The Nintendo DSi, the third version of the Nintendo DS handheld, has finally been given an official release date for North America. The system will hit the U.S. market on April 5 in a move which Nintendo hopes is will boost DS sales and not replace the existing product line.

The Nintendo DSi, which is already available in Japan, will sell for $169.99. The system features a series enhancements compared to its predecessor, the DS Lite. First of all, the DSi features a slimmer form factor and two built-in cameras, one outside the system’s body and the other on the inside pointing at the user when the DSi is opened. Users can also manipulate the pictures they take with the DSi’s camera.

Users of the Nintendo DSi will also have at their disposal a voice recorder which is also a music player music player, a stereo headphone output, and an SD card slot. Gamers will be able to download games to the DSi through the new DSiWae which is quite similar to Wii’s WiiWare.

The bad news is that the DSiWare is regionally encoded so American users won’t be able to download Japanese applications.

The Nintendo DSi will launch in two colors: black and blue.