At the kick-off presentation for Nintendo’s two-day event in San Francisco, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has told reporters that the newly announced Nintendo DSi won’t be arriving in the U.S. until “well into calendar year 2009.”

Citing strong sales of the current DS Lite, he downplayed the need to introduce the DSi in America any time soon. The NoA president said that DS sales in the U.S. have a ways to go before they reach the penetration in Japan (where, he did not note, sales had slowed as those of the PSP have picked up).

More from the Nintendo event as we get it….