Report: New DS arriving this year

[UPDATE 2] Japanese media says Mario Factory will introduce camera, music playback, and better wireless into next revision of popular portable hardware; Nintendo cries "speculation."

Earlier this year, Nintendo projected hardware sales of its DS handheld system to total 28 million for the current fiscal year. While that can be considered a massively successful year, it is down slightly from the 30 million portable game players the company sold last year. That anticipated slowdown led one industry analyst to predict a new iteration of the DS hardware is on the way, while another had been expecting such a redesign since last November.

Today, Japanese news site Nikkei Net (subscription required) is reporting that the time has finally come for Nintendo to roll out another new DS and that the system will arrive in Japan by the end of the year. Planned features for the unnamed DS revision include a camera function, music playback, and improved wireless capabilities. No mention was made of previously speculated upgrades, such as larger screens, enhanced memory, or a smaller size.

Nikkei expects the redesigned system to carry a price tag of about ¥20,000 ($188), somewhat higher than the ¥16,800 ($158) Nintendo currently charges for the first redesign of its popular portable, the DS Lite. The new system will reportedly arrive on Japanese store shelves by the end of the year.

[UPDATE] Not so fast, says Nintendo of America. In a statement issued to GameSpot, a Nintendo representative labeled Nikkei Net's report as unconfirmed speculation that was not based on any information given out by the Kyoto, Japan-headquartered company.

"The Nikkei newspaper wrote a recent story about a DS solely based upon their own research and speculation, without interviewing Nintendo," said the game company. "While Nintendo is always working on new hardware, we have not made any announcement about a DS and we cannot comment on the Nikkei story."

[UPDATE 2] Thursday morning, Nintendo unveiled the new DSi.

345 Comments

  • 4esth

    Posted Oct 21, 2008 9:00 am PT

    "Such stupidity. DS is such a failure and they don't even realize it."

    Right, they are too busy counting their money from the record sales. Hopefully, you are being sarcastic. If not, you sir, sound pretty slow in the head.

  • 4esth

    Posted Oct 21, 2008 8:58 am PT

    If it has WPA support, I'm in. WEP only was the stupidest move.

  • bbkkristian

    Posted Oct 5, 2008 7:13 am PT

    I might... trade mine in with a few extra cash.
    But other than that NO

  • Kratos_OMEGA

    Posted Oct 4, 2008 3:43 pm PT

    Are current Lite owners going to buy this? let me answer that question since i am a Lite owner. Hell to the N to ******* O.

  • Devoo55

    Posted Oct 3, 2008 2:09 pm PT

    Such stupidity. DS is such a failure and they don't even realize it.

  • condemned100

    Posted Oct 2, 2008 12:02 am PT

    I don't have A Myspace account what do you expect.? Or A Facebook account. My Parents Neglect Me. They never come In my Room.

  • lannyboy334

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 11:44 pm PT

    Woah man, where the heck did the discussion about beating your girlfriend come into the new DS (btw, I thought it was gonna be announced at E3 and I was ticked, now I am just hoping for an appearance at TGS) conversation? That looks pretty legit to me, you have some serious mental problems dude, you need to get help, anyone that shares their entire life on a GS forum is messed up in the head, like seriously messed up in the head.

  • RAVEZero

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 10:39 pm PT

    Somebody please call the cops on Condemned, or throw his ass in a mental institution. Dude is insane, and what the hell kind of dude are you to hit a girl?!

  • Ariey

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 7:12 pm PT

    LMAO
    sad how condemned guy is capitalizing every other word and has a mental process of one train of thought which runs around in a single, angry, submissive track.
    what the hell lol

  • aznballer91

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 6:37 pm PT

    LOL condemned100 thanks for telling us your life!

  • kidcool189

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 4:33 pm PT

    condmned100, u are on messed up son of a gun, you need some help man

    and gamespot is not the place to be spewing ur life story of hitting ur girlfriend cause u got pissy when u couldnt afford games and whatnot

    lol @ you

  • Franconomicon

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 9:51 am PT

    I read all the comments, and I have an offtopic conclusion... Nintendo´s Fan boys, are so funny LOL!

    A corporation like Nintendo don't worry about ideals and gaming... the engine of a corporation is the money, if they cares about ideals and gaming and all that s**t... Nintendo wold be an OGN like Unicef or RedCross

  • Flipyap28

    Posted Oct 1, 2008 8:08 am PT

    lol, i still play my old original release DS, maybe its time 4 change

  • cooldude03

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 10:20 pm PT

    Nintendo always adding touches. next year there will be another. Well that's how the gaming industry works.

  • mad7334

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:58 pm PT

    How is "un-Nintendolike" to have a camera? They were the first to do it before on the gameboy and were orginally going to come out with a camera called "GameEye" for the GBA before scrapping that...so I personally don't see how this isn't a logical yes. The Christmas release would be the most surprising thing to me.

  • domaners

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:15 pm PT

    As alarmed as I am at condemned100's story what surprises me more is how long it must of taken to write that caption whilst putting caps At The Front Of Every Word. Lol.

    Oh yeah, about the new DS, all of those specs seem pretty convincing, but I can't imagine it having a camera, it seems un-Nintendolike to add extraneous hardware like that onto a console when they probably want to keep the cost down.

  • dragonstealer

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 6:21 pm PT

    i am so getting the new ds im trading my old on for the new one in gamestop

  • shadystxxx

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:49 pm PT

    condemned100

    Wow, i really could not believe i was reading that.

    This guy hit his girlfriend twice in the stomach and arm and also dented her car door all because he could not get a video game for his 360 or a ds or something to do with gaming i didnt really understand why he took a hissy fit but he said it was because of his obsession with his 360.

    To be honest im really doubting this story, what young adult throws a hissy fit and beats his girlfriend about a video game, more like his mum would not buy him a game so he hit his mum and damaged her car.

    regardless of what happened that is the most pathetic thing i have ever read on these forums, a presumably young adult admitting on the internet that he threw a hissy fit like a 6 year old kid because his girlfriend(mum) would not buy him a video game related product and he hit her while also damaging her car.

    WOW i have completely forgot what i was going to say about the ds specualtion, this guy should be ashamed of himself.

  • tonicmole

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:45 pm PT

    If your unable to read Condemned100's comment, it basically says that he is unemployed and that he punches his girl friend in the stomach if she doesn't buy him what he wants.....Seriously! It's sad and creepy,.....unless it's a joke,.....then it's HILARIOUS!

  • just_nonplussed

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 4:48 pm PT

    how can you read Condemned100's entire post! it's hurts my eyes.

  • deadstarr

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 3:22 pm PT

    Condemned100 you are a nutbag. xD

  • ftjx

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 12:57 pm PT

    condemned100 you truly are condemed
    naw only kidding kinda scary post you wrote there chill out

  • InsultToInjury_

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 12:43 pm PT

    If this is true only thing interested in is the better wifi. I dont want a DS that is all singing all dancing like the PSP. I want a hand held for games and the DS does that perfectly. You have got so many things these days to avoide carrying different items, like a camera/mp3 phones then you get he psp and the itouch/phone which to do whole shhbang.

  • just_nonplussed

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 11:14 am PT

    if it is true.... i think it is such a bad idea.
    i thought nintendo had ideals, i thought they were supposed to be about 'pure gaming', about innovation - but really, they just want it all.

    money, money, money, money, money-

  • Baconiclore

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 11:14 am PT

    Neo_Strife100:
    "That's not a revision. That's an SKU. You don't need to buy a new PS3 to get certain features like you do the DS. Use your brain please."

    -You mean features such as the SD card reader and 4 USB ports? Last time I checked, these were not standard on all PS3 models.

  • sgt-hawkins

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 10:12 am PT

    neostrife if you are going to argue and you pick points against your argument then you are a retard

  • bananaxx2

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 10:04 am PT

    i dont know why nintendo want to make a ds with music and video why they dont do that in the begining when the ds was laught and now they want to get real with music and cam i have like 2 mounth that i buy my new ds lite and i dont think i will buy this ds maybe in 2 mounth after this ds get luaght nintendo will make another ds with UMD and analog and dont get my wrong this ds is really sweet but i will not buy it

    Neo_Strife100 shhhhhhh...fanboy...arcmonkey3000 agree with you...

    PPL REMEMBER!! NINTENDO DONT POINTING YOU WITH A PISTOL TO BUY THIS DS IF YOU DONT WANT IT JUST DONT BUY IT...

  • Get_Shorty

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 9:49 am PT

    Not before they add downloadable games to compete with Apple iPhone.

  • orcmonkey3000

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 9:34 am PT

    Neo_Strife100

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 12:29 pm PT

    That's not a revision. That's an SKU. You don't need to buy a new PS3 to get certain features like you do the DS. Use your brain please."

    Uh, yeah, ya sorta do...what about the expanded hard drive? I'd certainly call that a feature; if nothing else it's a big selling point for Sony. Before you make mindless and insulting comments about other people's posts, check your own facts, fanboy.

  • Neo_Strife100

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 9:29 am PT

    "The PS3 has had HOW many revisions since its release? How many versions? The 20GB, the 60GB, the 40GB, the 80GB are all the ones I count. This probably doesn't included many other ones. Sony seems to release a new SKU every 6 months that has something tweaked or changed. At least nintendo keeps it to once every 2 or so years not 6 months like sony.

    It's funny how people always pick the points to argue that fit their arguement but never any other points."

    That's not a revision. That's an SKU. You don't need to buy a new PS3 to get certain features like you do the DS. Use your brain please.

  • silverninga0

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 9:25 am PT

    I just thought of a design for the new ds, why don't Nintendo make it like a T-Mobile Sidekick with the flipping screen thing. It's easier to put the camera/music features and any other things. Also that way, it's easier to play and put in your pockets.

  • ColinR64

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:36 am PT

    I need this to be true
    I want a DS with a music player so bad

  • GunGriffin

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:22 am PT

    So true. But if it will have support for wireless B/G/N type networks then I will grab it for sure. As long as it has WPA support, and for the love of god a more stable built in Wi-Fi antena then I might grab one and have my DS for Nintendo Games, my PSP for Sony games, and my Xbox360 for Microsoft games, and my PC for anything eles I see fit to have. BTW: The music playback, and camera function sound totaly like a Nintendo fanboy who wan'ts a Nintendo vserion of A PSP but with a touch screen. IMHO Nintendo can keep their crapy touch screens, and their low end handheld graphics. If there is no increase in memory and a move away from N64 style craptastic 2D rendering, and still no WPA support then I'll pass on this for sure. I like Nintendo but I hate their handheld for it's utter lack of good Wi-Fi support, as well as lack of good looking games. The LCD screen alone ghosts more then that of a PSP screen.

  • LordelX

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:19 am PT

    Wouldn't we have seen this at E3 if it was true? I wonder what will happen to the GBA slot...

  • -Celeste-

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 8:03 am PT

    The PS3 has had HOW many revisions since its release? How many versions? The 20GB, the 60GB, the 40GB, the 80GB are all the ones I count. This probably doesn't included many other ones. Sony seems to release a new SKU every 6 months that has something tweaked or changed. At least nintendo keeps it to once every 2 or so years not 6 months like sony.

    It's funny how people always pick the points to argue that fit their arguement but never any other points.

  • BigDaddy973

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 7:36 am PT

    It is deff true!

  • Fraquelli

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 7:13 am PT

    fanboys can call me what they want, but I think Ninty is getting really greedy...

    they know that the thousands if not millions of Ninty fanatics are going to buy this new DS without thinking twice

    not to mention that the Wii has officially become the most overpriced console in history

    peace

  • Xanzibar_Joe

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 7:05 am PT

    Would be awesome if it were true, but what would be the point in having a camera? i mean seriously, they could put in much better things like the ability to download and store games like virtual console or something, rather than a camera. Anyway, i doubt this will happen for two reasons: 1# Nintendo said it hadn't made an announcement and the whole story was based on speculation and 2# looking at how things are going in the world at the moment it really wouldn't be a good idea to release something new and more expensive if most of the market they are targeting has less money to spend.

    Of course i could be wrong.

  • f00dking

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 6:41 am PT

    damn it i just got my lite like a month a go, curse u Nintendo, CURSE YOU TO HELL!

  • rgame1

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 6:33 am PT

    cool,
    i might also get it

  • gazlneon

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 6:25 am PT

    @BLuFAlc0n

    ...Can I buy some pot from you? o_o

  • pokerguy94

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 6:00 am PT

    A music player would be awesome for DS.

  • riderkid

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:35 am PT

    i think this is a big step for nintendo. think about the added gameplay with a camera and MP3 function. heck, we might see song summoner be ported from the ipod!

  • condemned100

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:28 am PT

    I Have A Interview Today At K-mart.

  • BLuFAlc0n

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:21 am PT

    @aznstyle11

    WHAT DO U MEAN COPYING????
    The real copycats around here is Sony and Microsoft(Big Copy)

    The GBA can already play music, camera add-on, wireless link, etc. PSP copied of the GBA Shape, all they did is add on some buttons, and explain the PSP-3000, adding in microphone(which the DSA got)is what copying is! DS can play videos, show pictures(DS Vision)
    Listen to music(Nintendo MP3 Player/Play-Yan)
    Camera(Gameboy Camera, GBA Camera, DS Camera)
    Play w/ longer battery life
    But an upgrade to DS, it's should de super thin, lighter than DS lite, bigger screen, better resolution, create it like a mini - Wii, will (DS Shop Channel),and make (DS Channels) and make the new DS Gamecube Compatible!

  • D-K-Brown

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 5:05 am PT

    There's money to be made.. They can smell it. Almost 30 million units this year, 30 million units last year. And now, just for adding another few bells and whistles, ANOTHER 60 million over the next two years. That's quite a few billion dollars of revenue. Keeps the ol' cogs-a-turning.. The Nintendo-machine won't slow down.

  • rockstar_88

    Posted Sep 30, 2008 4:34 am PT

    @ aznstyle11

    I know, it must suck having competition huh? Especially when one's there to push the other so we can have better hardware and software, ultimately making us, the consumers, the winners, right?

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