Some people have already resigned themselves to getting a Nintendo DSi when they hit the shelves of North America and Europe, which is rumored to be sometime this Spring. Some may be the type who buy one of every console ever made, while others might have hopped on board with the original DS, and passed on a Lite when they heard a newer version is on the way. Or, perhaps some are none of the above, people who have finally succumbed to the allure of the World of Nintendo, and this will mark their first two-screen experience, if not their first gaming experience altogether.

For whatever reason one might be planning to get a DSi, these people all share one common problem: They have no idea how many pennies they need to roll to reach their goal. And unfortunately, Nintendo's not really ready to drop any hints just yet.

Nintendo recently released a Q&A on their Japanese website, following their Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing, and when the subject of DSi pricing abroad came up, Nintendo Co. Ltd. President Satoru Iwata had this to say:

This time, considering the current foreign currency exchange rates, there is no possibility of selling DSi overseas with the same price as DS Lite at all. There will have to be a difference in price. With this price difference, I think that the DS Lite and DSi will be sold side by side in the Americas and in Europe, but I will not be able to comment on their ratio today as we have not announced the prices and we will have to see how people react to the announcement. -- via Kotaku

Not that I think anyone with half a brain expected the two devices to be the same price. However, one question this poses is if the DS Lite might see a price reduction, with the DSi stepping in to fill the vacated price point.

Conversely, the DS Lite could simply remain the same, with the DSi costing even more. Can't say that would appear too appealing in the current economic climate.

Over in Japan, the DSi costs ¥2,100 (or about $23) more than the DS Lite, which perhaps isn't too bad in itself. On the other hand, with the stronger Yen right now, one has to wonder if Nintendo would adjust the price difference from that in order to compensate.

No doubt that's probably a part of why they aren't committing to a price at this time, perhaps what Iwata meant when referencing foreign exchange rates.