Update: Nintendo has confirmed that new model will arrive in North America, where it will be known as the Nintendo DSi XL, during the first quarter of 2010.

Confirming earlier reports, Nintendo today unveiled a heftier version of the Nintendo DSi hardware that sports a larger profile, bigger screens and a much thicker stylus.

Dubbed the Nintendo DSi LL in Japan and DSi XL for Europe, the new model sports two 4.2" screens instead of the 3.25" displays of the DSi or the 3" displays of the DS Lite. A number of assets provided by Nintendo compare it to earlier models.

The Nintendo DSi LL will hit Japan on November 21 for 20,000 yen (~$219)--a slight premium over the region's current 18,900 yen (~$207) asking price of the regular Nintendo DSi. European availability will following in early 2010, with Nintendo only noting that the price is "expected to be higher than that of the Nintendo DSi."

In addition to providing a release date for Wii Fit Plus, Nintendo also today revealed that new colors for the Nintendo DSi and Wii Remote are coming soon to North America.

September 13 will see pink and white editions of the $169.99 DSi hardware join the black and blue models already at North American retailers. Nintendo explained that "the two new colors give consumers even more options to personalize their experiences."

Additionally, the once white-only Wii Remote will be available in black "this holiday." The black Wii Remote will be bundled with a black version of the sensitivity enhancing MotionPlus add-on utilized by some games. A black Nunchuk will be sold sepearately.

Nintendo DSi owners in North America will soon be able to upload pictures from the handheld to social networking site Facebook, as that functionality will be added as part of downloadable system update this evening.

A similar update has already been released in other territories, with Kotaku reporting that it also blocks several methods and devices used to play pirated games.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently spoke out on the subject of the portable's piracy problem, noting that it "is more affecting the DS than the DSi at the moment" and adding that the Assassin's Creed/Imagine: Babyz publisher is "working to put new figurines and new elements in the box" to reduce heavy Nintendo DS piracy in Europe.

Nintendo today announced that the DSi will allow users to upload their photos taken with the device to Facebook this summer.

The company also announced Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again, a game that will allow players to create levels and upload them for sharing. The title will be released on the DSiWare store June 8.

Lastly, WarioWare: DIY was confirmed for a US release. The title will allow players to make their own WarioWare minigames and share them with friends.

Nintendo has revealed that the Nintendo DSi posted far higher sales during its first week of sale than its predecessor the DS Lite managed when it launched in 2006.

According to Nintendo's internal tracking numbers, a whopping 435,000 DSi units were sold in the first week of sale in the United States. In contrast, the DS Lite sold 226,300.

The third iteration of the Nintendo DS, the DSi slims the console, enlarges the screens and adds two cameras, at the price of removing its Game Boy Advance cartridge slot.

According to NPD data, Nintendo accounted for 58.4% of all hardware sales in March.

Following last week's launch of the Nintendo DSi, SCEA director of hardware marketing John Koller has taken the liberty of firing a few shots in Nintendo's direction in a statement to Engadget.

"If Nintendo is really committed to reaching a broader, more diverse audience of gamers beyond the "kids" market that they've always engaged, there isn't much new with the DSi to support that," said Koller.

"Significant gamer demographic groups are being ignored," continued Koller, "and there continues to be limited opportunities for games from external publishers to do well on the DSi. Compare that with the PSP platform, where we have many blockbuster franchises from our publishing partners launching this year, representing a wide variety of genres and targeting diverse demographics.

For those keeping score, Nintendo shipped its 100 millionth Nintendo DS unit early last month, while Sony reported that it had shipped 50 million PSP handhelds as of February.

Nintendo has lifted the curtain on the first 5 titles available on the Nintendo DSi Shop downloadable software store when its new DSi handheld launches April 5.

All developed by Nintendo, the titles include a new WarioWare game apparently with a baby-upsetting minigame, a pretty undersea puzzle game, birds tonguing beans, more Brain Age and a smattering of wonderous magical illusions--don't call them tricks.

Nintendo offers these brief explanations:

WarioWare: Snapped! - Using the built-in Nintendo DSi camera, this outrageous title puts players right at the center of fast-paced mini-games, challenging them to race the clock... Read more

Purchase a shiny new Nintendo DSi in the United States and connect your system to the Nintendo DSi Shop within the first six months of availability--between April 5 and October 5--and Nintendo will reward your enthusiasm with 1,000 free Nintendo DSi Points.

Nintendo DSi Points can be redeemed in the online DSi Shop for downloadable DSiWare games and applications. Given that the DSi Shop 'price' break points are 200, 500 and 800+ points, 1,000 points will presumably buy you a reasonable amount of lovelies for your new toy. As with the Wii Shop Channel, 100 Points equals $1, though DSi and Wii Shop Channel Points are not interchangeable.

Already released in Japan, the Nintendo DSi represents the third revision of the hardware. It sports a slimmer profile thanks to the removal of the Game Boy Advance slot, bigger screens, two cameras, and the ability to buy and download games online. It arrives in the United States on Sunday, April 5, carrying a suggested price of $169.99.

Nintendo announced today that it shipped the 100 millionth Nintendo DS unit on March 6, 2009--4 years, 3 months and 14 days after the portable debuted at North America.

The company declared that the system "helped redefine what a video game could be" and trumpeted the Nintendo DSi as an example of its continued livelihood. Nintendo further noted that 83 DS games have shipped over 1 million copies, as of 2008's end, with 7 of those shipping over 10 million.

Already released in Japan, the Nintendo DSi represents the third revision of the hardware. It sports a slimmer profile thanks to the removal of the Game Boy Advance slot, bigger screens, two cameras, and the ability to buy and download games online.

The DSi hits Europe on April 3 and North America on April 5, where it will sell for an MSRP of $169.99. The previous model, the DS Lite, has an MSRP of $129.99.

Nintendo's latest revision of its portable DS hardware, the Nintendo DSi, will arrive in the United States on Sunday, April 5 for $169.99, the company has announced.

The system will be available in two colors: blue and black.

Released in Japan last fall, the Nintendo DSi packs a slimmer profile over past Nintendo DS hardware due to the removal of the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot.

Other changes and additions include larger screens, two cameras, an SD card slot, and support for the new DSi Shop, which offers downloadable games and demos.

Tucked away within Nintendo's recent financial documents was a tentative release schedule for the next year, revealing that the forthcoming Punch-Out!! Wii will hit North America and Europe within the first half of 2009.

The schedule also reaffirms that Wii Sports Resort will hit North America within the first half of the calendar year, with Treasure's shooter Sin & Punishment 2 still due this year.

On the Nintendo DS side of things, music-centric mini-game compilation Rhythm Heaven is due in North America by July, Mario & Luigi RPG 3 is coming by the year's end, and the latest Nintendo DS hardware, the Nintendo DSi, is expected between spring and summer--a target that coincides with rumors of its launch in early April.

The listing further reveals that Kirby Wii, previously expected last year, is now expected to hit Japan this year, though there are still no screenshots or details on the project.

The rest of the North American release dates match an earlier Nintendo schedule.

Multiple sources "close to Nintendo" have reportedly told IGN that the Nintendo DSi will launch in North America sometime in early April--with April 4 indicated as the most likely date.

According to the sources, the DSi will carry a suggested retail price of $179.99.

The Nintendo DSi will improve over Nintendo's original handheld with the addition of two cameras, internal memory, an SD card slot for memory expansion, and support for the new DSi Shop, which offers downloadable games and demos.

Over 500,000 DSi units were sold in the month following the system's November 1 Japanese release.

The next revision to the Nintendo DS handheld, the Nintendo DSi, has sold over 500,000 units in Japan so far, according to Gamasutra.

The DSi was released in Japan on November 1 for around $180. The handheld updates the existing Nintendo DS hardware with a slimmer frame, bigger screens, support for downlodable games, two cameras, and an SD card slot.

A report by media firm Enterbrain notes that over 24 million Nintendo DS handhelds have been sold in Japan since the system's debut in 2004, with the DS Lite accounting for 17 million of those sales. Combined with other territories, the DS platform has sold over 84 million units worldwide.

The DSi is expected to hit North America sometime after April 2009.

Nintendo has filed for a mass of trademarks related to its DS handheld, signaling a wide variety of software that could be under contemplation at the company's headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

Siliconera did a little sleuthing through the Japanese trademark database and found gems like DSiMovie, DSCommunity, DSmobile, and DSPhone.

It's worth noting that many trademarks are filed simply for protective purposes, and given the wide range of names that have been trademarked by Nintendo, that's very likely in this case.

Still, the revamped DSi handheld is predicated on new hardware like a camera and boosted wireless capabilities, which open up possibilities for a more connected device. Many of the trademarks include networking-related words like "news," "navi," or "net."

The full list of DS-related trademarks, reproduced from Siliconera, follows:

• DSiChannel
  
• DSiStation
  
• DSiNews
  
• DSiMovie
  ... Read more

Nintendo today revealed the Japanese launch titles for its handheld DSi Ware downloadable game service, including one Wario Ware title that makes use of the new Nintendo DSi's digital camera.

Dubbed Utsusu! Made In Wario, the title will be comprised of a collection of camera-controlled mini-games. Players will set the Nintendo DSi on a surface and use their hands and other motions to complete the challenges. The game will cost 500 Nintendo points ($5).

Nintendo will also release new DSi puzzle games under its Art Style label, as well as individually packaged mini-games from the original Wario Ware title for Game Boy Advance. The former will run 500 points ($5), while the latter will cost 200 points ($2).

The company additionally announced a new Nintendo DS game developed by the Wario Ware team titled Made in Me. The game will allow players to create their own Wario Ware-style minigames, and, after purchasing an accompanying Wii game, upload and play them on the big screen.

The Nintendo DSi launches in Japan tomorrow, November 1. The DSi Ware store will open sometime in December.

The upcoming Nintendo DSi online store will not use the same Wii Points currency Nintendo currently uses in its online Wii Shop Channel, Siliconera reports.

Beginning in November, Japanese retailers will begin carrying Nintendo Points cards, which can then be used to buy download software in either the Wii Shop Channel or the forthcoming Nintendo DSi online store.

While Nintendo Points can be redeemed for either Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points, those Points can not be shared between the Wii and Nintendo DSi's online shops. As with the existing Wii Points setup, 100 Points are equivalent to $1.

Only accessible from the new Nintendo DSi, the DSi's online store is expected to arrive alongside the enhanced $190 handheld on November 1 in Japan. A North American release of the DSi and its bigger screens, slimmer profile and increased internal memory is not expected before April 2009.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Japanese outlet Nikkei that the Nintendo DSi handheld is not a direct response to Apple's iPhone or Sony's PSP, according to Gamasutra.

The Nintendo DSi will feature a camera, a built-in web browser, and support for downloadable games--all features available on Sony and Apple's handheld platforms.

"We wanted to create an offering that would fit naturally into people's everyday lives," said Iwata, who mentioned that the goal for the DSi was to have users wanting the device on them "at all times."

Elsewhere, Sony director of hardware marketing John Koller expressed half-hearted optimism for the DSi, while also questioning whether the unit will increase Nintendo's demographic.

"I can see the DSi being successful," said Koller to Gizmodo. "The DS lite was obviously very successful. Will DSi do well with [the DS's] demographic? It probably will. Will it be a product that expands their user base [beyond] under 12? I'm not sure."

The Nintendo DSi is set to launch in Japan in November, but the handheld won't make it to North America until "well into calendar year 2009," according to Nintendo.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime commented on the company's strategy for shifting from its popular DS handheld to the newly announced DSi, hinting at Nintendo's big-picture goal and an American release date in the process.

"We would ideally want one DS to one person across the Americas," the executive told G4. "That's a huge, lofty goal, but that's certainly what we're trying to get to," he explained.

Fils-Aime also elaborated on his statement that the DSi won't hit American shores until "well into" 2009, saying that it won't come until "after April 2009," or after the start of Nintendo's next fiscal year. He again cited the DS Lite's non-stop success in the U.S. as the reason for the delay.

The popular frontman for Nintendo's American operations also seeked to quell early rumblings of the DSi's integrated camera and audio player not being quite up to snuff: "You shouldn't think of this as the world's best digital camera or the world's best audio player," he asserted. "You need to look at it through a lens of entertainment, and certainly through that lens it's going to over-deliver against expectations."

Nintendo posted a side-by-side comparison of its new DSi with its predecessor, the DS Lite, on its Japanese website.

While many changes to the hardware have been subtle, a slightly bigger pair of screens are immediately noticeable.

The DS Lite's light panel showing power and battery status has been moved to the left side of the console and has gained a third light to show the status of the handheld's newly emphasized Wi-Fi connection.

The speaker holes have been reduced to one large hole, possibly hiding revised audio hardware underneath. The power button has also been moved... Read more

The Nintendo DSi will not arrive in North America until "well into calendar year 2009" due to strong demand for the existing DS Lite model, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime stated today at a press event in San Francisco.

Unveiled last night, the Nintendo DSi updates the existing DS hardware with a slimmer frame, bigger screens, support for downlodable games, two cameras, and a SD card slot. It's slated to hit Japan on November 1 for $180.

In addition, Nintendo of America offered up the following Nintendo DSi details:

• Expanding on past mentions of increased audio functionality, the DSi sports a louder volume than previous DS models.
• On-board camera software will let users distort pictures and decorate them with graffiti, as well as instantly share pictures with other DSi owners.
• Owners can create a Daily Diary using pictures.
• Songs use AAC format.
• Users can fast-forward through songs and recordings, as well as record their own voice and distort pitch.
• Brain Age will be the first downloadable game.