Why Nintendo Said No the Same Afternoon

Why did Skype never come to the Nintendo DSi? In April 2009 Skype said it would be "technically possible", and Nintendo said "no plans" the same afternoon. I went through the articles from that week, Sony's press releases and years of Nintendo interviews to find out why. 0:00 Skype said the DSi could do it 0:36 Was it a yes? 1:30 Explanation 1: not enough power 2:22 Explanation 2: Nintendo didn't want a phone 3:03 Explanation 3: only Nintendo could build it 3:56 Friends only 6:05 The calls Nintendo did make 7:37 Skype is gone Sources: TechRadar, "Skype heading to Nintendo DSi?", April 20, 2009: techradar.com/news/gaming/handhelds/skype-heading-to-nintendo-dsi-593284 Computer and Video Games, "Skype 'possible' for DSi", April 20, 2009 (archived): web.archive.org/web/20090422000214/http://www.computerandvideogames.com:80/article.php?id=213364 Pocket Gamer, April 21, 2009: pocketgamer.com/news/skype-probably-not-coming-to-dsi-after-all/ Pocket Gamer on Skype for PSP and the PSP-1000's memory, January 7, 2008 · Sony Computer Entertainment press release, January 7, 2008 GBATEK (DSi hardware reference): problemkaputt.de/gbatek.htm TechCrunch, "Nintendo DS gets VoIP", September 14, 2007 · Pocket Gamer on Beup (MSN Messenger homebrew), 2007 Iwata Asks: Nintendo DSi (volumes 2 and 4) · Iwata Asks: Pokémon Black and White · Iwata Asks: Wii U Chat · Iwata Asks: Miiverse Microsoft, Skype acquisition, October 13, 2011 · Phone Scoop on SkypeKit, June 22, 2010 Nintendo of Europe on Metroid Prime Hunters voice chat, March 2006 (via Digital-Lifestyles) · Nintendo of America on Pokémon Diamond and Pearl voice chat, March 15, 2007 (via Nintendo World Report) · Nintendo of Europe on the Wii Speak Channel, October 2008 (via Nintendo World Report) MCV, Satoru Iwata on online play, July 22, 2008 · Reggie Fils-Aimé to Wired, April 2009 (via Infendo) Hatena on Flipnote Hatena, August 11, 2009 · Nintendo on DSi Camera and Facebook, 2009 · Nintendo Life on Swapnote, November 1, 2013 Siliconera, October 22, 2009 and TechCrunch, October 25, 2009 (the DSi Speak Channel) Microsoft, Skype's retirement, February 28, 2025 · Nintendo, Switch 2 GameChat Footage: Mr B.F.F, NintenDaan, GameSpot, IGN, Nintendo Life, Techno Talks, RickE, ictiostuffthere, ictio, A GAMER TEAM, starmaster191, RetroSpectors, Eugene Pirs, Ultra Spicy Bro, PPN Studio, Aureo, b2j135, cobanermani456, Peripheral Vision Gaming, DoYouLikeLuigi, Echoes of PlayTime, sceablog, iDorkas, Ian Schafer, SkypeConversations, Zoomin Games, PlayStation Europe, Japancommercials4U2, Nintendo UK, Nintendo of America, TripleC Creation, HomebrewReviews, /noclip Game History Archive. Music: Nintendo DSi Menu, Shop and Camera (Settings, Sparkle slideshow), Flipnote Studio, Wii Speak Channel, Wii U Chat (Nintendo); PictoChat from Super Smash Bros. Brawl; the Pokémon Black and White Xtransceiver ringtone. Photo: Satoru Iwata by Official GDC, CC BY 2.0. The DSi with Skype on its screens is a mock-up: Skype never came to the DSi.