The DSi is set to be priced at 18,900 yen, or about $179.99 US when it is released in November, and will be available in white and black. No word yet on whether this will run alongside the DS Lite upon release or replace it entirely. Also, though it was unmentioned at the press event, expect the R4 to be incompatible with the new device. Nintendo has had quite some time to find a way to make the device not work with the DSi, and my gut feeling tells me they have been able to do just that.
The second major announcement out of the press event was an avalanche of titles that should quell fears from some of the more loyal Nintendo Wii owners. Most notably announced at the media event was a brand new PunchOut! title for the Nintendo Wii that will make use of the Wii remote and nunchuk attachment. Though only a brief glimpse of it was seen, the game will feature the return of Little Mac, green gloves and all, as the game's protagonist. Along with the new PunchOut! comes Sin and Punishment 2, which is being developed by Treasure; Another Code, a Wii version of a DS adventure title; a Dynasty Warriors for the Wii that is hopefully not like Samurai Warriors: Katana; a new Tales game and Taiko Drum Master Wii(!!!!!!) from Namco; the Wii/DS title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time; a Wii version of the DS game Trace Memory; and two new titles from Nintendo - a game called Cosmic Walker set in outer space that looks promising, and a hack-and-slash action/adventure title known as Dynamic Slash.
Oh, and they talked about Wii Music for a bit, too. Something about the set-list including more than just public domain tunes.
There were also a few other important tidbits of information:
- At PAX, we played The Conduit and talked about how the game’s publisher would be revealed in short time. Today, we found out that Nintendo itself is now publishing High Voltage Software’s futuristic first-person shooter. Excellent news for Wii fans looking for a good first-person shooter on the console.
(Update: According to an article Joystiq published a day after the press event, it sems Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway misspoke at the event, stating "exclusive first-party shooter" instead of "exclusive first-person shooter". Therefore, High Voltage has still not announced a publisher for The Conduit, but we'll be e-mailing High Voltage to see if there is currently a publisher for the game.)
- Some classic Gamecube games are coming back as part of Nintendo’s new “Play On Wii Selection”. Leading off with Pikmin, Nintendo plans to take older Gamecube titles and re-release them for the Wii. There’s been some questioning and a lot of cynicism as to why exactly these titles are being re-released on Wii discs since Gamecube playback compatibility is included with the Wii. My guess? Simply put, this is the same as any other company deciding they want to reprint a title that’s already out there, but is hard to find. That could well be the case, given that the overall Gamecube user base was roughly half the size of the current Wii user base.
Article comments
1 - Ken Edwards
You forgot an exclamation point :P It is PunchOut!!
Since the announcement was so vague, I have emailed a few Nintendo contacts to see if you can also PLAY games from SD.