Next Gen DS! (rumor)

[nintendude]

Rumor is the next gen DS will have dual touch screens and will probably be announced early next year!

http://kotaku.com/5042290/rumor-next-dual-touch-ds-hitting-early-next-year

 

[0098386]

Given the length of announcing the original DS and then releasing it (urgh, I still have Nintendo's first announcement email, back when the DS was ultra fugly)... I'd say it will be announced next year, shipping 18-24 months later.

There's a lot of bite left in the DS and a massive market. Plus several core Nintendo IP's still haven't made it to that system (so the GBA gets how many F-Zeros?). No need to kill a perfectly healthy cash cow.

And I'd like a touchscreen like the iPod Touches/iPhones. Be it single or multitouch - that surface alone is brilliant. And they best be b/c with DS games and hopefully still sport a GBA Slot 2 option (for expandability).

 

[chocopiefever]

😀 wooow dual huh~
too bad I usually have games where I rarely use the stylus...

 

[mkrishnan]

And I'd like a touchscreen like the iPod Touches/iPhones.

I tend to agree the DS has a lot of life -- especially when you consider how many GBA variants are still floating around, perhaps handed down to younger siblings. Also I don't think console handhelds are done by a long shot, but I am really curious to see if the iPhone and/or similar devices like Android platform products can make a dent in the older segment of the handheld gaming market. Particularly the "older DS" crowd -- many of us are casual gamers (either ones who used to be serious gamers once upon a time or ones who never were).

I've never wanted to play games on my phone before, but suddenly, I ask myself, if I get spore, will I get Spore DS or Spore iPhone? And if games on the App Store continue to take off unbelievably like they have, then it's not inconceivable that the shift in impetus on iPhone development could place more emphasis on graphics and computational horsepower to enable more sophisticated apps, including games. I wonder where that will go ultimately.

 

[nintendude]

...hopefully still sport a GBA Slot 2 option (for expandability).

I understand how most people prefer to have the GBA slot 2 option but I think that its not really necessary. They could introduce a mini USB port to connect it to peripherals

i think that Nintendo could change the UI to be a bit more advanced and support multimedia functions but then again, this is Nintendo we're talking about

i know most of the stuff i just said seems really like something Nintendo wouldn't do but its a possibility

 

[iParis]

This will be perfect, considering my DS screen just broke,

 

[mkrishnan]

I'm kind of surprised the rumor does not include an accelerometer, too, now, come to think of it.

 

[nintendude]

I'm kind of surprised the rumor does not include an accelerometer, too, now, come to think of it.

Yea, I was expecting that until I read about the possibility of dual screens since controlling 2 touch screens and an accelerometer would be kind of hard/annoying.

also I was wondering if the dual touch screens will affect the battery life a lot

 

[mkrishnan]

Yea, I was expecting that until I read about the possibility of dual screens since controlling 2 touch screens and an accelerometer would be kind of hard/annoying.

also I was wondering if the dual touch screens will affect the battery life a lot

That's a good point, and a good question... I guess it depends on what these touchscreens are like. It would seem like they'd be inclined to use capacitative multitouch ones like Apple does. But then this is Nintendo, and I have a really hard time imagining them making a DS that will break at all often when its dropped. And also I wonder if the current DS doesn't have a battery that's quite a bit behind the tech curve, so the new one wouldn't also have a lot more power to draw from to begin with?

My other random thought is... so if this rumor is true, is it another nail in the coffin of Nintendo's claim (adamantly) that the DS is not the successor to the GBA? I haven't heard anything in some time about the next Gameboy....

 

[0098386]

I understand how most people prefer to have the GBA slot 2 option but I think that its not really necessary. They could introduce a mini USB port to connect it to peripherals

So where you store the accessory? The Slot 2 works perfectly because it houses the unit too. A fantastic way of making rumble optional, or simply adding more memory to the device.

i think that Nintendo could change the UI to be a bit more advanced and support multimedia functions but then again, this is Nintendo we're talking about

They make gaming devices, not multimedia platforms. Going off how successful the Wii and DS have been I'm going to go out on a limb and say most people don't really care about these additional features. I dont - I have an iPod. Most modern phones are mini-media centres too.

As for the iPod comment earlier. I can't imagine the iPhone/smartphones overtaking handheld gaming. Simply because the quality isn't there yet. There's nothing of Brain Training or Tetris DS quality on smartphones. Tris was nice but it's nothing compared to it's real, DS counterpart.
That might change but until bigger developers make use of the iPhone (and also the lack of physical buttons), I can't imagine it having an impact.