit the 640x480 pictures using the touchscreen capability.

The DSi will also include an SD-card slot, as well as on-board memory. Nintendo is hoping to expand the role of the DSi into the realm of multimedia devices, allowing owners to utilize their DSi as a media player. Unfortunately, the device will not support the MP3 format, but only AAC files.

The DSi will also come with a built-in DS web browser, and DSi owners will be able to download games. Nintendo will utilize the same point system that was adopted for Wii. With these so-called Nintendo Points, games and demos can be purchased and downloaded.

The DSi is certainly chock full of new features and gadgets, making gamers and technophiles alike giddy in anticipation, myself included. Nintendo has done a terrific job garnering attention and excitement regarding the release of the new system, but will it surpass the DS Lite? I guess we'll have to wait to find out.