Industry Rumor - DS Redesign to be Announced at E3

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Given the DS's widespread and rabid fan base, it's unsurprising that news of a new model would be gobbled up like a rump roast tossed into a tank of piranhas. And that's exactly what happened today when Bloomberg Japan ran a story bearing the headline, "New version of Nintendo DS a possibly at US trade fair - Enterbrain president."


The piece covered a Tokyo press conference given by Enterbrain president Hirokazu Hamamura, who did indeed say "I think there is the possibility" of a new DS being unveiled at Nintendo's press conference at the E3 Media & Business Summit. Traditionally, Nintendo holds its conference the morning before the start of the expo, which runs from July 15 this year.


Unfortunately, that's about all Hamamura said, other than lamenting how a new model wouldn't solve an ongoing DS shortage in the US and Europe. The Japanese game-industry consigliere didn't declare that he felt a new DS was a lock for E3 or that it was even likely to be at the event--just that it might be.


The official story: Nintendo Japan told Bloomberg they "had nothing to announce," and Nintendo of America reps were unavailable for comment.


Bogus or not bogus?: Nintendo loves tinkering with and repeatedly reissuing its hardware, as evidenced by the three versions of the DS's predecessor: the Game Boy Advance (2001), the Game Boy Advance SP (2003), and the ill-conceived Game Boy Micro (2005). So it's 100 percent not bogus that eventually there will be a redesign of the DS--a redesign that's apparently already been completed.


Will it be unveiled at E3 '08? That's unclear. However, given the two-year lapse between the DS and the DS Lite, the time will definitely be ripe.
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And to quote the other article, about specs for the redesign:

"Our contacts indicate that a refreshed DS is complete," Wilson said today in his holiday preview investor's note. "It is thinner (it has no GBA port), has on-board storage, and larger screens. However, we do not expect a revamped Wii or DS until sales begin to tail off in all three major geographies." As of press time, a Nintendo of America representative had not responded to GameSpot's request for comment.
Click to expand...
 
Nintendo's been super whiny about piracy lately, I wouldn't be surprised if they wanted a redesign just to close piracy holes.
 
Larger screens may be odd because it may change the resolutions. Touch screen interface tracking as well. And although I don't use the GBA port, I like having it remaining.

:bomb:
 
Larger screens would be problematic as they would make everything look shittier and I can't see why they would put on-board storage on it since introducing that now would be pretty useless for games. I don't doubt that they might make one without the GBA port that's lighter, perhaps smaller or thinner (I dunno how thin you can make the thing without breaking it...), but most definitely cheaper, which would probably be the point.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']So what's this one going to be called? DS Slim Lite?[/QUOTE]

DS Liter...? Or DS Jenny Craig Edition to appeal to all the casual gamers out there.

I honestly don't know if I want a new one... it seems like every time they fix/improve something, it's at the expensive of something that was never an issue.
 
[quote name='JJSP']Does the DS really need bigger screens?

Also, no GBA port makes me sad.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I'd hate to lose the GBA port. At first it wasn't a big deal because I figured I could just pick up an SP once the prices died down but so much for that...
 
I don't believe Nintendo would ever get rid of the GBA funtionality no matter how much these "industry insiders" wish it. There is just to much of a customer base and library to drop it like that. Especially since most stores I've been to have stopped selling Game Boy SPs altogether. They need something newsworthy so they just pull stuff out their asses such as this and "larger screens!" and "on-board storage!" without really understanding what they are saying (see SpazX's post). I dunno, maybe I'm just getting to cynical. I am really starting to dislike the whole video game news industry and rumor mill.
 
The only way they could "improve" on the DS Lite would be to make it even smaller. And the only way I think they could do that is take out the GBA port. If you open up one of these babies, everything is already small in size and there isn't much room for cutting out.

And what the hell would we need on-board storage for? The next 2 or 3 couple of games that need it in the future?

Also, I probably would start to have massive troubles gripping the controls if the DS got any smaller.
 
Our contacts indicate that a refreshed DS is complete," Wilson said today in his holiday preview investor's note. "It is thinner (it has no GBA port), has on-board storage, and larger screens


i be happy as long as noone makes any more games where you got to hold the FREAKING DS LIKE A BOOK...


TALKING TO YOU NINJA #$#$# LOL


love to see onboard storage But it will never happen
 
Yeah. The knob controller for those classic arcade shooters require the gba port, which unfortunately doesn't seem like will be released in the states. Also, some games have unlockables when you have a gba game in the gba slot, i.e. pokemon.

If they were to reduce the size of the handheld. I would really like it if they held off on that until the next iteration of their next in the GameBoy line of products, or whatever their next handheld system is.

edit: Thanks for that update. But I still can't see what the onboard storage will be used for. Knowing Nintendo, I'm sure it will have drastic limitations like it can only be used for multiple demos or download play games or have inferior storage space. Going the multimedia route doesn't seem like a wise choice either. Look at the PSP, I'm sure as hell people don't want to watch movies on a handheld when they can watch it on a bigger screen (more often than not, they probably don't have enough time to watch a movie on the go). Plus the speakers on the DS are craptastic atm.
 
Nintendo's going to do what Nintendo always does- offer new colors.

n64pikachu.jpg

Sometime ago, consoles and potables became fashion conscious. That day I loved gaming just a bit less.
 
No, I think they will have a new DS, one that is intended to cash in on the downloadable content craze. It's going to sport either onboard memory, or perhaps an SD slot, but they've apparently been wary of using the SD slot on the Wii for downloadable content, so perhaps they won't do that. In any case I also think they will get rid of the GBA slot, which they will replace with downloadable GBA games, as well as, for the first time (officially) on the DS, downloadable GBC, GB and even games for other portable platforms (Gamegear). I.e. the "Virtual Portable". That has been such a hit on the Wii in console form, that I can't see them passing up the opportunity to have that on the DS. Also, any complaints about the loss of the GBA slot will be countered by the ability to carry multiple GBA, etc. games without needing to swap cartridges (or having the cartridge stick out.)

As far as Guitar Hero On Tour, I don't think they care. I think Nintendo will see $$$ in downloadable content and in selling you your GBA games all over again.
 
[quote name='SL4IN']I call bogus on this.

This could maybe happen towards the end of the ds' life cycle, but not now.[/quote]

It would be surprising, when only just recently Nintendo had a challenging time filling the demand for the DS. It appears those shortages are over for now, at least.

One thing that I think of when I consider this DS redesign is the removal of the rumble feature. But when I think about this, I have to ask, have any recently released DS games even included rumble, or has that feature been phased out?
 
Want:

$150 or less price
SD Card slot instead of GBA slot, ability to watch movies, listen to music
A little bit of built in storage
Fix hinge problem
Startup screen to show things like weather, rss feeds, ect.
A little bit slimmer
Built in Internet

Lastly, PLEASE Nintendo, give the US an Enamel Navy DS!
 
Could the redesign be partly for better integration with the Wii? Maybe the internal storage is to be used with the DS Download Channel (Japan only, at the moment). Or maybe a future Wii channel...
 
[quote name='eugaet']Could the redesign be partly for better integration with the Wii? Maybe the internal storage is to be used with the DS Download Channel (Japan only, at the moment). Or maybe a future Wii channel...[/QUOTE]

I was kinda thinking that as well. The whole storage space thing seems to match up with rumors of them adding game boy downloads to the virtual console , or possibly a virtual console accessed straight from the ds. The storage space could also be used to store ds game demos for access any time , instead of only when it's connected to the wii.

The only other thing I'm thinking of is that they might end up marketing this not as a replacement for the current ds (like the lite was) but as an alternate model (like the micro was for the GBA). My only real support behind that idea is the removing of the GBA slot though.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']It would be surprising, when only just recently Nintendo had a challenging time filling the demand for the DS. It appears those shortages are over for now, at least.

One thing that I think of when I consider this DS redesign is the removal of the rumble feature. But when I think about this, I have to ask, have any recently released DS games even included rumble, or has that feature been phased out?[/quote]

It's pretty much been phased out for the most part.

I can only see a revision come and go like the GBAmicro of last gen. Anything other than that has nintendo reaching for a completely different crowd.

I'm more concerned about nintendo's new Game Boy model, which since 2005 has been in development. It was given the name "Game Boy Evolution" but we haven't heard anything about it since E3 2006 when nintendo was supposedly to give more information on it.
 
[quote name='Jayayess1190']Want:

$150 or less price
SD Card slot instead of GBA slot, ability to watch movies, listen to music
A little bit of built in storage
Fix hinge problem
Startup screen to show things like weather, rss feeds, ect.
A little bit slimmer
Built in Internet

Lastly, PLEASE Nintendo, give the US an Enamel Navy DS![/quote]

PSP slim 2?

Seriously how much smaller can they make this thing?

If it does have some sort of interactivity with the Wii, I am giving my DS fat to my brother so he and his son (who has the lite) can play games together and buying the new (and hopefully final revision) unit.
 
I'm fine with my DS Lite, and honestly don't play the DS enough anymore to consider upgrading regardless of what they add in.
 
[quote name='SL4IN']I'm more concerned about nintendo's new Game Boy model, which since 2005 has been in development. It was given the name "Game Boy Evolution" but we haven't heard anything about it since E3 2006 when nintendo was supposedly to give more information on it.[/quote]

I think that's a dead subject. Back then we still had the so-called "three tiers" Nintendo envisioned: the Wii, DS, and GBA. Over time, it just became obvious interest in the Advance was declining and the DS was dominating the marketplace. I doubt we'll see a return to an Advance concept. As evidenced in cell phones and iPods, the future is in direct media interaction, ala the DS, iPod Touch, and similar cell phones and PDAs.

[quote name='dmaul1114']I'm fine with my DS Lite, and honestly don't play the DS enough anymore to consider upgrading regardless of what they add in.[/quote]

Just like the Micro, it wasn't a handheld for everybody. For some, it was simply too small to hold comfortably, and for others, despite the crazy-bright, crisp screen, the display was still too small.

For myself, I play my DS nearly every day, so should a redesign be officially announced, I will look into it with the crazed interest of a sometimes fan-girl. I'm hesitant to drop rumble support, however, but it seems Nintendo has abandoned that add-on and it's gone the way of the thumbstrap.
 
*yawn*
This same rumor has been going around for a while, and "analysts" are wrong as often as they're right. I think the addition of onboard memory is unlikely. Nintendo has never added new features to their hardware remakes, and I doubt they'll start now. Cost reductions, and slimming things down? Sure. Adding in onboard memory now dooms it to being poorly supported and I'm pretty sure Nintendo knows that.
 
WPA2 and G or N support would be nice. Is a pain changing my wifi router settings just to get my DS online at home.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']I think that's a dead subject. Back then we still had the so-called "three tiers" Nintendo envisioned: the Wii, DS, and GBA. Over time, it just became obvious interest in the Advance was declining and the DS was dominating the marketplace. I doubt we'll see a return to an Advance concept. As evidenced in cell phones and iPods, the future is in direct media interaction, ala the DS, iPod Touch, and similar cell phones and PDAs.


[/quote]

Oh but I think the Game Boy is long from being dead. It' what brought nintendo to prominence along with the nes, and it's one of their projects that will continue to shine for years to come.

The Advance model may be completely done with (hence why nintendo said they where no longer supporting it back in late 2007) but with the end of one, comes the next line, which nintendo has held under wraps very well. As nintendo stated themselves, "The DS is not the successor to the Game Boy" I more likely think of the DS as a holding place so that nintendo can come back and pick up where they left off with the Game Boy. I can only imagine what new concepts and power will come from it.
 
I can see plenty of improvements with an eventual new model of DS without going full blown DS2. And bigger screens and no GBA slot are not part of the improvements that make sense. Why would you do something to make all your graphics ugly and pixelated from being stretched when so many games look so beautiful on the screens we have now? That would be stupid. And it could possibly throw the touch calibration off on some games. And okay, so throwing out BC is not too far fetched (although really stupid). But what happens to not only the rumble pack, but also the Guitar Hero game for the DS? Doesn't that use the GBA slot for the frets? Bottom lineis this rumor has been around since before the DSlite launched and it is obvious that eventually there will be a remodel, but it won't happen before supply is more than plentiful and it won't happen with the two most often rumored new "features" that I just covered.

Lame.
 
Yeah, in order to maintain compatibility with current DS games, the resolution of the screens can't really change. Making them bigger will be getting to the point where the pixels will start to be too large, resulting in a really crummy image. What if they made smaller screens that came in a smaller, more compact unit? The DS is pretty portable but it doesn't even come close to the GBMicro. Imagine a DS with the same portability as the GBMicro? Anyways I only see the screen getting smaller, not larger.

Removing the GBA Port does not make sense as others have pointed out, especailly the Guitar Hero DS add-on.

Internal storage again would only really be useful if they open up a DS virtual console store or something- as no existing DS game would be able to utilize internal memory. It is possible that they would also announce an accessory for current DS models that would include memory on them. This way, current owners of the DS would also be able to take advantage of the new hypothetical virtual console DS. Something similar to the internet browser add-on.

Speaking of internet browser, it is possible that they could include a version of the internet browser on the new DS, if it has internal memory.

For me, if it is a lot more portable than the current DS Lite, I'd be tempted. Also, if it was upgraded to have WPA/WPA2 wifi capability, I'd be really tempted. As it is now, I don't use the wireless feature at all because I don't want to change my router from WPA2 protection. As I already own a GBMicro and GBPlayer, losing the GBA slot would not really be an issue for me.

Ruahrc
 
Could be a as the GBA was to the GB/GBC. Still play the old DS/GBA titles, but have more CPUs, GPU, and hardware anti-aliasing and/or texture filtering so the old games don't like shit.

I don't see why not...
 
[quote name='Jayayess1190']Want:

$150 or less price
SD Card slot instead of GBA slot, ability to watch movies, listen to music
A little bit of built in storage
Fix hinge problem
Startup screen to show things like weather, rss feeds, ect.
A little bit slimmer
Built in Internet [/quote]
And...

- Built in GPS
- Built in 35mw laser diode for pointing.
- OLED screens.
- Make both screens touchable
- Replace stylus holder slot with an electric pencil sharpener.
- Include a slot for toasting bread.
- Mind reader.

Lastly, PLEASE Nintendo, give the US an Enamel Navy DS!
Click to expand...
YES! I'm tired of the gaming discrimination that happens to us over here. It really needs to stop, but that's a different topic for another day... :whistle2:\"
 
It'll suck if this new system is a DS replacement instead of a refresh. Only 1 Zelda game?! Even the very short lived GBA had 4 Zeldas.
 
[quote name='DesertEagleXIX']Nintendo's going to do what Nintendo always does- offer new colors.

n64pikachu.jpg

Sometime ago, consoles and potables became fashion conscious. That day I loved gaming just a bit less.[/QUOTE]

Sadly, the only affordable, new N64s I ever see look pretty much like that. I've been balancing my desire to get an N64 with my masculinity for like 18 months now.
 
[quote name='laaj']It'll suck if this new system is a DS replacement instead of a refresh. Only 1 Zelda game?! Even the very short lived GBA had 4 Zeldas.[/QUOTE]

um how is the GBA short lived? It last a good 6-7 years. and 4 zelda? I could only count 2, with minish cap and link to the past port.
 
Hey all right. That'll be the third year in a row it was supposed to show up.

Which probably means that's the third year dmaul will have come into the Nintendo boards and talked about how he hates the systems so much that he doesn't play them anymore.

Unless the redesign dispenses candy, I can't see a reason for it. The only features missing right now are wireless recharging (and I hear that technology has not been perfected enough to be usable) and bendable screens that could make the system incredibly thin and tiny, and even that isn't usable yet. Might as well just go for the DS2.
 
[quote name='yayece']*yawn*
Adding in onboard memory now dooms it to being poorly supported and I'm pretty sure Nintendo knows that.[/QUOTE]

I imagine they could just add storage to the DS Lite/Phat using an DS memory card or a memory device that plugs into the GBA slot to give it the same functionality as the new model.

That would help with support I'd think. But then again they probably care more about selling any redesign and such a move would cut sales so that probably won't happen.
 
[quote name='Strell']
Which probably means that's the third year dmaul will have come into the Nintendo boards and talked about how he hates the systems so much that he doesn't play them anymore.
[/QUOTE]

I don't hate the DS. It's my favorite portable of all time. I still play it fairly often (mainly Picross and Planet Puzzle League). Just not enough to need to buy a redesign given that I'm very happy with the Lite.

I've just played it less the past year or so as the games coming out have dropped off from the year or two before that when we were getting the Castlevania's, Canvas Curse, NSMB, Mario Kart, Meteos etc.

Really just needs some more 2D games (platformers, castlevania's etc.), as that was the main reason I loved it so much to begin with.
 
The idea of Nintendo introducing a new DS that's completely incompatible with the old one doesn't seem very realistic to me. It's been said, but increasing the screen size on a system that's had a fixed resolution for years is going to wreak havoc on pretty much every older game, and introducing a feature like onboard storage that could potentially make new games incapable of saving on an older DS is just plain stupid (though there are some relatively easy ways around that one).

More than that, though, the DS Lite is still selling like mad - anyone else remember how they were out of stock everywhere for most of January?

I call bullshit until I hear it from Nintendo directly.
 
[quote name='62t']um how is the GBA short lived? It last a good 6-7 years. and 4 zelda? I could only count 2, with minish cap and link to the past port.[/quote]

Don't forget Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.

[quote name='Strell']Hey all right. That'll be the third year in a row it was supposed to show up.

Unless the redesign dispenses candy, I can't see a reason for it. [/quote]

Although a DS redesign has been in the works or completed for a while, that doesn't mean it's the final product. It could be entirely different than it was when it was first redone but not released.

And Strell, the candy comment was good. :lol: But in truth, for many consumers, unless this DS redesign offers something drastic, it's not going to encourage most players to pick up the newer model. I might as my DS is my primary gaming console, but that would still depend on features. I'm quite fond of my pink DS Lite rumble pak which fits flush into my Lite (a Hong Kong product, I'm sure), and I hate to see add-ons such as the GH On Tour attachment, the Japanese arcade controller, the rumble pak and so on putter away.

[quote name='Gothic Walrus']The idea of Nintendo introducing a new DS that's completely incompatible with the old one doesn't seem very realistic to me. It's been said, but increasing the screen size on a system that's had a fixed resolution for years is going to wreak havoc on pretty much every older game....[/quote]

I don't believe that's necessarily true. Remember the Advance SP? If you pressed the L and R buttons in such a way, you could adjust the screen for Gameboy Color and Original games. I think by default it stretched the screen to fit, but it was simple to shrink it down to proper size and proportion.

I admit it was a bit wonky, but it was by no means unplayable. Perhaps this is the answer to the larger screen dilemma, but even so, I'm not fond of the idea.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']Don't forget Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.
[/QUOTE]

Those were GBC games, not GBA. Of course, they could be played on the GBA, but it seemed the other person was talking about actual GBA games.
 
[quote name='utopianmachine']I don't believe that's necessarily true. Remember the Advance SP? If you pressed the L and R buttons in such a way, you could adjust the screen for Gameboy Color and Original games. I think by default it stretched the screen to fit, but it was simple to shrink it down to proper size and proportion.

I admit it was a bit wonky, but it was by no means unplayable. Perhaps this is the answer to the larger screen dilemma, but even so, I'm not fond of the idea.[/QUOTE]

I probably could've made my point clearer, I guess. The problem isn't scaling the image - it's scaling the touch screen.

Scaling the touch screen is going to be a mess - Nintendo would have to find a way to scale it, while keeping the sensitivity the same and so that it still matches the image. With a game like Picross where precision is absolutely essential, scaling it and not doing it perfectly would make the game completely unplayable.
 
fuck the ds, it's run it's course imo. time for the next gameboy with one big widescreen, clamshell design, 8gb flash memory, gb/gbc/gba virtual console, no more brain games, no more shit.
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']I probably could've made my point clearer, I guess. The problem isn't scaling the image - it's scaling the touch screen.

Scaling the touch screen is going to be a mess - Nintendo would have to find a way to scale it, while keeping the sensitivity the same and so that it still matches the image. With a game like Picross where precision is absolutely essential, scaling it and not doing it perfectly would make the game completely unplayable.[/QUOTE]
Why assume that they'll expand the touchscreen? If their goal was something like a media-enabled DS, then they would only need to expand one screen for playing movies (DS software would be played at the normal resolution). The top screen would be the obvious choice; not only does it have a better quality and position than the touchscreen, expanding it would not cause any of the problems you mentioned.
 
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