Nintendo’s announcement of the new DSi model is more of an incremental upgrade to try to maintain momentum than breaking new ground. The big feature of the DSi has to be the addition of a new SD flash memory card slot which will allow the user to download new content direct to the SD card.

Of course, as part of the DSi package Nintendo announced the addition of a 0.3Megapixel camera, which by today’s standards does not mean much because the majority of cell phone cameras offer higher resolution, as well as a new built-in Web browser.

Already many are worried that the move by Nintendo to add the SD card support will create a situation of major piracy on the Nintendo DSi. Several developers that we spoke with said that piracy is already a problem on the DS system due to “flash card devices” that allow multiple ROMs to be copied onto them. The move to embrace a native SD card slot by Nintendo could in fact, lead to far more piracy of ROMs on the DSi systems.

As one developer who wished to remain in the shadows told us, “I just don’t think that the potential benefits that Nintendo is hoping to see are going to emerge with people out there who are going to be smart enough to find a way to use the SD slot for piracy.”

While Nintendo has clearly been able to capitalize on the popularity of portable devices and increase the adoption rate of these devices among consumers, many suggest that the entire DSi does not go far enough to add enough to the mix to make it fresh enough for consumers to embrace. As was suggested above, we view this as a device that really adds very little and is more about trying to extend the popularity of the platform than anything else.