Here we go -- with the Nintendo press briefing just hours away, the rumor brigade in Los Angeles is kicking things into high gear, and there are all sorts of rumblings about the DS. According to IGN, a number of things may or may not happen this week, including but not limited to:
- Activision (wait, didn't they bail on E3? No matter; they have their own presentation coming up tomorrow night) announcing a(nother) DS peripheral that will add tilt and motion functionality to the handheld via the GBA slot
- The next Tony Hawk game is rumored to be the first to use the Activision peripheral
- Nintendo is preparing to provide built-in tilt and motion within the carts of some upcoming games
But the most interesting thing from the rumor mill is the big possibility we've been discussing of late: DS Micro ahoy! Word is that Nintendo may be preparing to release that redesigned handheld after all, but per these rumors, it looks like the new design is
not meant to supplant the current Lite model -- which explains the color explosion. The slimmed-down DS may sacrifice the GBA slot and could possibly feature that accelerometer functionality built-in. The best part? We may be looking at a drastically-reduced price -- IGN is talking about a DS that's $100 cheaper than the current model.
Our own
JC Fletcher is on the ground in LA as we speak, and
David Hinkle is en route, so we hope to have more information -- or at least, more rumors -- for you soon. Whatever happens, we'll probably be scratching off a few of our
DS predictions very soon.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-14-2008 @ 9:32PM
gary yo said...
drastically cheaper means that it will not be a lot or at all better than the dslite
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7-14-2008 @ 9:35PM
ryan said...
"We may be looking at a drastically-reduced price -- IGN is talking about a DS that's $100 cheaper than the current model."
$29.99? Doubtful.
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7-14-2008 @ 9:37PM
Homerun said...
Wait....$30 Dollar DS????????????
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7-14-2008 @ 9:43PM
ramuji said...
The IGN article actually says "sub $100" price tag, not $100 less than the price of the current DS Lite.
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7-14-2008 @ 10:36PM
Roto13 said...
I was gonna say. xP I don't think a redesigned DS will cost less than a DS game.
7-14-2008 @ 9:43PM
greg said...
Someone has probably already said this but it says "sub 100" as in under 100 bucks. Not 100 bucks cheaper. Did you really think they'd sell a DS for 30 bucks?
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7-14-2008 @ 9:52PM
Phantom said...
I think that the DS Lite is perfect , I'm not sure how they could possibly make it any smaller , and a DS with no GBA slot ? how is GH:On Tour , honestly , these are the kinds of changes that should be used in a completly different system . I'm still hoping Sony makes a PSPhone or 2 or whatever , forcing Nintendo to make a new system with acceptable 3d abilities (IMO if you can only deliver blocky 3d , don't deliver it at all ) better graphics would be nice . And so would the PlaystationPhone :p
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7-14-2008 @ 10:36PM
ryan said...
I would tend to agree about forgoing 3D if you can only do blocky 3D, but there are some decent uses of it. I think Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros., and Zelda: P.H. used it well, among others. That's not to say it doesn't get used more than it should, but think the good examples outweigh the bad.
7-15-2008 @ 2:35AM
Ashley said...
The placement of the D-pad come use some work in L and R button or stylus heavy games, ala action games and shooters.
7-15-2008 @ 2:58AM
aj said...
Well I like blocky 3D and older-school graphics.!
I hold to the philosophy that gaming requires imagination, and the new HD graphics and photo-realism only kill the imaginative part of gaming. At which point, I'd rather just go and read a book than battle evil in an epic quest for something or other.
7-14-2008 @ 10:01PM
Fiefdom said...
If such a redesign were to come out, I'm not sure I'd want it. I still play GBA games as much as I play DS games (if not more) and my GBA was broken by someone else ages ago. But of course, the DS brought in a lot of new people who have probably never played a GBA game so Nintendo may not be too concerned (they removed GB and GBC compatibility with the DS).
If the rumor is true, I guess Nintendo has learned from the Game Boy Micro that such a redesign should be released before the next generation handheld is released.
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7-14-2008 @ 10:39PM
Roto13 said...
Well, my husband has been meaning to buy a DS for games like Brain Age. If this is announced tomorrow, it'd be perfect for him.
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7-14-2008 @ 10:41PM
BlackDS said...
I believe Alisha probably missed the "comma".
She probably meant to post "IGN is talking about a DS that's $100, cheaper than the current model."
The comma is a difference maker. See Penny Arcade's comic for more details on punctuation.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/09/02
Peace.
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7-14-2008 @ 11:03PM
Eric Jon said...
I hope we don't get a DS refresh. Instead Nintendo should release a new Game Boy device. Make the entire Game Boy catalog available for purchase and wireless download to this new device from the Wii.
It might not be feasible, it probably wouldn't generate enough interest to support development of new games, but it raises the possibility of entire Nintendo catalog being available at some point with the Wii as the gatekeeper.
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7-15-2008 @ 2:12AM
Niz said...
I hate it that everything happens through the Wii, i expected better from nintendo, what if someone doesn't have the wii, i should be able to download directly to my DS why should i have to go through the Wii? Probably because of unsecur WEP?
Leading on from that most importantly Nintendo should definitely include support for WPA/2 +anything else in the new DS, i have pretty much stopped playing DS online because Nintendo could not be bothered to incorporate WPA support, im am really surprised its not being complained about, they really shot themselves in the foot on that one.
7-14-2008 @ 11:18PM
Jacksons said...
I can't imagine them wasting the development costs on another DS when the current one is selling fine, but you never know.
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7-15-2008 @ 12:00AM
gameyeeeah said...
What a cool NDS!
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7-15-2008 @ 12:12AM
Josh said...
It might not be revealed until TGS, methinks.
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7-15-2008 @ 12:16AM
ecco6t9 said...
Here's to hoping for a DS Micro.
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7-15-2008 @ 12:46AM
iofthestorm said...
That mockup looks slick, but probably not going to happen. I hope Nintendo gets to their next revision handheld soon so we can get non-blocky 3D, maybe PSP level or something. I don't think anything more detailed than PSP level is really useful in a handheld anyway, since you can't see that much.
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