New Nintendo DS Coming This Year?

The original Nintendo DS Phat was succeeded by the sleeker and smaller Nintendo DS Lite after about 15 months on the shelf. Given that timeline, we should be due for another design refresh by the end of this year. At least, that’s what analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan is leading us to believe. He says that Nintendo will have a “new handheld device ready for launch in [Japan] before the end of the calendar year.”

It’s very unclear as to what the next Nintendo DS may bring. There are rumors that a smaller version is in the works, one that comes with an accelerometer and the complete lack of GBA support. At the same time, the new handheld might not be a new DS at all. Pachter mentions a new “handheld device” and not specifically a new DS.

While sales in the United States and Europe continue to be strong, DS sales in Japan have not been quite as impressive, getting outsold by the Sony PSP for the past few months. Being a Japanese company, Nintendo is naturally very interested in keeping the interest of its people.

What do you want to see in a new DS? Bigger screen? Smaller form factor? Better graphics? More Pikachu editions?

Source: Kotaku

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