Larger screen
Nintendo wants to kick start sluggish demand in the hand-held
market by releasing a new machine with a larger screen.
According to the Nikkei
business daily the new model will see the light of day in Japan. Nintendo has been looking to bolster demand for the DSi, whose
monthly sales have slowed to a third of their peak levels following its launch
last year. The DSi has a 3.25-inch
screen, so it's struggling against competition.
Even the iPhone has a screen that big.
The new version will have a screen larger than 4 inches,
which would put it roughly on a par with the screen on Sony's PSP. It is not clear if there is anything else under the bonnet
as a slightly bigger screen will not do much for sales. Most analysts think Nintendo will have to
provide better graphics quality and a more powerful chip to run multimedia-type
games to become more competitive. The new machine will have the same price tag as the old one.
Nintendo also plans to launch a version of the DSi with more
stronger anti-piracy features for the Chinese and South Korean markets by the
end of the current business year in March 2010.