Posted Jan 11, 2006 at 12:00AM by Mike S. Listed in: News, Rumors
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I_5484

The rumors have been flying about a redesigned console coming soon. Of course, Reggie Fils-Aime stated last year that they were looking to redsign the handheld immediately after launch. It seems that now, Lik-Sang is adding a little more credibility to the rumor that this could be taking place very soon:

Late last year Reggie Fils-Aime, chief marketing manager for Nintendo said how they've been looking into re-designing the DS ever since its launch, and last month Japan's Famitsu magazine teased us all saying they knew a current Nintendo console is getting a revision soon, but wouldn't say which one. All signs however are pointing to an NDS: SP, and here at Lik Sang too we have received word a couple of days ago from a Japanese contact stating Nintendo will have a formal announcement of the re-design on Jan 16th.

So, could we be in store for a major announcement regarding the DS on the 16th? Lets hear your opinion in the comments below!

[via Lik-Sang]


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18 Comments


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   by PhotoBoy (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

Heh, I was about to get a DS too...

I would've assumed they would reveal that info at E3 along with the Revolution unveiling. I suppose their plan (assuming it will be announced this month) that they'll announce it like they did micro and later on reveal the actual unit. I can only imagine squeezing in the bottom half's buttons towards the bottom screena and removing the both sides of the top screen (another place for speakers?) We'll see I suppose.


   by ReRuss (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

The trouble with redesigning the DS is that they are stuck with certain features that will dictate the shape and size. The 2 vertical screens mean it pretty much has to be a clamshell otherwise it's too huge to fit in your pocket. The touch screen can't really get any smaller as that would make accuracy quite difficult, especially in games like Trauma Center. And the GBA slot (which I'm assuming they'd keep) takes up space and adds to thickness as well.

Anything they do to the design has to involve those things, so at best all I can see is a sleeker more smartly designed DS, I don't think they'll be able to do anything really radical like the Micro.


   by kura (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

I wonder if it'll be much better

Cuz I liked the original GBA , but then it got better with SP , and I hear great things about micro

One radical idea they could have... SNES slot lmao , but if they released downloadale classics that run on DS too , it would be sweet , playin wireless NES and SNES titles , maybe some N64 titles too


   by SNES Link (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

making the two screens join together with no gap would be the perfect redesign.


   by PhotoBoy (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

^ I don't know how well that would work, some games depend on the gap between the screens being fixed to look right. For example the movie file at the start of Metroid Hunters is designed so that the gap between the screens and what you don't see in the movie match. If you put the screens together the movie would look like it was missing a piece in the middle.


   by PhotoBoy (Unregistered) - 1999-11-30

i'm imagining although they'll make it look better, physically it won't be much different. although i do get the feeling there are some functionality upgrades, to make better use of the wifi, nintendo have after been trying awful hard to hype it lately. mp3 and basic internet? i still can't believe there's no pda type application....

i mean, it wouldn't take much to make the nds far more competitive with psp's feature set would it?

*drool*


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

They could make the top half a whole lot thinner, thus reducing the weight of the DS and solving the hand strain dillema. They could definitly upgrade the speakers and screen type (maybe the dual screens could be LCD like the PSP). Maybe a memory expansion slot for music/vid (play a vid on one screen whilest surfing the net, so much innovation could come out of this)

So thus, if they made the screens as wide as the psp (they're both about the same size, its not too far-fetched) and LCD, thus making the top part significantly smaller and making the DS weigh alot less and adding a memory expansion slot, you have the perfect PSP killer.

The only thing left would be the graphics chip, but if nintendo has proven anything, they dont need to have top of the line graphics to come out with great games.

It would suck if they just came out with something like a crap brown nintendogs bundle.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

i would consider buying a nintendo ds if it had a better design


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   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

What they should be doing is, make it thinner, make it narrower, and that's about it.
No need for anything else. it just doesn't fit in my pocket. That's what a portable console needs, to fit in a normal human being's pocket.
everything else, except the power and resolution, DS already has.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

If they fix the buttons and the control pad so that it doesn't feel like cheap light plastic, then I'll be happy. That's my biggest complaint about the current DS.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

I'm pretty happy with my DS. The only thing that I could imagine changing is the removal of the GBA slot. It would become smaller, cheaper to manufactor, and they had originally included GBA functionality only because Nintendo wanted there to be a large installed base of successful games. This is obviously not needed anymore.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

No way, keep the GBA slot we need it for homebrew!


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

What I'd like to see is bigger buttons (I often mash two buttons at the same time and my fingers are far from at!). I'd also like to see better shoulder buttons...if they could make them more of "Trigger" buttons so that they are more comfortable.

The one last thing I'd like to see is soem sort of kickass software update that would allow some sort of way that the older multiplayer games could then be played over wifi. I don't even know if it's possible, but I bet they could come up with some sort of method to do this. I would so love a wifi battle of Jump Superstars!


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

meh, I meant "far from fat." This usually happens in Mario Kart...I thumb will sometimes barely touch the brake which screws me up in mid-race. The buttons need to be bigger for sure.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

how about adding an online version of pictochat???


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

although they are not the same as the psp the ARE lcd. nintendo handhelds screens have been lcd back to the first gameboy, the technology has just gotten better. also if they redisign i will be pissed because i JUST got my nds.


   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

@ the person above me:
since you just got your DS, return it like 3 days BEFORE the new design comes out and take that money and three days later, puchase the NEW ds! Thats what i would do if mine was new

PS: I am peenee, i just dont want to login and such...too lazy


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   by (QJ. NET Staff) - 1999-11-30

One thing they definitely should do is improve the stylus. It might be OK if you're 10, but it doesn't fit adult hands. I bought an extendable stylus off eBay which is very good, but it's not the standard. So a longer extendable stylus should be default on the new DS.




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