At Nintendo’s big media conference last week, the biggest news (yes, even bigger than the cell-shaded return of Punchout!! for the Wii) was official confirmation of the much-rumored new DS model, called the DSi. It looks a little something like this:

That black circle on the back is a 3 megapixel camera. There’s another one inside (see the picture below) that’s about as strong as your average webcam, making it perfect for self portraits. In addition, it can also playback audio, store data to and read from an SD card, and download applications and games from a special store Nintendo is setting up just for the new handheld. The screens are even a smidge bigger than the DS Lite. While there will be games developed just for the DSi, The system will still support any and all traditional DS games (provided they don’t use the GBA game slot built in to the current DS, which is getting the boot), meaning that rather than curtailing their portable money printer, they’re just opening up a new front.

I can’t tell you how badly I want to make games for this. The gameplay opportunities opened up by the included two cameras are just astounding, and the ability to save, play back, and even mess around with music combined with with the impressive music-making tools already on display in some games (Jam Sessions, Hanna Montana: Jam Session, etc.) just reeks with potential. Throw in the DSi’s wireless network and wi-fi features, and you have a solid base from which to launch a wellspring of games exploring one of my favorite avenues of design: the ability for players to create and customize their own content and then share it with others. The system isn’t due out here in the states till sometime in 2009, according to this Game|Life article, and I have no idea when dev kits will be going out or if my work will be able to score any. Right now, I’m just so psyched by the possibilities Nintendo has packed in to their little portable wonder that thinking about it makes me a little dizzy.

Filed under: talk about games