During Nintendo's fall press conference they announced the release of the Nintendo DSi in Japan (November 1st). The handheld looks very similar to the DS, but there has been a decent amount of modifications done to it. First, the DSi is slightly thinner and longer than the DS. There is no slot for GBA cartridge games anymore. So even newer titles like Guitar Hero: On Tour will be unplayable on the new handheld. The volume has now been turned into two buttons instead of the current slider. Also, they've put a power button on the inside left of the new system.

Some larger changes they've made to handheld device is that there are two cameras on the inside and outside of the system. They have added some fun software that allows you to morph you face via the live camera feed, similar to Photo Booth on Apple computers. Additionally, they've added a SD card slot in the right side of the system so that you can import/export music and pictures. The songs that you import to the DSi have to be AAC format, however once they're on the system you can play around with them in a custom equalizer along with fiddling with the speed and pitch of the song.

The internet browsing on the DSi isn't that great. They've added an store feature where you'll be able to download new software and games for the DSi. However, as of right now, the only downloadable software is Opera browser, which isn't really compatible with many websites. Some other things to note are that, like the Wii, the DSi is updatable through firmware. Furthermore, while on the main menu of the system, you can pop out your game cartridges and slide in another without shutting off the system.

Nintendo says that they have all intentions of releasing the system state-side sometime "next year." We'll keep you updated on the official U.S. release date.

Source: IGN: DSi Import Hands On
Source: Nintendo Annouce New DS: The Nintendo DSi