It took Kenney more than 200 hours total to finish the sculpture, which measures 78″ x 18″ x 78″, weighs over 250 lbs. and is made up of 51,324 LEGO pieces. Here’s a short time lapse of the process:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

With such a large scale, Kenney was able to incorporate many of the details of the real DSi, including the voltage spec for the charger. He wasn’t able to replicate the fine print at the back of the device though.

I wonder what that thing is that Kenney used for the camera. Is that actually a LEGO piece? Either way, it does look like a real camera and is a nice touch to the whole work. You can check out more of Kenney’s work – including life-sized versions of the DSi – at his website. Aside from making gargantuan replicas, Kenney also makes LEGO wedding toppers and LEGO portraits, so if you ever want any of the three, you know who to turn to. The man has serious brick skills.

[via GameTrailers]

The guys at Hori Japan have come out with this ridiculously gleeful Pikachu charging stand (translated) for Nintendo’s latest handheld systems. Pikachu is accompanied by a red and white Poké Ball, which actually serves as the stand for your handheld. It also looks like Pika might be enjoying your NDSi just a little too much if you know what I’m saying.

Keep in mind that the stand doesn’t come with the AC adapter, and you’ll need to buy that separately. You’ll also need to head to Japan if you want one for now, since there’s no current plan to ship these to the rest of the world.

Brown exterior, black interior, and cunning little pockets for extras. This is definitely a case fit for a gentleman… and you can top it off with a card case that holds several games and accessories, and these DS covers too, for the full Layton-look.

But, uh, one of these things is not quite like the others. A hot pink Layton case? I guess weirder things have happened.

[NCSX via Tiny Cartridge]

Nintendo’s traditional holiday handheld bundles have included retail games in the past (and sometimes unique systems!), but this new approach of download game packs is possible with the DSi.

The two bundles are decidedly different. The first includes Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Sudoku, Brain Age Express: Math, Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics, Photo Clock and a white Nintendo DSi, while the second features a different theme: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, WarioWare Snapped!, Dr. Mario Express, Mario Calculator, and Mario Clock, all on a metallic blue DSi.

The best part? The bundles will be available for $169 (USD) – the price of a regular DSi all by itself. Considering those software packs cost almost as much as a retail title, that’s a pretty sweet deal.

[via Siliconera]

The DSi Studio Kit provides you with a variety of shooting options including a removable flash, and wide angle, macro/close-up and telephoto lens attachments. There’s also a set of 6 color filters you can use to create visual effects. Thrustmaster also includes a (shiny metallic) protective cover that holds the lenses and filter attachments in place.

While the packaging and styling appear to be targeted towards the Barbie and American Girl Place set, there’s no reason that we can’t all enjoy it. Although I might have to replace the shiny metallic carrying bag with something a bit more macho.

The DSi Studio Kit should be available any day now, and retails for $19.99 (USD).

I think my favorite part of this is that the DSi camera just seems like a part of the picture. Kind of balances out the round speakers on the boombox. Or maybe I’m just so in love with this sticker-fied handheld that I’m seeing awesomeness that isn’t even there.

But the stripes along the top certainly look good–and that would be difficult to pull off with paint.

[via TinyCartridge]

Those concerned with the smooth aesthetic of the DSi need not apply, either. But if you can get past the look of your system, this accessory is sure to improve the look of your pictures. For $24.99, DSi owners can add an 8x zoom lens to this case (or detach it and just use the case). Nyko is promoting the attachment as perfect for social networking enthusiasts, but the case has a certain amount of spy-tech style, too. Useful… if you can fit it into your pocket!

[via Joystiq]

It may just be me, or the black DSi shining through, but it really looks like Mario is slamming his head into Luigi’s eye, and that’s just taking things kind of far, don’t you think? Whatever started this, it must be serious business, because both brothers are wearing murder-faces. They really look sort of monstrous. Perhaps this custom DSi is a statement about the beast within, and how we can release that negative energy through the power of video games.

Or, it’s just a cool picture to paint onto a DSi.

[via TinyCartridge]

Seriously, this has to be the least-scary monster I’ve ever seen, even with those fangs. He’s got those big, friendly eyes and a sort of goofiness in the overall design. Perhaps the best part? The Etsy seller responsible for these cute creations is named wiggletiggy. Could that be any more adorable? Unsurprisingly, wiggletiggy’s shop is filled with all sorts of fantastic creatures, only some of which are protecting gadgets. The rest are just hanging out and being cool, waiting for someone to take them home.

This case is foam-lined–and if you’ve ever dropped a DS, you know how valuable that is. An extra layer of protection and an adorable design. How can you go wrong?

If you’re one of the thirteen people in the world not familiar with The Oregon Trail, here’s the quick version: it’s a game in which you’re probably gonna die, and if not you, then someone, and it will likely be from dysentery. Or maybe, I dunno, bears. The game was originally designed to teach schoolchildren about the horrors of pioneer life and travel. Somehow, I’m not quite as horrified when this cheerful interface is involved, though I’m sure it adds to the hilarity of death and berry-picking.

I must say, I prefer the old school interface.

Classic. This fancy new version will apparently be a port of Gameloft’s mobile version of the title.

[via Siliconera]

Art Academy: First Semester (do I smell a sequel already?) is a complete art training course in the form of a DSiWare app. Just download Art Academy from the DSi Shop, and you’ll be a junior Rembrandt in no time. The program teaches you the basics of pencils, paints, blending colors, basic light and shadow techniques and more. Plus, you can either start with a blank canvas or embellish photos from your DSi’s camera album. Here’s a video showing off what you can expect in the Academy:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

While it’s not as sophisticated as natural media PC apps like ArtRage (one of my personal favorites), Art Academy looks like a nifty way to express your creativity on the DSi.

Xploder claims that it’s the first to market a cheat system for the Nintendo DSi. From the product’s description Xploder Cheats isn’t like Game Shark where you enter codes to unlock items, characters, places or abilities. It lets users download saves with the cheats already unlocked, so you can fire up Pokemon and “start the game with a full bag of money and lots of items”.

Users download saves at Xploder’s website and then transfer them to their DS using the bundled software and cable. The Xploder website also allows users to upload and share their own saves to other people. Drooling yet? You can get the Xploder Cheats for DSi at Xploder’s online shop for £15 (about $25 (USD)). Xploder Cheats also works with the DS and the DS Lite.

[via Maxconsole]

Zoom in all you want–the naughty bits are all on the blurry side.

The Suicide Girls have long been known for going where traditional erotica does not–into the land of tattoos, little square glasses, and geekery, and now they’re using the handheld game system’s cameras for a nude shoot that shows off the system’s photo software (oh, and boobs–they’re showing those off, too). As though the Nintendo handhelds didn’t already sell like crazy.

[via Tiny Cartridge]

So who’s behind it? Arika, makers of a wide variety of popular games–games often known for innovation and killer music. The other name on the label? Nintendo. That means those of us who don’t have a convenient Japanese DSi to get around those pesky region locks may be able to take heart and hope for a localization.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The shmup is available this week and, I hope, will herald a new age of killer DSiWare games for people who like to die brutally and often in games.

[via NeoGAF]

Perhaps the best part of the app is Flipnote Hatena, the accompanying service that allows creators to share their work, and viewers to kill loads of time watching hilarious animations. When I checked last, there were more than 28,000 little features available. That’s a lot of time spent watching animations.

The app is available now, and since it’s free, if you have a DSi, there’s no reason not to get it.

[via TinyCartridge]

These Memo Film notepad stickers actually aren’t a bad idea; there’s definitely plenty of reason to take notes while grinding away at one of the DS’s lengthy RPGs. But for ¥399 ($4.19),  you can’t really expect amazing quality.

Not that we’d get any potentially useful accessories in the U.S. anyway, and that includes these. Want ‘em? Import ‘em. And let me know what notes you’re so desperate to take.

[via TinyCartridge]

The service is slated for North America sometime in the fall, but there’s no firm release date yet. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not we see any DSi marketing tied to this. With the DSi’s built-in photo editing, this could be a fair selling point.

[via Joystiq Nintendo]

Each one is handmade out of felt by crafter Janis13. While they’re designed specifically for the DS Lite and DSi, you might even be able to cram an original Game Boy in there if you wanted (no guarantees that it’ll fit). In addition to to original grey, these whimsical cases are also available in hot pink, lemon yellow, teal blue, lime green, orange orange and candy apple red too.

Each case has a soft inside to protect your precious gaming cargo, and Janis will take special orders for original DS and PSP cases too. They’re  available over on Janis13′s Etsy shop for $14 (USD) each.

The new XCM Eye Candy replacement shell kit lets you coat your NDSi in luscious candy colors. And better yet, you can see through to the guts of your handheld and see all of its inner workings.

In addition to the bold candy apple red, emerald green, electric blue, there’s a clear shell and matte black and white if you really want to stick with the DSi stock colors.

Each kit comes complete with color-coordinated shell and matching buttons to complete the look. XCM even includes the proper screwdriver in the kit so you don’t need any extra tools to replace the shell. Of course, you’ll want to read over the detailed disassembly and assembly instructions before your break your precious handheld.

You can find all 6 colors of the XCM Eye Candy for the DSi over at Divineo for $25.99 (USD) each.

Media playback isn’t new to the DS, and hence the DSi, but prepping video for the DS has long been an arduous process. The iPlayer, however, supports a variety of video formats (AVI, RVMB, MOV, DIVX, MPEG and FLV), so it brings an end to the tiresome file conversions that marked video-viewing on the handheld in the past.

As for the piracy issue? Illegal ROMs will not function on the iPlayer, though you can still play homebrew games. Conveniently, there are tons of great homebrew applications for the system.

The good folks at GBAtemp have been fiddling with the iPlayer and happily posted their impressions. So far? Largely positive.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[iPlayer via Tiny Cartridge]