The release of the 3rd iteration of Nintendo’s cash cow, Nintendo DSi is almost here. Launching at midnight on April 5th, Nintendo is expecting to see a huge turnout nationwide. At Universal City Walk in LA, GameStop will be hosting a midnight launch party and attendees will be getting the first glimpse of the Nintendo DSi.

The event will have a number of activities.

• Giveaways from Video Game art group I Am 8-Bit
• Music by VJ Fader with video on a giant projection globe
• Interactive Gaming Stations
• Stunt Performances
• Nintendo Exec Cammie Dunaway, and G4’s Kevin Pereira will be doing the count down to midnight

If you live in the LA area I would recommend stopping by, it sounds like a blast. If you do not live in LA, are there any events going on in your area? Are you planning on going out to any midnight launch parties? Let us know what you plan on doing for the big DSi launch.

According to multiple IGN sources the Nintendo DSi will be available on the North American market the first half of 2009. Apparently a number of sources in communication with IGN have claimed that the DSi will be released April 4th 2009, and will be selling for $179.99.

Contrary to what we had heard from Nintendo in 2008, in which a North American release date was projected for Summer 2009, this date is much earlier in the year. The sources are said to be close to Nintendo, and reliable according to Matt Casamassina with IGN.  Matt is reliable as well as he has been backed by G4. Raymond Padilla (a writer for the feed) was quoted as saying “Brother Matt (am I the only one that calls him that?) has been covering Nintendo for more than a decade; his sources are plentiful and often reliable. Given his history and track record, there’s a good chance that the rumor is true.”

Although an April 4th release date seems unlikely, due to the fact that the DS is still doing very well in sales, the sources seem reliable. I personally won’t be getting my hopes up until I hear an official statement from Nintendo, which we will probably be getting soon since this rumor is spreading like wild fire.

Nintendo has finally revealed its newest portable game system in the form of the Nintendo DSI. The new hand held device will have a variety of new features that are definite upgrades from the DS Lite; including a camera, larger screen, and download capabilities.  The new camera feature will allow you to edit your photos using the touch sensitive screen.  The new SD slot which will allow download able content from the Nintendo online store, is perhaps the nicest new feature of the unit.

Although Nintendo has decided to remove the Game Boy Advanced slot form the DSI, the new  SD slot should more than compensate for the change. Along with the other features mentioned the DSI will also include; enhanced audio, longer battery life, and less charging time.  It seems all together Nintendo has developed a sleeker, more efficient unit for release.

The word is that the new DSI will be released on the market in Japan by November 1st of this year. A release in North America has been speculated for sometime in 2009.