Even though Nintendo’s DSi was made available to Japanese gamers as early as last November, the gaming console has yet to hit the markets in North America and everybody is now expecting an official release date.

Nevertheless, it seems that the waiting is scheduled to come to an end for United States gamers in April, since IGN has recently announced that the DSi would be launched within that month throughout the nation, although an exact date has not been made public.

Citing several unnamed sources close to Nintendo, IGN said that the company was planning to roll out the next iteration of the DS on April 4, still the Kyoto-based producer has not given out any information concerning the matter.

The report also revealed a likely price for the handheld gadget, suggesting it would retail for $179.99, given that the DS Lite is presently marketed at $129.99.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime had previously stated that Nintendo’s DSi would not come to North America until the demand for the DS Lite was to be completely complied with.

Currently, the DSi is selling very well all throughout Japan, which makes it very likely that it would produce similar demand in other areas where it is scheduled to be launched.

Since the dual-screen (DS) handheld gaming machine was first introduced in June 2004, Nintendo has sold approximately 23 million units worldwide. Nevertheless, it has been reported that during last year’s first fiscal quarter that ended in June, the sales for the Nintendo DS  amounted to 580,000 units, which translates as a major downfall from 2.08 million within the same period in 2007.