The loveable scamps at Kotaku have blogged the Nintendo Press Conference over in Japan. While the Conference had only a few announcements, the content of those announcements were huge, revealing the new DS specs, pricing and date.

The specs for the new Nintendo DSi are announced: It eschews the GBA slot (boo!) in favour of a range of improvements. The handheld’s screens have been enlarged, and will now be 17% bigger (at 3.25 inches) than those found on the DS Lite. As for the rumoured additions, both have proven to be correct, with “audio enhancements” made to the handheld, while it will also now include a 3 megapixel camera. “So the health of the DS continues to grow,” said Iwata, “we are putting out this new version.”

The Nintendo DSi can adjust pitch and playback, making it ideal for language study and listening to music. What’s more, the DSi features an SD memory card slot, making it possible to take pictures with the DSi and then view them on the Nintendo Wii. The DSi features a built-in browers, and its possible to download games and keep them on the DSi. There is a DSi Shop, which users can download DSiWare from as well. Pricing categories for the DSiWare are: Free, 200 points, 500 points and “Premium” or 800 points. Customers will get 1000 free points to spend at the DSi Shop that are good until March 2010.

Personally, I’m blown away by the idea of a new DS as I’m still playing my DS Lite everyday. The new specs and features are of great interest though with a DSiWare channel confirmed also, something DS fans have been waiting for.

Right now, the DSi is dated for the 1st of November for Japan and is priced at ¥18,900 (£100). Here’s hoping we get more info soon

From Kotaku