Following Nintendo's unveiling of their latest handheld evolution with the DSi, UBS investment research analyst Ben Schachter went ahead and gave his two cents regarding the console. And according to his initial impressions, Mr. Schachter's not too excited about it.

"The new functions to be added to the DSi are no more than minor changes, and as such are unlikely to expand the NDS user base, in our view," said Schachter. For the past months, Nintendo's latest handheld has been outselling every single console competition in the market, including the company's own Wii console, but according to Schachter, the DSi's new appeal won't bring much to the table.

"Additional functions may extend the software line-up but not by enough to further boost consumer spending," said Schachter. "Body size will be smaller, but not enough to change convenience dramatically," he said, referring to the DSi's %12 decrease in size compared to the current DS system.

The DSi is set to hit Japan as early as November 1 but unfortunately for us here in North America, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that it won't arrive here until "well into 2009". It's really too early to give our initial impressions of the system, but additional features/functions are always welcome to any console. How about you? What are your initial impressions on the Nintendo DSi?

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