Sure, it may seem pretty likely that we'll see a DS redesign eventually, but will it be this year? Despite the coy denials so reminiscent of the weeks leading up to the last redesign announcement, it just doesn't seem like the right time for a new DS.

In the past, Nintendo has adhered to a pretty predictable cycle on redesigning their handhelds. Every year and a half to two years or so, it's time for a new model. But no handheld has ever been quite like the DS. It's everywhere. Your grandmother just may own one (or more), and because of that incredible success, Nintendo can afford to break out of that cycle and take a little extra time. Sales of the DS in Japan may be flagging a little of late, due to the PSP actually selling, but the system still boasts extremely robust numbers and is consistently in the top three there amongst hardware. The story is the same here in the U.S.: the DS continues to sell like crazy. Why put out a new DS now? It seems to make much more sense to simply wait a while, until sales actually start to drop off.

In the meantime, Nintendo boosts sales of the Lite by releasing new colors, which they have suddenly started doing a lot more outside Japan. That seems to be another sign that we're still not quite ready for a redesign. Nintendo may make some less-than-brilliant decisions at times, but announcing a new design mere months (or weeks, if we see more colors this year, as is rumored) after the release of new colors may have a negative impact on sales. Sure, that new sparkly-striped-gold-plated rainbow Lite is spiffy, but if you're about to buy the new Ultra Lite anyway, would you drop an additional hundred-plus dollars? Probably not. You'd wait to check out the new model instead.

Some could argue that colors are now going to multiple regions in order to get rid of back stock, but c'mon -- are there really piles of DS Lites lying around unsold? Considering that we still have occasional DS shortages, it doesn't seem likely. Also, we're still getting brand new colors on top of the shades that are just now becoming available in new regions, and it's not like those were piled up. Would we really get new colors now if we were about to see a new DS? It just doesn't make sense.

Next year, maybe, Nintendo will get around to tweaking the DS design further. This year, we'll see more peripherals and accessories instead, and a focus on the Wii, because there's just no reason to do anything else.

---

Expect it!	Back	Your thoughts?

The DS might not be a system that can immediately benefit from peripherals, what with it being a portable games machine and all, but that hasn't stopped some from coming up with cool stuff to attach to your beloved. Whether it's something as simple as a stand or a wicked awesome controller, there's been some advancements in the field.

So, we figured we'd ask you what you were all rocking. Whether it's just a simple case that protects your DS, or something home-made, let us know what kind of fun stuff you have for your DS. If we covered it on the site, link it in the comments!

At this point, even if there hadn't been official confirmation, it would be no surprise that Guitar Hero III is on the way to the DS. Never mind that the DS is ill-suited for the Guitar Hero experience-- it's a game console.

At least there's evidence that the RedOctane/Neversoft/Activision Power Team is considering ways to make the DS less ill-suited for the game, including the method they used to make the original Guitar Hero something other than just a simplified Frequency: peripherals. "It's an integral part of the Guitar Hero experience, so as much as possible, we would like to keep it within the experience as long as it makes sense and it plays well," RedOctane's Charles Huang told CNET.

Bring on the peripherals, RedOctane. The more ridiculous the better. We're already pretending we're playing guitar on the DS-- we don't need to look dignified doing it.

When we stumbled across this feature at Modojo, we thought it simply too good to resist as a candidate for our question of the day. Over the years, there have been some pretty random accessories for handhelds, and as for the rest, opinions differ on what's worth the money and what may be a waste. We've covered a few, and comments vary wildly. Since it is a topic that each of us seem to approach differently, we thought we'd ask: over the years, what have you bought to maximize your handheld gaming experience, and what seems superfluous to you?