Nintendo pushes apps development for DSi

Posted by David Walker on Mon 23 Mar 2009

Non-gaming content a priority for new handheld

It's fairly obvious that the Nintendo DSi isn't just a gaming machine. After all, there's a 3-megapixel camera, web browser, music player and photo viewer built into the next-generation Nintendo handheld, turning the DSi into a genuine all-rounder. And if Nintendo gets its way, it could go even further in that direction.

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Nintendo has launched the online DSiWare shop in Japan, offering up mini games at equally small prices from both Nintendo and third-party publishers like Sega and Namco. But that same store also includes non-gaming apps like Moving Notepad and the Nintendo DSi Calculator. And that's where Nintendo sees the future.

According to Develop, Nintendo has been encouraging developers to produce more non-gaming apps at its recent Nintendo Developer Conference in London. Only one non-Nintendo app has made it through so far - and that's just a clock. But with all those new built-in features, Nintendo possibly believes it could have an app store on its hands every bit as lucrative as the Apple store if it can get the developers on-board.

And if the DSi sells in the quantities we expect over the coming months, a good number of developers just might be convinced about that money making potential. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata is expected to do the hard sell on DSiWare during a keynote this week - so watch this space for developments ahead of that UK DSi launch on 3rd April 2009.

Link: Nintendo (via Kotaku)