Nintendo DSi

I am a big fan of Nintendo. I saw and experienced Nintendo's gaming evolution, from the simple yet highly engaging Game n' Watch, to the Nintendo Family Computer and the Super Nintendo. I stormed castles and rescued Princess Toadstool from King Koopa (and the Koopalings) with Mario and Luigi, and sometimes with Yoshi. I played many an hour with the Nintendo Gameboy.

Ummm... maybe I'm not such a big fan after all, because I eventually moved to the Sony Playstation and the Sony PSP. I have played with the Nintendo DS, though, and I must agree it is quite a very innovative console, especially with the Mario games.

So when we saw the ad on the Nintendo DSi and how they were...well, not playing games on it, I became intrigued. They were actually playing with its built-in camera and stretching it about (reminded me of the Mac) What is it about, exactly?

Nintendo DSi is being touted as a "lifestyle" device and is being targetted for a more mature audience. In line with the simple yet absorbing Wii games involving fitness and sports, the DSi is churning out cooking and gardening games. More recently, other, more familiar games have been released and of course, what is a Nintendo console without a Mario game in the title selection?

The DSi has two 3.2 megapixel cameras one to take your photo and the other to take your friend's. And then you can jazz up your photo.

One thing that's sorely missing is its backward compatibility to the DS and the Gameboy: the game cartridge slot. It would have still been great to be able to use your existing games (and thereby maximize use of your gaming investment!). But for the DSi, you may download games from the DSware shop through a wireless internet connection.

I am not buying a gaming console anytime soon. I would rather replace the defective charger of my PSP and enjoy playing a lot more games on it, but I will keep an eye on developments on the DSi (and keep an eye on price drops too!). Jo-Lo, who loves taking photos, will surely enjoy this gaming device.