Rumors throughout the game-tech community are putting Nintendo’s new DSi handheld console in U.S. hands by April.

DSi, the upgrade to Nintendo’s three-year old “dual screen lite” device, features slightly larger viewing screens, a slimmer profile than DS Lite, a built-in camera, an SD Card slot for transferring digital photos and music, 256 megabytes of internal memory and improved wi-fi networking.

The device began selling in Japan in November and already has sold more than 1.5 million units there. Until yesterday, however, a release date for North America was just speculation.

The date is said to be April 4, which means DSi could inject a little excitement into gaming’s spring — often a slow period for sales.

But DSi is expected to sell for up to $180 here, $50 more than Lite but just a few bucks less than Microsoft’s low-end, far less portable Xbox 360 system. So, given the economy’s condition, DSi could provide the long-awaited answer to questions about gaming’s resilience during a recession.