Report: Publishers To Launch DSi-Only Games This Fall

Games made specifically for the new camera-equipped and online-enabled DSi -- not compatible with the previous edition of Nintendo's handheld -- will start arriving on retail shelves this Fall, according to media reports. Citing unnamed sources, consumer weblog Kotaku says these titles will feature their own distinct packaging, complete with compatibility warning label, to help them stand out from cartridges playable on both editions of the DS hardware. Nintendo itself has not announced any first-party games that rely on the capabilities unique to the DSi; as the report points out, it's a tack analogous to the one the company is taking with its Motion Plus peripheral -- letting third-parties take the lead. The report also suggests that the DSi has more technical power than the DS, according to accomplished handheld developer Vicarious Visions. That studio's Band Hero DS is not compatible with DSi -- but that's because its accompanying peripheral requires the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot, still present in the DS Lite, but eliminated in the DSi.