Gamernode: News - Nintendo Releases Details On New DS Machine

Nintendo Releases Details On New DS Machine

Among Nintendo™s DS community, a certain rumor has been bouncing around for months. The speculation is about a new DS model in the works, and when it will, if ever, be released. The original rumors were based on comments made by Nintendo marketing manager Reggie Fils-Aime, who confirmed that a new DS was on the way sometime in the future. The question as to when sometime would be has held DS fans in suspense. The rumor mill was churning in high gear just a scant week and a half ago when an independent Japanese retail store confirmed the stories of a new DS. The retail store personnel said that Nintendo representatives were telling them to get ready for a major announcement, according to accounts given to GameIndustry. Oddly enough, only a few days ago, David Yarnton, general manager for Nintendo UK, denied any plans of a new DS in an interview with GameIndustry by saying, "That's been rumored, I don't know for how long, but we haven't got any plans at the moment. Nothing I know of." So, there will be no redesigned DS, according to all the reports, correct? Incorrect. In an industry full of denials about this and that, Nintendo has followed suit with their denials about a new DS, and then reverses course by doing what they have denied doing. (Apologies to the editor for that last sentence) The new DS was unveiled in a ad on Nintendo™s website in Japan. Although, we at GamerNode have to admit that our Japanese is rather shaky at best, we were able to decipher some of the website information with deductive reasoning. The new DS will cost 16800 yen in Japan. In USD, that would be equivalent to about $145. There is also a date that is displayed, 2006-3-2 which we take to mean March 2, 2006, the release date¦in Japan. (See attached photo of Nintendo™s website) The Nintendo website has christened the latest model as the DS Lite. (Costs more, less filling) Further details concerning the machine, gathered from industry sources such as IGN, GameStop and others, reveal that the new DS will be smaller than its cousin. Estimates indicate that DS Lite will be approximately 40% smaller and about 20% lighter. Screen brightness will finally be adjustable. No details were released as far as the battery runtime on the new machine. The old DS takes about 3 hours to fully charge and offers 6 to 10 hours of continuous game time. The battery life has been an issue with some DS fans as they would have preferred a longer battery life and shorter charge time. Hopefully, DS Lite will address these issues. Other than the DS Lite™s smaller size and possible improvement in interconnectivity, there is little more to report than this. No word has come from Nintendo as to the availability of their new DS to other markets outside of Japan.

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