Possible price mentioned, and a larger screen, a Japanese newspaper reports.
The Nintendo DS could finally be getting the redesign that rumors have centered on for months. Nikkei Net, the online component to Japan's Nikkei newspaper, has reported that Nintendo is set to announce a new hardware revision of their wildly successful DS handheld system. This revision is said to include a built-in camera, music-playback capabilities, and the ability to connect to information terminals.
According to Wired, a photograph of the corresponding Nikkei print story suggests that the new design could go on sale for less than 20,000 yen (about $188 US). Currently, the DS Lite retails for 16,800 yen (about $158 US). The print story also reports that the new DS will have a larger screen.
Nikkei speculates that this means that the device will be better able to compete with today's increasingly versatile consumer electronics and cell phones. Nintendo has been experimenting with added uses for their DS hardware almost since the hardware's launch, where people could order food at Major League Baseball games, guide users at a Japanese poetry museum, and has even undergone pilot programs at Disney World. Nintendo fans who know their history may also draw a connection with the Game Boy Camera peripheral, which let users take black and white pictures and use the images in games and activities back in 1998.
The DS has seen one significant hardware revision (the slimmed-down DS Lite) and countless colors and special editions since its launch four years ago. If the Nikkei report is accurate, Nintendo could be depending on this new hardware design to keep the DS sales momentum high as it approaches and seeks to surpass the 100 million unit mark. The hardware has sold more than 77 million units worldwide already.
Nintendo is holding press events this Thursday in both Japan and America, and Nintendo World Report will be on hand at the San Francisco event this week to bring you the latest Nintendo news as it breaks.