When did the Nintendo DSi come out?

The Nintendo DSi launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, North America on April 5, 2009, Europe on April 3, 2009, Australia on April 2, 2009.

How many games are licensed for the Nintendo DSi?

Approximately 1,879 licensed games were released for the Nintendo DSi.

How much did the Nintendo DSi cost at launch?

The Nintendo DSi launched at $169 USD.

How many Nintendo DSi units were sold?

Around 41.1 million Nintendo DSi units were sold worldwide.

Can the Nintendo DSi be modded?

The Nintendo DSi supports softmodding — no hardware modification required. Custom firmware: R4 / Acekard / SuperCard DSTwo (flashcards); Unlaunch (DSi softmod).

Nintendo DSi

Variant of Nintendo DS

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Production: 2008–2014
Generation: Gen 7
Type: Handheld
Launch price: $169
Units sold: 41.1M

About Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival was Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP). The fourth iteration, titled Nintendo DSi XL, is a larger model that launched in Japan on November 21, 2009, and worldwide beginning in March 2010. Development of the DSi began in late 2006, and the handheld was unveiled during an October 2008 Nintendo conference in Tokyo. Consumer demand convinced Nintendo to produce a slimmer handheld with larger screens than the DS Lite. Consequently, Nintendo removed the Game Boy Advance (GBA) cartridge slot to improve portability without sacrificing durability.

Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).

Read about the Nintendo DSi in the Chapter 6: HD and Motion era of our long-form console history.

Library & collector facts

Software library

1,879licensed games

North America: 1,014
Japan: 1,100
PAL: 1,080

Best-selling game

New Super Mario Bros.

What's different from Nintendo DS

+ Added

Two 0.3MP cameras (one inner, one outer)
SD card slot for music/photos
DSi Shop with downloadable DSiWare
Built-in web browser
Larger 3.25-inch screens (vs. 3.0-inch)
Internal flash storage

− Removed

GBA slot (slot-2) — breaks backward compatibility with GBA cartridges and slot-2 accessories like Guitar Hero grip and Rumble Pak
Compatibility with DS games that used GBA slot (e.g., Guitar Hero: On Tour series unplayable)

± Changed

processor: ARM9 67MHz → ARM9 133MHz with doubled RAM (16MB)
screen size: 3.0-inch → 3.25-inch (slight bezel reduction)
region locking: Region-free (DS/DS Lite) → region-locked for DSi-enhanced and DSiWare titles

Lineage

← Game Boy AdvanceNintendo DSiNintendo 3DS →

Release timeline

🇯🇵 Japan: November 1, 2008
🇺🇸 North America: April 5, 2009
🇪🇺 Europe / PAL: April 3, 2009
🇦🇺 Australia: April 2, 2009
Lifespan: 6 years on market

Pricing

Launch price (2008)

🇺🇸 USD: $169

Launch titles & exclusives

Launch titles

Super Mario 64 DS · Madden NFL 2005 · Asphalt: Urban GT · Feel the Magic: XY/XX · Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits · Ping Pals · Polarium · The Urbz: Sims in the City · Spider-Man 2

Pack-in game

None standard; some bundles included Nintendogs (DS Lite era)

Notable exclusives

Mario Kart DS · New Super Mario Bros. · Nintendogs · Brain Age · Animal Crossing: Wild World · Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver/Black/White · The World Ends With You · Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow / Portrait of Ruin / Order of Ecclesia · Advance Wars: Dual Strike / Days of Ruin · Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time / Bowser's Inside Story · Phoenix Wright series · Professor Layton series · Ghost Trick · Dragon Quest IX · Etrian Odyssey series · 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

Final licensed game

Big Hero 6: Battle in the Bay (2014, NA) was among the very last releases

Most valuable collectible

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter (~$200+ CIB); Commando: Steel Disaster sealed; Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver with Pokewalker CIB (~$200+); Nintendo World Championships demo carts

Hardware specs

Os: Nintendo DSi system software
Cpu: 133 MHz ARM9, 33 MHz ARM7
Ram: 16 MB RAM
Storage Internal: 256 MB internal flash memory, SD card (up to 32 GB), Cartridge save

Hardware revisions

Original DS NTR-001(2004)
the 'phat' DS, GBA slot, lower-quality screens, removable stylus
DS Lite USG-001(2006)
brighter screens, smaller form factor, retained GBA slot — the platform's mainstream best-seller
DSi TWL-001(2008)
cameras, SD slot, DSi Shop, GBA slot removed, region-locked (DSi-enhanced and DSi-exclusive titles)
DSi XL UTL-001(2009)
larger 4.2" screens, marketed at older audiences

Launch colorways & special editions

Launch colors

BlackWhitePinkBlueRedGreenMetallic Blue (Mario 25th)

Special editions

Mario 25th Anniversary Red (2010)
Pokemon Black/White Edition
Super Mario Bros 25th JP Edition
Zelda 25th Edition (JP)
DSi XL launched as separate SKU with even larger 4.2-inch screens

Modding scene

Difficulty: soft-mod
Custom firmware: R4 / Acekard / SuperCard DSTwo (flashcards); Unlaunch (DSi softmod)

Reception & legacy

Launch reception

Phenomenal — launched alongside PSP and surprised analysts with massive sales despite the PSP's more powerful hardware

Notable controversies

Removal of GBA slot was the most controversial change — rendered Guitar Hero: On Tour series and other slot-2 games unplayable; region locking broke a decade of DS region-free tradition; cameras criticized as low-res gimmick

Cultural significance

Second best-selling video game console of all time (~154M); dual-screen + touch + microphone created entirely new game-design vocabularies; pulled Nintendo back into handheld dominance during a generation where Sony's PSP threatened seriously