New Nintendo DS to be Announced at E3?
Plus: Famitsu publisher says PS3 needs price cut
A rash of Nintendo DS-related rumour-mongering has broken out all over the face of the Internet, suggesting a new version of the handheld will be announced at E3 this year.
The rumour was kicked off by comments from Hirokazu Hamamura, the president of Famitsu publisher Enterbrain. No specific source was given by Hamamura. Rather, he pointed to industry scuttlebutt and historical indicators - e.g. it takes an average of two years between Nintendo handheld releases.
Hiroshi Yasushi, a Nintendo rep merely stated that the company has "nothing can speak (of) at this time".
At this point SPOnG would like to point out that the rumour has spawned from an utterly terrible translation of a Japanese Bloomberg article. You can find the nearly illegible google translation here.
So, not only is this rumour and speculation, it's rumour and speculation from a barely-understandable source.
What is a bit more certain, however, is the fact that Hamamura said the PS3 needs a 25% price cut from the ¥39,980 mark in Japan. "The 30,000 yen price was the tipping point for the PlayStation 2", said Hamamura†. "Strong titles are coming out, and the price will determine whether or not the PlayStation 3 gets out of its slump."
Source: †Reuters
The rumour was kicked off by comments from Hirokazu Hamamura, the president of Famitsu publisher Enterbrain. No specific source was given by Hamamura. Rather, he pointed to industry scuttlebutt and historical indicators - e.g. it takes an average of two years between Nintendo handheld releases.
Hiroshi Yasushi, a Nintendo rep merely stated that the company has "nothing can speak (of) at this time".
At this point SPOnG would like to point out that the rumour has spawned from an utterly terrible translation of a Japanese Bloomberg article. You can find the nearly illegible google translation here.
So, not only is this rumour and speculation, it's rumour and speculation from a barely-understandable source.
What is a bit more certain, however, is the fact that Hamamura said the PS3 needs a 25% price cut from the ¥39,980 mark in Japan. "The 30,000 yen price was the tipping point for the PlayStation 2", said Hamamura†. "Strong titles are coming out, and the price will determine whether or not the PlayStation 3 gets out of its slump."
Source: †Reuters
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Comments
deleted 14 Apr 2008 10:54
1/6
makes sense for a DS update, its around every 2-3 years that ninty updates the Gameboy/DS range but why fix something that isnt broken?
Unless they are adding new features im not sure what they could really do? maybe they could get rid of the GBA slot (incorp internal mem for browser) and reduce weight and dimension again?
Unless they are adding new features im not sure what they could really do? maybe they could get rid of the GBA slot (incorp internal mem for browser) and reduce weight and dimension again?
realvictory 14 Apr 2008 12:17
2/6
It would be nice - I didn't get a DS Lite, because it wasn't really worth it - it was not much of an improvement from the original... then suddenly all support for the original DS vanished, being replaced with the DS Lite. If a new version is made, it might be enough of a difference to be worth getting.
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Joji 14 Apr 2008 12:52
3/6
I bet if this is true, it could be to see DS combat a possible threat from PSP Phone and Ipod Touch.
I'd expect some form of inbuilt memory, a larger screen (OLED would be nice but wishful thinking) and maybe an upgarde in graphic tech slightly.
Only prob is I have DS fat and DS lite already. I might buy again though...
I'd expect some form of inbuilt memory, a larger screen (OLED would be nice but wishful thinking) and maybe an upgarde in graphic tech slightly.
Only prob is I have DS fat and DS lite already. I might buy again though...
irritant 14 Apr 2008 17:15
4/6
Any changes they made would have to leave it backwards compatible - so no removing the GBA slot because Guitar Hero uses it, as does the new Space Invaders game.
Improving the 3D could also have knock on effects, so that is not likely to happen.
The most likely changes would be a cosmetic appearance change, improved audio quality (better speakers(but this is unlikely as most players don't care)) and better battery life. The screens may be improved, but the DS Lite has pretty good screens already (not as good as the GameBoy Micro, though).
I personally doubt Nintendo are going to bring out a new model as the DS Lite is pretty perfect already, there really isn't much to improve. I think it's more likely that the next change we will see will be the DS2, but even if they've finalised the hardware now, we won't see it until the DS 1 stops selling.
Improving the 3D could also have knock on effects, so that is not likely to happen.
The most likely changes would be a cosmetic appearance change, improved audio quality (better speakers(but this is unlikely as most players don't care)) and better battery life. The screens may be improved, but the DS Lite has pretty good screens already (not as good as the GameBoy Micro, though).
I personally doubt Nintendo are going to bring out a new model as the DS Lite is pretty perfect already, there really isn't much to improve. I think it's more likely that the next change we will see will be the DS2, but even if they've finalised the hardware now, we won't see it until the DS 1 stops selling.
Daz 15 Apr 2008 20:43
5/6
Joji wrote:
Only prob is I have DS fat and DS lite already. I might buy again though...
I don't get that about people, if I had bought an Original DS I wouldn't have bought a DS lite and same goes for my PSP if I had bought the Original I wouldn't have the slim & lite
deleted 15 Apr 2008 21:48
6/6
Daz wrote:
Joji wrote:
Only prob is I have DS fat and DS lite already. I might buy again though...
I don't get that about people, if I had bought an Original DS I wouldn't have bought a DS lite and same goes for my PSP if I had bought the Original I wouldn't have the slim & lite
I upgraded my DS because of fashion really, I have a 1hr 30 min commute to work and use that time with my DS or my PSP as I rarely play them at home, and when the Lite came out I didn’t buy straight away but the convenience of it fitting more easily into my inside pocket and looking a bit more stylish made me purchase a nice black one, but I didn’t upgrade my PSP simply because that looks ok and I don’t need or want to plug it into my TV.
but I did recycle my Phat as my youngest aged 3 got it, with a copy of Mario Kart DS and Yoshi`s Island DS and it keeps him quite for hours just racing the wrong way round lol.
Its case of some buy for style, some for the must have factor and some for usability but I agree that it shouldn’t be mandatory because it’s newer.