After a disastrous E3 2008 press conference, Nintendo was looking to be in trouble. Their core user base was virtually up in arms and threatening to walk away for good, claiming Nintendo has “forgotten them” and that the console was headed for a significant drought. People’s expectations, including my own, were kind of low at today’s press events in Tokyo and San Francisco. Needless to say, those expectations were not only met and exceeded, they were incinerated in a gigantic fireball of incredible news that almost makes me forget E3 happened this year. Almost.

The biggest announcement came in the form of the DSi, a new Nintendo DS model slated to reach Japan in November and North America later in 2009. The DSi looks very similar to the DS Lite from its initial outward appearance, except that it lacks a GBA slot on the bottom of the handheld. The new DSi has a slightly larger screen size (3.25 inches vs. 3 inches on the DS Lite), a slightly smaller and thinner feel, a slightly lower charge time (2 1/2 hours vs. 3 hours on the DS Lite) and a lower battery charge life of 3-4 hours at highest brightness settings due to the added-on features. By comparison, the DS Lite had a 5-8 hour battery life at the highest settings.

However, those new features are rather intriguing. First off, the DSi will sport two 0.3 megapixel cameras - one on the outside and one on the inside of the hinge between the screens - which can be used to take pictures and will likely be used in a number of upcoming DS titles (come on, Boktai DS!!). The DSi will feature Nintendo’s DS Web browser built in to the handheld. It will also sport a SD memory card slot, which can be used to transfer pictures to and from the Wii as well as AAC-format songs between your DSi and PC.

The DSi will also feature built-in music software that lets you play with your songs. You can do things like change the pitch and tempo or filter out tracks. You’ll also be able to use the DSi microphone to record your own voice and play with it. This might seem dumb to you, but if you’re learning a foreign language, this could be perfect to helping you practice.

The SD card won’t be limited to music and pictures, though. It will also be used, along with the small internal memory, for DSiWare games. Yes, the DSi will be getting a WiiWare-like service that lets you download games to the new handheld. Game prices will be either free, 200, 500 or 800 points. On top of that, all new DSi owners from launch until March 2010 will get a free 1000 points right off the bat.