The Next Nintendo DS to be revealed this week (No joke)

Ventus · Sep 29, 2008

IGN: The Next Nintendo DS is Coming
Gamasutra - Report: Japanese Sources Detail New DS
A new Nintendo DS is coming! According to reports, it will feature larger screens, SD card support, better wifi, built-in camera and it can play MP3s.
IGN

September 29, 2008 - The way it works in this industry, rumors of the next videogame system usually sprout up, oh, about a millisecond after the previous system's announced. The rumor mill on a next Nintendo DS has been churning for well over two years now; ever since the Nintendo DS Lite shipped everyone's been wondering "what's next" for Nintendo's handheld market.
We posted our own speculation on the subject months ago, but the rumors have been getting stronger these days, with last weekend's report from Nikkei -- a very reputable Japanese newspaper -- reporting that Nintendo will soon reveal its next generation handheld to be released as early as this Christmas. This report is strengthened by an upcoming, mysterious Nintendo-hosted press summit in San Francisco that is being coordinated with one happening in Japan.
According to Nikkei's report, the next Nintendo handheld will be an upgraded Nintendo DS platform. In other words, it will still feature touch screen control and dual screen display as its main components. The device, as the Nikkei report continues, will also feature a built-in camera much like 99 percent of mobile phones, removable media in the form of SD cards, and enhanced Wi-Fi to strengthen and speed up data transfer between devices. Nikkei hints that this system won't be a replacement for the current Nintendo DS Lite, but it will offer abilities that just aren't available in the system that's available now.
We'd like to take this opportunity to break down what these additional features mean in terms of future options and gameplay for both Nintendo and its system owners.
Two touch screens. This feature seems like the most no-brainer of the bunch. We've witnessed countless times that players instinctively want to tap items that are displayed on the upper screen. Nintendo wants to keep the system open to the casual, but it's confusing to have only one touch sensitive display. Why isn't the other one touchable? Is it broken?
And imagine how less restrictive games can be with menus that don't have to keep dropping down to the lower screen in order to be interactive. Or the potential for game designs that just wouldn't be possible with only half a touchable display.

Built-in Camera. Nintendo actually championed the idea of a portable camera back in the black and white Game Boy days with its Game Boy Camera, and, internally, had an updated version of that idea for the Game Boy Advance called the GameEye. The peripheral never saw the light of day, but the company revived the potential when it released the "Face Training" program in Japan, complete with a digital camera attachment for the Nintendo DS.
The potential of a built-in camera is pretty obvious. It would enable the DS to take on more casual tasks and, more importantly, make it more likely for people to bring it along with them to snap photos whenever they're on the go. It would give players the ability to easily incorporate real-world people and items into their experience. And it would open up the potential for video chat using the Wi-Fi capabilities of the Nintendo DS system.
But imagine this one step further: a camera in the next DS could double as Nintendo's own version of Sony's EyeToy or Microsoft's Vision Camera on the Xbox 360. Just wirelessly link a local Nintendo DS to the Wii system and set the system on the coffee table or on top of the television and you'll be able to broadcast yourself to the console. Nintendo offering camera functions in its Wii games could be incentive for DS Lite owners to make the jump to the new platform.
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Gameaustra

A new model of Nintendo DS hardware will be released this year in Japan, according to reports from the websites of two separate Japanese business newspapers.
Although rumors of a new model or follow-up to the DS have been circulating for months, the latest report comes from the websites of Japanese newspapers Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun, serious outlets not known for sensationalism.
As translated by news agency Reuters, the new hardware appears to be a variant of the current model, although exact details are lacking.
According to Reuters, the new model will feature an built-in camera and the ability to play music. It is expected to be priced below ¥20,000 ($188) – compared to a price of ¥16,800 ($158) for the current DS Lite hardware.
A translation of the original Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun article by Web forum NeoGAF also suggests a larger screen display, improved wireles connectivity, data exchange with the Wii’s SD slot and new games developed to use the built-in camera.
Analysts like Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter have long predicted a new DS in the works, since its hardware sales recently began falling behind the PSP's in Japan. Although the DS continues to sell strongly in the West, the drop-off in Japanese demand and thinning of Nintendo’s own first-party release schedule has been seen as seen as indicative of a forthcoming change in tactics for the platform.
Nintendo denied earlier rumors of a new DS as recently as August, but all eyes will now be on the company’s scheduled Japanese press conference on Thursday, October 2nd.
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Desert Warrior · Sep 29, 2008

Cool. Although I wish it would also be a replacement for older DS's. The L button on mine doesn't always work, and I need a new one.

demon of darkness · Sep 29, 2008

If I would have known this I would'nt have gotten a DS last christmas. Well i'll just keep my old one. Besides I only bought a DS for 358/2 Days.

Kyuu · Sep 30, 2008

Wow, cool. Is it also coming to Europe?

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The Next Nintendo DS to be revealed this week (No joke)

Ventus Kickass Keyblader!

Desert Warrior Well-Known Member

demon of darkness New Member

Kyuu your worst nightmare.

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