The Swiss Army Nintendo DS

By Spencer . September 28, 2008 . 9:43pm

Early and slightly different information from Nikkei.net and a print article reveal Nintendo has a new model of the Nintendo DS. A hardware revision scheduled to come out later this year in Japan add a camera, music playback, and stronger wireless capabilities with the ability to connect to information terminals. The internal camera will supposedly be used with future games.

A Nintendo DS camera accessory first came out last year when it came bundled with Face Training. So far two software titles to make use of the camera, Sega’s upcoming Shiseido collaboration Project Beauty is the other. A Nintendo DS /Game Boy Advance music player was also on the market in Japan known as the Play-Yan and Nintendo MP3 Player in Europe. Both of these devices required an external SD card to store music. It is unclear if the new Nintendo DS will have internal memory or use need an SD card to carry Mega Man 9 MP3s.

These features may make the Nintendo DS a more viable competitor on the multimedia front against Sony’s PSP, but the Nintendo DS made its mark as a gaming/brain training tool. And the DS is great for gaming I guess it would be nice not to carry an MP3 player around, but this new Nintendo DS would be much more appealing if it has the rumored larger screens, internal flash memory, and these mysterious “information terminals” let users download classic Game Boy games for under 500 Wii Points.

Images courtesy of Nintendo.

TAGS: Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Rumors

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Hayden

What is the reliability of this nikkei.net? Kotaku and neogaf have gotten so bad lately about using a few net rumors and poorly translated JP sites as 'fact' sources that I am at a real wait and see attitude.

I know the PSO DS game is coming as well as a few other DS games with a sharper online focus, but this just seems fishy.

Spencer

@Hayden - It's the online version of Japan's main economic newspaper. Like a Wall Street Journal. Granted, they're the only site reporting the story, everyone including Reuters is quoting them, but Nikkei a a very reputable institution.

JeremyR

I really would like to see a DS made better for gaming - better d-pad, bigger buttons spaced farther apart, larger screens

Hayden

@Spencer - Guess it's just that there have been SO many stories floating around that I am a bit wary. Early in 2008 we were supposed to see information trickling out on the DSes 'replacement' or that work on the GBA II -- which was supposedly always different than the DS -- had restarted. Then around E3 was all that word about the 'micro' DS.

Regarding expanding the capabilities of the DS in the states, Nintendo had already pulled and recalled the DS browser -- the only way the memory expansion had be legitly available in the US and had turned away attempts to bring the rewritable cards and other goodies (i.e. the camera) over as well.

Louise

I hope this new version makes it out by Christmas in the US!

Jay

Yomiuri (another big Japanese newspaper) confirmed it as well:
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/news/200...

They didn't quote Nekkei, it's their own confirmation.

jarrodand

I've got my fingers and toes crossed for Game Boy downloads. <3 <3

daizyujin

My only reservation with this story is that the price is being speculated to be higher than the DS Lite. It seems rather weird to release a revision of a currently available system at a higher price than the original. If it is true, it would appear that it will probably be sold alongside the DS Lite. It would have to be a pretty awesome update for me to fork out money for it. Hopefully it will have buttons more like the original DS. I have never liked the feel or size of the DS Lite's buttons.

Me

I was about to buy a DS lite. o_o

Guess I wont, if this turns out to be true. I hope they let you go to the DS Home without having to shut off the power, and it retains the slim-ness of the lite. Sounds and looks cool, hope it is real.