Looks like Nintendo’s efforts for thwarting piracy has gone by the wayside as the “Acekard Team” have just announced the “Acekard 2i” which will enable Nintendo DSi units to run homebrew and backup ROMs.

It’s not in stock yet, but now that the floodgates have been opened, expect the other flash cart groups to bring their own renditions soon after.

If you need seven minutes worth of proof, don’t fret. You can watch the video below:

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All the usual Nintendo DS flash carts aren’t working with the new DSi, but do not worry. It looks like talented folks have already managed to produce a “Hello world!” proof of concept on the new DSi.

Baby steps.

Yeah, Nintendo had a press conference today where they announced the Nintendo DSi amongst other things. And here are the other things!

Let’s start off witht his game montage. See if you can pick out the interesting bits.

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A new Nintendo DS?! I had no idea! Well Nintendo finally unveiled their new Nintendo DS dubbed the DSi.

Breakdown of vital info:

• Available in Japan on Nov. 1st, 2008
• Will not launch in North America until “well into 2009“
• Slightly lighter/thinner etc.
• 3.25 inch screen vs the Ds Lite’s 3 inch
• Larger/better speaker
• No Gameboy Advance cartridge slot
• 0.3 MP camera - Has picture editing capabilities too
• SD Card support which will allow transferring of photos to the Wii
• Additional onboard memory for DS Ware downloadable titles
• DS Ware titles will be priced at free/200/500/800 Wii Nintendo Points
• AAC audio support
• Web browser (downloaded from DS Ware service)

Some pictures and photos of the new handheld to follow.

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According to a Japanese newspaper (translated by blog.Wired.com), Nintendo is set to release a new Nintendo DS. Not a new color, but a brand new Nintendo DS with camera support and music playback capabilities.

I don’t quite see how the music playback will factor into gameplay, but the camera support could lead to some quirky fun. Or I’m wrong and Nintendo is just looking for an excuse to sell you a new piece of hardware. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.

Square Enix’s E3 line up was somewhat dull. Nothing huge aside from the announcement of FFXIII for Xbox 360 was there. Fans of Square Enix were hoping that the mysterious DKS3713 would finally give us something to look forward to within the near future. Well, it looks like they have.

Here’s the breakdown courteousy of NeoGAF and other websites. Also, note that all this info was confirmed for Japan only (unless otherwise indicated).

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Watch this segment on the KORG DS-10 from the 1UP Show from a few weeks ago:

That’s an amazing use of the DS, isn’t?! Seriously, one of the coolest things I’ve seen for the DS. When I first saw it, I was awe struck by the crazy beats people can make with that thing. That’s nice with two, but how about four Nintendo DS handhelds synced by wireless?

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I was looking forward to this month. Looking forward to how much of a hardware pusher Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots was. I even participated in NeoGAF’s June NPD prediction thread.

These were my predictions for June 2008:

[360] 210K
[NDS] 490K
[PS2] 135K
[PS3] 320K
[PSP] 200K
[WII] 660K

Let’s see how I did:

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I never played a Dragon Quest game til the end. In fact, I never gained a single level in a Dragon Quest game. The reason? I found them to be utterly boring. The last DQ game I tried was DQ8 for the PS2, but that was during my harsher years. That was a time when I thought high quality gaming only consisted of burly men with guns shooting aliens from space. Oh, and it wasn’t very Final Fantasy-like. I was ignorant.

Now that I don’t find that kind of noise to be the only form of gaming, perhaps I would appreciate the upcoming Nintendo DS remake dubbed Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen.

Press release and screenshots to follow:

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For the hardcore gamer demographic, Nintendo’s press conference was a bore. For those with an open mind and curious as to how Nintendo will continue to broaden the gaming market, it was something worthwhile. Sorta.

The press conference was a mixed bag and just like Microsoft’s press conference, it’s a lot more exciting to read the list. Enjoy.

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