One year ago today, the Nintendo DSi launched in North America, also kicking off the downloadable DSiWare service. Nintendo has decided to celebrate the DSi's birthday with a highlight reel of some select downloadable handheld games. While owning another version of Bejeweled may not be the most convincing reason to buy a DSi, the video did a good job of reminding me that I still have some DSi Points to spend, and that there are some good choices out there.

This time last year, I was contemplating whether or not to replace my limited-edition Legend of Zelda DS with a spiffy new DSi, eventually coming to the conclusion that I absolutely did not need one. Two months later, the top screen of my DS stopped working, and shortly after that, Scribblenauts and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box came out. I had no choice but to get a DSi, and now I'm pretty glad I have it. I don't believe that DSiWare has really lived up to its full potential yet; like WiiWare, there appears to be an uncomfortable nonsense to good stuff ratio. However, there's no denying that there are some hidden DSiWare gems, and you can hardly complain about the prices of most of them.

Happy birthday, DSi! Enjoy your time in the sun, since the DSi XL (and soon, the 3DS) will make you obsolete before you know it. If you want to keep the DSi birthday party going, just read the press release below, and be sure to share your own DSi memories in the comments section.

In just one year's time, the Nintendo DSiWare™ service has offered more than 150 downloadable games and applications that illustrate the service's reputation as a playground for creativity.

Trajectile™, Starship Defense™ and Link 'n' Launch™ are just a few examples of original games published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo DSi™ system that have been well-received by reviewers. Art Style™ series games like Art Style: Pictobits™ and Art Style: DIGIDRIVE™ also showcase the system's versatility.

Flipnote Studio™ is among the best reviewed software of all time for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems, while Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again! is a perennial fan favorite.

Third-party developers, big and small, have taken advantage of the unique properties of the Nintendo DSi system to create some outstanding software. Glow Artisan won the Independent Games Festival's Best Mobile Game Design Award, while titles like DRAGON QUEST® WARS™, Mighty Flip Champs and Dark Void Zero all continue to deliver fun game play.

Nintendo DSiWare has a lot of exciting original, exclusive titles on the horizon, including Nintendo's Photo Dojo™, which uses the Nintendo DSi camera to put players right in the midst of a side-scrolling street brawl. With Nintendo's 2-D shooting game, Metal Torrent™, players try to convert a shower of opponents' bullets into cubes that, when collected, increase their score and fill an energy meter that powers special weapons. And X-Scape™ from Nintendo immerses players in an exploratory adventure involving more than 20 planets.

Upcoming third-party games include Earthworm Jim from Gameloft, Tetris Party Live from Hudson, Surviving High School from EA and Frogger Returns from Konami.