Just as Apple dominates the portable music player field, so, too, does Nintendo pwn the handheld gaming market -- Sony's cool but under-performing PSP is practically a Zune by comparison. And, just like Apple, Nintendo regularly re-releases their products with minor enhancements intended to goose sales.

They've ruled the portable scene since the original GameBoy days, but the Nintendo DS really redefined the company, at the time languishing in third place as a pusher of low-tech innovation onto non-traditional gamers. Since 2004, Nintendo has shipped over 100 million units of their dual-screen money printer, and the recent release of the third version, the DSi, saw another 600,000 fly off the shelves in two days (not counting the 2 million already moved in Japan, where it was released last November). All this despite the fact that the DSi is not even a proper next-gen sequel to its predecessor.

The original DS was ugly and overweight, but the DS Lite redesign in 2006 boasted much bigger and brighter screens, with an improved form factor. The DSi goes a step further, doubling CPU speed and quadrupling RAM while adding a black or blue finish onto a slightly slimmer body with slightly bigger screens, slightly better speakers, a new music player (with an Excite Bike visualizer!) and a pair of low-res cameras. It also comes equipped with PhotoShop-type software to manipulate photos via touch-screen, and a similar audio recording device that messes with your voice. These multimedia gimmicks may entertain kids but they won’t likely interest older gamers for long.

 

What offers more staying power is the new DSiWare Shop, an online store similar to, yep, Apple’s App Store that will sell downloadable games (now possible because the GBA slot was replaced with one for SD flash-memory cards, which can hold games, pics or music). The free Opera browser is appreciated, but the limited game selection (including a new, camera-based Wario Ware and math-based Brain Age) leaves a lot to be desired. Luckily, new games are set to drop every week and one imagines the store will soon be filled with new titles, Nintendo classics and indie offerings.

It’s not necessarily cool enough to upgrade just yet, but if you're new to portable gaming than go for the DSi—and don't forget to grab a copy of GTA: Chinatown Wars while you're at it.