The new Nintendo DSi has been generating a huge amount of buzz lately. While there is much said and done about its features and accessories, we’ve heard little news about the story behind its development. Today, we bring you the inside scoop of how the new DSi came to be.
The development of the DSi was four-fold. Today, we bring you the first part—the hardware development.

DSi Hardware

It all started in 2006 when Masato Kuwahara, from the Development Engineering Department, was assigned to work on a new DS.  The third console of the Nintendo DS line wasn’t supposed to be an entirely new platform, which posed as a challenge for Kuwahara and his team. Kuwahara said, “That was the source of some frustration for me. I couldn’t move forward at full blast, but if I didn’t move forward, it wouldn’t feel new. It was quite a dilemma”.
As it turned out, the DSi has quite a number of new features in comparison to the DS Lite.

Camera and SD memory card

The first feature that the group settled on was the camera. They initially decided on having just one rotating camera, but dropped the idea as that would increase the overall cost of the console. Therefore, they decided to go ahead with two 0.3 megapixel cameras, one for you to click pictures of things around you, and the other to click your own pictures.

Even though the team did initially not support the idea of having an SD memory slot as it would increase the size, the DSi was finally adapted for SD memory card. They also added the audio features to create the amazing final product.

2 Consoles

Kuwahara had to work on two designs. The design for the console was nearly completed in October 2007, and it was unveiled within the company. It did not receive great response, because with the new features implemented, the console ended up becoming a lot bigger than they liked. Therefore, at the last moment, the team decided to start over again and remove certain specifications such as the two DS game slots. In fact, while they were designing it initially, they had the feeling that it wasn’t going to appeal to the board. In Kuwahara’s own words, “We unveiled it to them, all the while doubting that it was going to be alright”.

About the current size of the DSi, Yui Ehara, the person who designed its outer shell, assures that the console has a great lifespan. It could not have been made any smaller with the number of features in it. They had to design a console which would not be too high priced and be visually appealing; it had to also be strong and durable. Therefore, after careful planning to keep it simple, elegant, and strong, the new design was unveiled in the company; this time it received a great response. Ehara describes the design as, “
When you see the final product on its own, there may not be anything immediately striking about its appearance, but a lot of work was put into keeping it simple”.

DSi: The overall Product

The biggest improvement that you would notice with the DSi is a great enhancement in its sound output and quality. The upgraded Codec IC (which amplifies sound and converts digital signals into analog) is the main reason for this.

The simple yet elegant design has a neat set of speakers unlike its predecessor, which had six holes. Even though the console is small, the LCD size has increased from 3.0 to 3.25 inches. Lastly, the console has a matte finish that does not show fingerprints on it like in the case of the black DS Lite.

My DS

The folks at Nintendo introduced The Shop function in the DSi. This is one of the most fascinating features they have included besides the main changes in the console design. The Shop Function allows you to buy and download software; this concept is called ‘My DS’. It also allows you to capture photographs, save it or view it on your screen. This concept basically lets you supplement your internal memory and all users can have their personal unique DSi, which according to the team is the biggest selling point.

The team wanted it to be a console that reflects your personality; one that you would want to carry with you and keep on top of your table, not inside your bag.

That was all about the story behind the hardware design and development of the DSi. In the next feature we’ll bring you the DSi Internal Software.

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