Redesigned Nintendo DS to arrive on March 2nd...

Zim Hosein

Super Moderator | Elite Member
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Nov 27, 1999
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Nintendo has officially announced the widely anticipated redesigned version of the Nintendo DS handheld console, with a more compact version of the hardware, dubbed "DS Lite", set to arrive in Japan on March 2nd.

The system was quietly unveiled on Nintendo's Japanese website last night, with just one mock-up image of the console available, revealing a slightly sleeker and more streamlined version of the existing flip-top DS design.

DS Lite will come in at 133mm wide, 73.9mm high and 21.5mm deep, as compared to the proportions of the original DS which was 148.7mm wide, 84.7mm high and 28.9mm deep - which in real terms, means that it's 42 per cent smaller than the original DS.

The weight of the console has also been reduced, from 275g in the original model down to 215g in the new DS Lite, representing a drop of almost 21 per cent. Despite the smaller size of the unit, it's not thought that the screens themselves have dropped in size, although Nintendo doesn't appear to have made any official comment on this.

Aside from the smaller size and weight and the redesigned shell, the DS Lite has few functionality changes, confounding earlier reports from some commentators which suggested that it would add voice communication capabilities and even IP telephony.

The main new feature is an adjustable brightness setting for the screen, similar to the one offered by Sony's PlayStation Portable, which will allow users to flick between four different levels of brightness.

Some components have moved around on the new unit; the power button is not visible on the face of the machine and may have been moved to the side, while the microphone has moved to the hinge between the two screens.

Nintendo will launch the new system in Japan on March 2nd, priced at 16,800 Yen (118 Euro); which is marginally higher than the general retail price of the existing DS console at present (well, perhaps not at present - the stock shortages of the DS over New Year saw prices pushed to silly levels even on second hand units at some retailers).

Despite the widespread rumours of a redesign, the company has been remarkably secretive about the DS Lite so far - even with its own staff, with Nintendo UK boss David Yarnton telling GamesIndustry.biz earlier this week that "we haven't got any plans at the moment - nothing I know of" when pressed on the question of a DS redesign.

Today may be a nervous day in the office for the usually effusive Yarnton; he also told us that his staff would "probably throttle" him if they did have a new DS to deal with as well as the rest of the Nintendo line-up. So, er, we wish him all the best with that...

Redesigned DS to arrive on March 2nd

Official DS lite PICS

:)
 

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
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I understand the desire to launch newer/smaller/better versions of its portable systems, but for me, someone who has been out of the videogame world for a long time the product life of these things seems to be very short, no?
 

Tu13erhead

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
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Damn, first I started wanting a Revolution, now they come out with this...

*gets CC ready...*
 

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,642
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Nice, I just bought a regular DS though...
The "Jump Super Stars" looks kinda like a SSB for the DS.... anyone read japanese?
 

ViRGE

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Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
I understand the desire to launch newer/smaller/better versions of its portable systems, but for me, someone who has been out of the videogame world for a long time the product life of these things seems to be very short, no?
The product life of any individual product is running fairly short, however the lifetime of the platform is still as long as ever. The first GBA was launched in 2000, and it is still being developed for in 2006, even though there have been 4 GBA's(GBA, GBA SP, GBA SP+, and GBA Micro). The DS will be thinner, but it's still a DS.
 

Xcobra

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Oct 19, 2004
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portable video game consoles are overated! wonder what the price on that one is gonna be?
 

Zim Hosein

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Originally posted by: Xcobra
portable video game consoles are overated! PC games is just as fine with a big monitor and bam youre ready to kick ass!

I don't know about you, but I commute to school & work using "public transportation" Xcobra, what's a better way to pass the commute time? :confused:
 

clickynext

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Dec 24, 2004
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Sleek and very nice, but not in time to give nintendo some much needed competition against sony.
 

Xcobra

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Oct 19, 2004
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Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: Xcobra
portable video game consoles are overated! PC games is just as fine with a big monitor and bam youre ready to kick ass!

I don't know about you, but I commute to school & work using "public transportation" Xcobra, what's a better way to pass the commute time? :confused:

Read?...i dont know man but to me, something like that would be a waste of money but hey, its my opinion. i used to commute from school too like 45min, slept through the whole time....any more ideas?
 

Chrono

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2001
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i just bought a blue DS and it is rockin'!!!!!!
can't wait to play more ds games!

of course that ds lite looks badass though
 

HomeAppraiser

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2005
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I wish they had some sort of planner organizer on the original DS so my 10 year old could schedule stuff like birthdays, homework assignments, chores, soccer games, etc. Right now he just sets the alarm to remember to feed his Nintendogs.
 

Eddieo

Senior member
Nov 17, 2004
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I bought a GBA SP the other day. The screen is brighter than the DS and is much more portable and I don't want a duel screen hand held. I wish they would upgrade the GBA to a faster processor with 3d. With an analog stick made like the PSP, it would be king to me.
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
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Originally posted by: clickynext
Sleek and very nice, but not in time to give nintendo some much needed competition against sony.

Your right. Only 13 Million DS' have been sold...