Nintendo To Release Large-Screen DSi In Japan

OSAKA (Nikkei)--Nintendo Co. (7974) plans to debut a large-screen version of its DSi hand-held game system in the domestic market, possibly by the end of the year, The Nikkei learned Monday.

Released about a year ago, the DSi was once a big hit but has seen its monthly sales slow to about a third of their peak levels. It has a 3.25-inch screen, which is about the same size as that of Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone.

Nintendo will nearly double the DSi's screen area by introducing a version with a screen larger than 4 inches -- close to the size of the screen on Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.'s PlayStation Portable.

A larger screen means that more graphics and text can be displayed, enabling game developers to create more diverse products. It could also lead to new applications for the DSi, such as reading electronic books and watching video. The change is sure to be welcomed by older users who have complained that the screen is hard to look at.

The large-screen DSi is to be priced at 18,900 yen, about the same as the existing version. The company will consider selling it overseas as well.

Separately, Nintendo plans to release a version of the DSi with improved anti-piracy features in China and South Korea by March 31, 2010, with the price to be the same as in Japan. The firm now sells the DS Lite in these two Asian countries. Although it has sold more than 2.5 million units of that system in South Korea, Chinese sales of the DS Lite have been sluggish.

Nintendo expects to receive approval to sell the DSi in China from local authorities soon.

(The Nikkei Oct. 27 morning edition)