New DS model claim 'speculation'

By Games Industry.biz Published 15 November, 2007

Says Nintendo.

Nintendo has responded to an analyst's claims that it has completed work on a new version of its DS Lite handheld, maintaining that it is "rumour and speculation and we are not commenting further."

Evan Wilson, from Pacific Crest Securities, is quoted in a GameSpot report as saying that the new model was "thinner, has on-board storage, and larger screens," and would lose the GBA port to accommodate the changes.

The report continued that any new version of the hardware wouldn't be unveiled for some time, "until sales begin to tail off in all three major geographies."

While Nintendo has a history of periodically refreshing its handheld consoles, such as the GameBoy Advance and also the DS, it's possible that a new edition may come as some point, but the company is refusing to be drawn further for now.

GamesIndustry.biz does comment on rumour and speculation.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • rudedudejude #1 4 years ago

    Sales tail off for the DS? lol not likely while Japan is still with us!

    They LOVE IT! Pokemon ftw

  • paul_haine #2 4 years ago

    I'd probably get one, I never use the GBA slot thanks to a) having no GBA games and b) having a GBA Micro to play all those no games on.

  • LazyDan #3 4 years ago

    AHHHH YES YES YES

    Ever since the Lite came out I've wanted the DS to either have on-board memory or a Mini/Micro-SD slot - for an on board MP3 player.

    The Web Browser being included wouldn't be a bad touch either - and could this mean DS virtual console?! Better Pictochat?! OH GOD.

    Yes I'm excited - I don't care that Nintendo said it's speculation, we all know what happened last time.

  • ecureuil #4 4 years ago

    Argh don't make another one already, I can't afford it!

  • jiveguy #5 4 years ago

    And I was just thinking this morning how great it would be if the DS had on-board storage :)

    I might get this if its real (and reasonably priced). I have the original DS and skipped the lite because it was announced soon after I bought the original (typical).

  • FenderMaster #6 4 years ago

    i will never again buy the first version of a nintendo handheld... i learned the hard way with the GBA...

  • firefly #7 4 years ago

    On board storage would be nice to have but I can't see the point in introducing it now. No games would take advantage in any meaningful way because of people with earlier models and I doubt Nintendo would go to that trouble for optioal features like an MP3 player.

    The only possible use I can come up with is a DS equivalent of the virtual console (reviving the handheld portion of their library not serviced by the Wii) which would give further incentive to remove the GBA port.

  • X201 #8 4 years ago

    @firefly
    The onboard storage is needed for the web browser. The DS browsers came with a memory module that slots into the GBA port to allow more memory for the web pages to load into.

  • PameBoy #9 4 years ago

    It's almost certainly true, but there's no danger of it being released any time soon - the DS Lite is still selling FAR too well to discontinue it for at least another year.

  • quantumsheep #10 4 years ago

    So, January it is then!

    Just after everyone's bought the old model ;)

  • mattjohnston #11 4 years ago

    I would imagine this is very true, given their vague response to this, compared to the very definitive response they gave about a new Wii model

  • mkreku #12 4 years ago

    Hmm, my girlfriend whines about me lending her DS Lite.. Maybe I can get this one for myself instead? That should piss her off plenty :D

  • NewYork #13 4 years ago

    DS Lite was speculation up till the day it was announced.

  • NewYork #14 4 years ago

    /captain obvious

  • yagisencho #15 4 years ago

    I hope they take this as an opportunity to swap out WEP for WPA. I won't run a WEP-secured wireless network for cash money. Unfortunately, this means that I haven't enjoyed the DS's much-vaunted network functionality. (Note: 'network' != peer-to-peer.)

  • clockworkzombie #16 4 years ago

    @yagisencho
    You could always use MAC address filtering. The MAC address of the DS is not hard to find.

  • moggsy #17 4 years ago

    @yagisencho
    You could always use MAC address filtering. The MAC address of the DS is not hard to find.

    Apparently this still doesn't make WEP very secure...

  • VMerken #18 4 years ago

    -- Looks at DS Phat, gives jiveguy and FenderMaster +1.

  • clockworkzombie #19 4 years ago

    @moggsy
    Yes, my earlier thought was to buy a cheap wireless access point to allow only the DS to access it, then hardwire it to the rest of your network.
    It can be switched off when not needed too.

    Firewall rules can then be set up, but how much do you want to spend?

    Is it likely that someone with the requisite skills will be lurking around your network with some sort of access control when there are likely others open somewhere nearby?

  • Xerx3s #20 4 years ago

    "There is no new DS in development" - Nintendo, one day before revealing the DSl. ¬_¬

  • Kazzahdrane #21 4 years ago

    I've got a Lite and had a Phat, but I'd probably buy a new model if they added in say a gig of flash memory that could be used to download things like demos from the Wii. Nintendo have said they're going to add DS demo downloading to the Wii sometime next year, but that will be the same as the download stations currently where the game stays in DS memory only as long as the machine is turned on. I'd love some extra memory to stick a few demos on for those train rides where I don't fancy playing any of the games I already have/ have finished all my games.

  • BadBoyBonner #22 4 years ago


    Tri-linear Mip map interpolation would be nice for that true N64 feeling.

    And how about analogue nipple (ahem) and the ability to download all virtual games purchased on on your Wii to your DS.

    Sounds like it is about to happen doesn’t it.

  • Killerbee #23 4 years ago

    I can't see this appearing any time soon, since the DS Lite is still selling in bucketloads. And I'm not really convinced the DS Lite needs a hardware revision - it's pretty much perfect as it is for my hands, so thinner + bigger screens seems a bit pointless.

    And I know I may be gaining a reputation for whinging about backwards compatibility all the time, but I actually use the GBA slot a lot to play my GBA stuff - after all, it's not long ago that Final Fantasy VI was released on the GBA, so there's still some life left in the format for me.

    I do agree though, experience shows it's not a good idea to rush out and buy the first generation of a Nintendo handheld. The GBA SP was light years ahead of the original GBA and the Lite is a significant improvement on the phat. That said, I don't really think the GBA Micro improved on the SP (smaller is not necessarily better), and I wonder if the Lite will remain the DS of choice even if a new model with different features is released.

  • w00t #24 4 years ago

    Larger screens?

    What, with bigger pixels? Can't start messing with the resolution or older games won't display right... Unless it is a true DS2.

  • Steroyd #25 4 years ago

    Here we go again.

  • Pulsar_t #26 4 years ago

    Too soon for a DS2

    I just wish I didn't have to pay the extra money for GBA functionality. I only have one cart (SFA3) and the DSL dpad isn't good for 2D fighters.. And Contra 4 suffers a bit because of it too.

    8 way d-pad for the win! No need for analog tbh.

  • wizbob #27 4 years ago

    Hardware anti-aliasing would be nice and would make existing games look a lot better. I wonder if games are written to an api that looks like a cut-down opengl or directx? they could rev the hardware considerably if that is the case.

  • erp #28 4 years ago

    so this "analyst" is essentially saying that nintendo will unveil new hardware when the current hardware sales have tailed off?

    what a goddam genius. give that guy a payrise.
    Edited by 1 at 16/11/07 @ 10:33

  • DrDamn #29 4 years ago

    @LazyDan
    "Ever since the Lite came out I've wanted the DS to either have on-board memory or a Mini/Micro-SD slot - for an on board MP3 player."

    *cough* R4 card *cough*

  • aine #30 4 years ago

    i love digital spy's headline:
    New 'larger screened' Nintendo DS revealed

    apparently analysts making shit up counts as something being "revealed". nice.

  • Caimbeul #31 4 years ago

    "While Nintendo has a history of periodically refreshing its handheld consoles, such as the GameBoy Advance and also the DS, it's possible that a new edition may come as some point, but the company is refusing to be drawn further for now"

    They Never do

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #32 4 years ago

    If they build in rumble, storage, a web browser and media functionality then I'd be interested.

  • aine #33 4 years ago

    If they build in rumble, storage, a web browser and media functionality then I'd be interested.

    Flash card + 3-in-1 cart = all of those. They really are brilliant things to have, even excluding the (ahem) "backup" functionality.