Famitsu: New DS in spring

by Blake Snow { Jan 6th 2006 at 7:00AM }

We reported back in December concerning a DS facelift that even Nintendo VP of Marketing Reggie Fils-Aime has hinted on. Now, it is rumored that Japanese gamer mag Famitsu has predicted that we will see a new Nintendo DS as early as spring of 2006.

Of all the readers out there, who is for or against a redesign. The majority of users out there feel the system is a bit bulky and could benefit from a weight loss program. We're all for it.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rappateng @ Jan 6th 2006 9:35AM

I'm all for the redesign. My wishlist includes:

1. Round the bottom edges of a bit more to make it more comfortable to hold for extended periods of time.

2. Make the face buttons bigger, and along with the d-pad make everything less 'clicky' overall.

3. Though I seem to be the only one experiencing this, I would like the d-pad to get an overall upgrade. Maybe I am too used to my GBA, but when I play on the DS I have difficulty moving in straight lines. I always tend to run around at an angle due to a tendancy to roll my thumb on the d-pad. In my opinion the d-pad on the DS seems to require more direct input, such as pushing on the far extremes of the pad to get the exact movement you're looking for.

bonus wish:

That new GBA screen sure is mighty bright, wouldn't mind seeing a DS with the same amount of ooomph.

gol @ Jan 6th 2006 10:41AM

im not going to buy it i dont have money to buy every facelift of their consoles. im not going too buy the same console twice.

Neko Tsukimi @ Jan 6th 2006 11:42AM

I'm for a redesign. Not becaust the DS is bulky or too heavy... Just because. Every now and then when I actually look at it (instead of the game) it just seems a little unfinished. But if it were made to look more like the Revolution controller, it would look pretty awesome next to it and the GBM.

But one thing that I hope for are bigger face buttons. I'm a girl with small hands and while I don't feel cramped, I do often press the wrong buttons because they're so amall/close together.

But, yeah, if it comes in pink, it's MINE immediately!

Cyber Claws @ Jan 6th 2006 12:24PM

I'm all for it, bring on a 'new and improved' make-over. I want the brighter screen like the Micro got and maybe a good ol' fashioned Weight Reduction Kit modification (race car minded peeps).

I can't wait to see the new make-over myself. Will buy one if anything, just to spite the PSP.

koan @ Jan 6th 2006 2:15PM

...i'm hoping nintendo will really capitalize on this opportunity. if they do it right, it'd be awesome.

...the ds needs to be sleeker. the buttons need to be more ergonomic. i love my ds, but my hands friggin' ache after a bit of playing with it... i get the feeling that's common if one's not a child... lol...

...they should come with a sleeker, more ergonomic design and introduce tons of new software for it as well... i mean, like a palmOS attachment that'd go in the gba slot or something... where you could use the thing like an organiser, with built in browser and all that stuff... 'cause it makes no sense that the damned thing has wifi but can't get on the net... gods...

...and they should ~~~really~~~ encourage other developers to build wifi capability into their games... there's no excuse that worms and all these other games won't be networked... and not that silly, crappy WLAN... i'm talking real online play.

Tgk @ Jan 7th 2006 12:10AM

Sure, a redesign would be interesting, and if they make it look cool enough, maybe would grab them a big chunk of market share: But so soon, and it's going to leave a bit of a bitter taste in the mouths of those who've already bought theirs.

Now that I think about it, screw the cosmetic redesign, and make a backwards compatible DS2.0!

John Molina @ Jan 7th 2006 4:38AM

Uhm, not to bag on Famitsu or anything, but didn't Reggie already say something about a facelift for the DS? This is old news. Really.

I'm going on two months anticipating the DS redesign. Hopefully they'll make it more competitive with the PSP. That would be smart, at least (more ergonomic, built-in WiFi, multimedia capable w/ SD, brighter screen, Sidekick swivel) ...

John Molina @ Jan 7th 2006 4:42AM

Oops, I forgot to read. Spring sounds decent, though. I won't have any money to buy anything until then, anyway.

"im not going to buy it i dont have money to buy every facelift of their consoles. im not going too buy the same console twice."

This is why you put your trust in Best Buy warranties. Duh.

BlackYoshi @ Jan 7th 2006 11:01AM

No. Fricking Nintendo and their redesigns are business ploys to get people to buy the same system all over again for the same price. Why not release the good version first? Its the same thing they do with colors: withhold them, and then punish early adopters. It's BS and its not going to stop, since people eat up stuff like they did with the Micro. I'm not going to give Nintendo another $130 because the screen is a bit brighter and it looks "cooler" and more ergonomic. It isn't worth it.

robrob @ Jan 7th 2006 5:17PM

i've purchased DSs for my roomate and my girlfreind for xmas, and everyone loves them (but thinks thye are kinda ugly).

I really want to grab my own, but i am holding out for a facelift i think.

Tommy @ Jan 8th 2006 4:35AM

I bought a new bright GBA-SP last month.

I like it so much!!

So...

I bought a NDS w/MarioKart Bundle today.

You know, after I saw brightness of the NDS screens,

I just got so shocked.

I'm returning NDS tomorrow right away.

It's so f**king dark and even have an ugly dead pixel.

I love the red color, but I'm sure that Nintendo's gonna make brighter version of NDS quite soon for sure.

They have enough tech for it since they did on new GBASP.

Well, buttons are tiny small too.

I'll stick w/ my SP for a while.

SuicideNinja @ Jan 9th 2006 3:13PM

I played someone else's DS and forgot how plain they were. Mine has an NES-style skin on it which makes it look much more interesting.

I like the revo-style mockup design that was shown, although it may be a tad too busy. Put the speakers somewhere else and cut the bulk off the top flap. Good idea.

Josh @ Jan 9th 2006 10:00PM

I've been calling this for a while, too, and I think they could simply make a slimline DS by removing the GBA functionality. We have enough DS games to satiate us now, and many of us are holding onto our SPs/Micros anyway, so why not? I doubt many people are going to miss the rumble pak too much.

Torrie @ Jan 12th 2006 11:40AM

The question that I have is with the new design of the DS is it going to incorporate a way to upgrade the system. Are those *like myself* who already have a DS SOL for upgrades? Money doesn't grow on trees, although it would be nice IE: animal crossing. But I can't afford to plunk down another 150. I have the MarioKart bundle. The size doesn't bother me much but after continous play my hands feel cramped. I feel as though Nintendo could have taken more time on the original design for the place of the R L triggers. To me they are just kinda awkward.

Alex @ Jan 14th 2006 6:04PM

Hey I might buy one if they fix all the problems I had with my old DS. My big adult American hands couldn't hold the DS for more than five minutes without cramping something awful. I had to hold it a funky way that didn't allow comfortable use of the L/R buttons. And playing old GBA games was just hard. Larger buttons like the GBA has (spaced better) and a brighter screen are on my wish list. Weight/what it looks like doesnt bother me at all. Give me something that wont cripple my hands after five minutes of play.

MuneTeik @ Jan 16th 2006 8:17PM

Change where the power button is... for the love of GOD change this. Sometimes, just sometimes... when I would play a game, I'd hit just a -little- too high up on the d-pad and... whoops... goodbye game.