Nikkei: Nintendo planning new DSi with larger screen

Nintendo will release an updated DSi handheld gaming console in Japan by the end of this year. This report comes from a Japanese business daily, Nikkei who claims the new console will try to fight sluggish sales that is a result of products like Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. The new feature in the updated DSi will be a larger screen, which will be at least larger than 4-inches as compared to the current 3.25-inches.

However, analysts believe large screen won’t be the only thing that will lure gamers. Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst from KBC Securities say “A bigger screen alone does not count for much. Nintendo needs better graphics quality and a more powerful chip to run multimedia-type games and become more competitive.”

There was a rumor of the next-gen DSi getting a Tegra processor but this report does not confirm it.

The updated DSi will be sold at the same price, which is at 18,900 yen.

[Via Yahoo!]

• Game over for Nintendo DSi?
• Nintendo announces new colors for DSi LL in Japan; drops price
• Next-gen DS and PSP consoles to be more powerful
• Nintendo reveals DSi LL with larger screen