New Nintendo DS to Include Camera, Music 261
BobB-nw writes "Watch out Apple, here comes Nintendo. Nintendo plans to launch a new version of its popular DS portable gaming device with a camera and music player function, according to a report in the Sunday edition of The Nikkei Business Daily. The new version will have better wireless capability for connecting to the Internet and will cost under $189, the report said. It will be offered first in Japan, it said. The DS first went on sale in 2004, and a second version, called the DS Lite, debuted two years later in 2006. Both have sold extremely well, with worldwide sales of the DS products at 77.5 million units as of the end of June this year."
Everything has an MP3 Player (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Everything has an MP3 Player (Score:5, Funny)
Except for the Zune.
Re:Everything has an MP3 Player (Score:5, Funny)
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Yeah, but Will It Blend? Hmmm, that'd make for an interesting showdown--can a Blendtec devour a lesser blender?
Don't stop there... (Score:5, Funny)
Any piece of technology will advance until it has an MP3 player function.
And can send email, and run Linux.
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May actually be a real reason (Score:3, Interesting)
You joke, but actually you're onto something :
And an NES emulator
Once an SDK appears for whatever the platfrom, in addition to enabling MP3 support and running Linux (if not already supported, otherwise replace with *BSD), what are the two next thing that are compiled on absolutely whatever device ?
- A port of Doom/Quake/Duke/Unreal/whatever latest opensource is still within hardware perfs.
- A port of ZSnes/Gens/Mame/whatever emulator fits into the perfs of the machine.
(And only the perfs, even if the hardware control scheme
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Just have to convert the movies like for iPod but a different codec and container. DPG I believe.
Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:5, Informative)
Calling the new DS "Gameboy DS" is incorrect. The GameBoy line of portables ended with the GameBoy Advance. The DS is known simply as the "Nintendo DS".
Re:Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:5, Interesting)
They threw Game Boy Advance backwards compatibility in there, though. If they were trying to call it something besides a Game Boy (successor), they sure stirred up a lot of confusion with that move.
Re:Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:4, Insightful)
They threw Game Boy Advance backwards compatibility in there, though. If they were trying to call it something besides a Game Boy (successor), they sure stirred up a lot of confusion with that move.
When the Nintendo GameCube was priced at $149.xx, some units were shipped with an accessory that ran Game Boy Advance games. Yet it was still called a GameCube.
Re:Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:4, Insightful)
They threw the backwards compatibility in simply because it was convenient (the DS has an ARM7 processor that can be clocked down to behave identical to GBA hardware) and because the folks who actually care about such compatibility will know to look for it. Amusingly enough, Slashdot is the only site that I've ever seen confuse the name of the system... this isn't the first time they've done it.
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They wanted to distance themselves from the old brand - just by dint of the name, GameBoy has connotations of a (male) child's toy.
Or they wanted to protect the "Gameboy" brand from the (then) threat of Sony's PSP with what they called the "third pillar" [kombo.com], a handheld with gimmicks like two screens, touch sensitivity, and a microphone. Only after DS exceeded all expectations ("It prints money!") did they let the Gameboy line quietly die.
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GameBoy has connotations of a (male) child's toy.
I know you're right, but when my son upgraded to a DS he let us take his GBA; I replaced the cover with a pink one we ordered off ebay (and a new battery, as well), and gave it my daughter as a "GameGirl."
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They threw GameCube backwards compatibility in on the Wii, though. If they were trying to call it something besides a GameCube (successor), they sure stirred up a lot of confusion with that move.
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They threw Game Boy Advance backwards compatibility in there, though. If they were trying to call it something besides a Game Boy (successor), they sure stirred up a lot of confusion with that move.
Calling their console the "wii" shows nintendo has some odd ideas about names.
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As opposed to Xbox?
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Re:Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:5, Insightful)
The GameBoy line of portables ended with the GameBoy Advance.
GameBoy Advance begat GameBoy Advance SP, which begat GameBoy Micro...
Re:Gameboy DS is a misnomer (Score:5, Funny)
GameBoy Advance begat GameBoy Advance SP, which begat GameBoy Micro...
from the Book of Nintendo, 1:17.
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Actually the Gameboy Micro was the last Gameboy.
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I know people who call the PSP a "gameboy", so it shouldn't surprise you.
No phone yet? (Score:2)
I'm disappointed.
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Ha ha only serious. The cell phones I've had seem to be poorly-thought-out portable game consoles with a phone tacked on as an afterthought. If Nintendo made a game console with a phone added in, at least the gaming part wouldn't suck.
I wonder if... (Score:5, Interesting)
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Color me skeptical. (Score:3, Insightful)
Nintendo has generally been about not bloating its systems in the past. Why would they release a new DS with all this crap while it's still going strong?
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Nintendo has generally been about not bloating its systems in the past. Why would they release a new DS with all this crap while it's still going strong?
Because it will make them trillions of more yen?
What if Nintendo has the expertise to add the new functions without ruining the existing game-play features? And there is also a chance it won't be called a "DS" and will be a new product line that won't affect the game-players.
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Because it will make them trillions of more yen?
Probably not, actually. DS units are still selling out, and Nintendo cannot sell a DS that it has not yet built.
What if Nintendo has the expertise to add the new functions without ruining the existing game-play features?
If it were entirely in Nintendo's hands that would be one thing, but it's not. Give third parties even the slightest chance to take the easy way out over putting in the effort to make quality games, and they'll take that way out every time.
And
Re:Color me skeptical. (Score:5, Interesting)
If it has WPA support, I'll be upgrading my current DS the day that I can. I haven't yet used the online mode because I don't want to downgrade the security on my AP to WEP.
Re:Color me skeptical. (Score:5, Interesting)
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I have, actually. Still am in fact ;). Specifically, the Nintendo WiFi USB thingy that tzhuge mentioned below.
But there's another factor to consider. I mainly play my DS when I'm out and about; at home I mostly spend my spare time on the PC. And unfortunately, even the coffee shops and public libraries seem to be mostly running WPA these days. Sure, the encryption key's readily available, but that doesn't help when the device is so behind the times.
So I'd still upgrade on the release day if it supports WPA!
Tried a Wayport AP? (Score:2)
And unfortunately, even the coffee shops and public libraries seem to be mostly running WPA these days.
Then go to a McDonald's restaurant to use a Wayport AP. Wayport has an agreement with Nintendo to provide complimentary Internet access for every Nintendo WFC game (excluding Nintendo DS Browser).
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Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm in .au.
I'll try looking around some more. There must still be some WEP/unsecured APs around!
Cheers
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I don't know why Apple needs to worry (Score:5, Interesting)
DSOrganize much? (Score:5, Informative)
Most DS games have music, so I really don't see myself listening to different music while playing a game on the DS. Likewise, unless the DS will include an address book, calendar, e-mail, scientific calculator and web browser on board
You just described the feature set of DSOrganize 3.1129, a very popular homebrew application for the Nintendo DS.
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You just described the feature set of DSOrganize 3.1129, a very popular homebrew application for the Nintendo DS.
I appreciate the DS homebrew scene, but it's still not enough. I'd like to have these things on board the unit, not on a separate card I have to swap out with games. I can play a game on my iPod Touch, hit the home button and go right back into my other info. So still, until Nintendo includes these things on board, it's almost a completely different market than Apple.
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Arr matey, you can do all that on one card depending on the flag you fly.
Kidding aside, though my card doesn't support commercial roms, the one thing that has tempted me in getting one that can is having all the games I own on one 2 gig card.
Aftermarket accessories (Score:2, Insightful)
When the DS Lite was introduced, the supply of aftermarket accessories for the DS dried up completely. I wonder if the same thing will happen to DS Lite accessories. It would make sense as it will help to drive sales for this new hardware release.
Better wireless? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hopefully that means WPA capability (finally...)
WPA (Score:3, Informative)
Hopefully that means WPA capability (finally...)
Probably not to existing games. WPA would need driver support, and the Wi-Fi driver is part of the game, not the DS firmware.
But in my opinion, WEP + MAC filtering is good enough. It won't prevent everyone from breaking into your network, but it still establishes an attacker's intent [wikipedia.org] to break into your network and diverts wardrivers to your neighbor's open network.
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There's obviously some bits and bobs that exist outside of the game (hence why WFC settings persist from game to game)
This area of the firmware contains only settings, not code. The only Wi-Fi-related code in the DS firmware is code for the ad-hoc protocols used by PictoChat and DS Download Play, which don't use WEP or WPA.
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That's actually in some battery-backed up SRAM - remove the battery and you'll see your DS reset to defaults (a good way to clear it before selling it).
There are several parts of the wifi puzzle. The first is the WiFi driver itself, which is probably in DS ROM since it's needed by ROM based utilities. Th
Rumor lacking details (Score:5, Insightful)
I think most of us saw this one coming, but the article is completely devoid of any information. First it's still just speculation that this is going to be the new announcement. For all any of us know it could be another new device to interact with the Wii. The only evidence the article even presents is that another news publication carried the rumor yesterday.
There's no mention of how they're going to add music and make it easy to put music on the device. There's no details on the camera either or even if the physical dimensions of the DS are going to be further reduced. Wouldn't it have been better to wait until Thursday when the product is actually announced and all of the details are released?
I don't mind a little speculation, but this had absolutely no substance to it at all. It's just a rumor repeated from another publication without anything of value added. Without the rest of the fluff about sales figures and release dates this article would have been one or two lines at most. What a complete waste of time.
Gameboy DS? (Score:5, Funny)
taco, you sound like my mother.
To be honest... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd like to see more productivity apps for the DS. My son cracked the case of his DS, and I tried fixing it with a new case. It worked, but I guess I didn't plug in the secondary video cable too well because it acts all wonky sometimes; so I got him a new one and kept the old one for myself.
But I don't use it at all (it's stable when you are... it'd go wonky in the car when we hit a bump or something). I don't have any electronic organizers or anything, so I'd really like to see some productivity apps for it. I mean, it's got wifi and everything built in, it seems you should be able to do email, address books, calendars...
I know there is a homebrew group of people who are working on such things, but it seems like another giant pain. I don't have time to tinker. It's odd that Nintendo didn't see fit to release something along those lines themselves.
Re:To be honest... (Score:5, Informative)
I know there is a homebrew group of people who are working on such things, but it seems like another giant pain. I don't have time to tinker.
You don't have to tinker much to run homebrew:
As far as anyone can tell, this rumored product is Nintendo's attempt to kill the market for microSD adapters that are also capable of running unlawful copies of DS games.
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Wow. This is one of the reasons I still read slashdot... despite the crappy signal to noise ratio, I learn cool stuff like this.
Judging by the other responses, can I assume the apps will use the card itself for storage?
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can I assume the apps will use the card itself for storage?
Yes. DS homebrew programs that use libfat [drunkencoders.com] can read and write the FAT16 or FAT32 file system on the microSD card inside the adapter using C standard library calls (fopen family). But if you buy an SD card bigger than 2 GB, you'll have to buy an adapter that supports SDHC.
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With an M3 Real you can use microSDHC cards. I have just over 60 games on mine and that takes up 2.89 GB. If I didn't have a 6GB card, I'd have to cut a lot and wouldn't have much room for music and movies OR I'd have to have a bunch of cards to swap around.
I'd recommend at least 6GB if you want to stick something in there and not have to bother with swapping the card (mine is a little finicky and I have to reseat it a couple times for any swap, so I don't care to do it if I don't have to).
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I'd love to see some more language learning apps. The platform is perfect for that kind of thing. Unfortunately, the only ones I've seen are horrible--there are only three languages available (AFAIK) and in the one I bought (French) I've already spotted numerous errors in the first few lessons I've done (had a couple years of French in college). The concept is solid, though, and the interaction using the stylus is perfect.
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The DS has 4MB of RAM. That's enough for productivity apps. Homebrew productivity apps also have access to the filesystem on the MicroSD card, so they can swap or do standard file I/O if they need it. Speed to/from the SD card is quite reasonable for a handheld platform like the DS.
The web browser is a different animal, the modern web page uses a lot of storage. I think the RAM cart is 16MB. I'm sure some of that is used for a page cache to make performance reasonable.
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And yet this is not relevant when discussing the DS proper, as Nintendo will not be making an SD card slot equipped cartridge available. Even if the unit has 4MB of RAM, it will be inherently limited vs. a PDA for a number of things:
1. Storage - As I said, Nintendo won't release a device with a PC-Compatible memory card slot for obvious reasons.
2. Connectivity - While t
Wii has an SD slot (Score:2)
Nintendo will not be making an SD card slot equipped cartridge available.
Nintendo doesn't have to. Team Cyclops has done so.
Nintendo won't release a device with a PC-Compatible memory card slot for obvious reasons.
What's that slot on the front of my Wii console between the reset and eject buttons?
While the unit has Wifi, they generally only allow connections to their matchup service.
I seem to remember Nintendo DS Browser being able to go to web sites not controlled by Nintendo.
But WHEN? (Score:2)
When will this be released in Japan? I'll be flying through Tokyo in November and the Narita Airport has a huge number of stores. I'm sure one of them will be carrying this thing.
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Bring me back some pocky, please.
Nintendo have already replied to the rumor (Score:5, Informative)
with a 'no comment' style reply, here:
http://kotaku.com/5056082/nintendo-on-that-new-ds-rumor [kotaku.com]
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For one thing it's carefully worded so that there won't be egg on the PR guy's face if it is announced. The biggest suspicious thing about that though, is that Nintendo's denials are almost always "Nintendo doesn't comment on rumours and speculation".
Speculaiton until Thursday (Score:2)
Nintendo DS sales are starting to slow (the PSP has gained popularity over it) and Nintendo always announce successors to handhelds just after they've peaked (DS was announced when the GBA was going strong). The graphics on the DS have long since peaked, developers really aren't able to squeeze any more out
To kill demand for R4, SuperCard, M3, CycloDS, etc (Score:5, Insightful)
adding all this extra stuff to a portable gaming console is just bloatware and evidence that the company doesn't have its priorities straight
We've discussed rumors of this on gbadev.org and pocketheaven.com. Consensus was that Nintendo might do this to make it less likely that people will buy adapters like SuperCard DS One, CycloDS Evolution, or M3 Real for video and then end up using them to pirate games.
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Absolutely what I was thinking. If they beef up the encryption and can break the pirate cards, it's worth it to Nintendo. They just need enough of a carrot to get people to upgrade and I don't think a little-used camera and MP3 player are enough.
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I wouldn't count on this report being correct. Nintendo has had a pure cash cow [gonintendo.com] with the Nintendo DS. Since it market does not appear to have slowed significantly or run into serious competition, why would they refresh the hardware? A few folks have suggested the iPhone as competition, but I don't see anyone purchasing iPhones as DS replacements. Instead, they appear to use their iPhone as a spectacular networked handset and the DS as a gaming platform. The market does not appear ready to confuse the two.
Pe
Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)
[...] they all cite the same source: Nikkei Business Daily. No one has yet independently confirmed this. So take it with a very large grain of salt.
Or considering the source maybe even a grain of rice.
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Or considering the source maybe even a grain of rice.
Hooray for racism!
Hooray for being overly politically correct!
Honestly, why is changing a grain of salt to a food that's a staple for the area that the news is coming from considered racism?
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Re:Cool (Score:5, Funny)
That's not racist.
It's riceist.
Arrr 4 (Score:5, Insightful)
Since it market does not appear to have slowed significantly or run into serious competition, why would they refresh the hardware?
To reduce demand for R4, as I mentioned [slashdot.org].
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To reduce demand for R4, as I mentioned.
If we were talking about a BIOS update, I might believe you. However, Nintendo makes a profit on these machines. They're keeping it 'fresh and exciting'. Slowing 'arrr 4' isn't going to make them more money, at least not in comparison to how much they'll make if the features of the system are interesting to the market.
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Slowing 'arrr 4' isn't going to make them more money, at least not in comparison to how much they'll make if the features of the system are interesting to the market.
Nintendo won't make more money if it keeps losing customers to the rom sites.
Re:Arrr 4 (Score:4, Insightful)
Nintendo won't make more money if it keeps losing customers to the rom sites.
Do you really think millions of people are exclusively using DS ROM sites and not paying Nintendo a cent?
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Those crazy nintendians and their "rational business models", why I tell ya..
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Pretty much. I can't think of any of them having bought a game since getting an R4. And none of them except me even uses any homebrew. One of my friends tried out a homebrew rhythm game, but wasn't impressed. I, on the other hand, have tons of homebrew that I use regularly. It wasn't the sole reason that I bought the R4, however, and anybody who thinks that most people who buy R4s DON'T use them to pirate games is kidding themselves.
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Time for a little history lesson... (Score:3, Informative)
I agree with you. As the DS isn't forced to be connected to the internet all the time like the Wii or XBox 360, there's little chance that a user would install a console firmware update that would brick a hacked firmware or disable Slot1/2 card. So they use the carrot instead of the stick - new shiny carrot vs your old machine that can play homebrew/backup roms but has poor wifi and no camera...
OK, technically the Wii isn't "forced" to be connected to the internet all the time... You always have the option of not connecting the thing to your router - and if you do that, games will still just work. To my knowledge Nintendo doesn't push out firmware updates, either - they send you mails, suggesting you upgrade firmware, but that's it...
Now, regarding the matter of DS updates bricking DSes - it has happened before.
Specifically, old versions of FlashMe (from before Mario Kart DS, the first DS game w
Re:Arrr 4 (Score:5, Insightful)
I somehow doubt that many people are buying these addon cards for Video. I mean, does anyone really watch movies on that tiny screen?
The DS Lite's 3" screen is bigger than an iPod Nano's 2" screen.
How to keep flash cards from booting (Score:3, Informative)
I don't think we'll see a DS refresh breaking any Slot-1 flashcarts, unless they also want to break compatibility with existing DS games.
Imagine the new DS taking a checksum of the ARM7 and ARM9 binaries from the inserted Game Card. The firmware has a list of the SHA-1 values of the first 3,000 or so releases. All releases after that are digitally signed with RSA in much the same way as DS Download Play clients and DS Download Station demos. So when the new DS loads a card, it'll take the SHA-1 as if it were a DS Download Play game. If it checks out against the signature, good. If the SHA-1 is on the whitelist, good. Otherwise, put "An Optio
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Re:Cool (Score:4, Interesting)
From my knowledge, when you buy a game for your iPod, it's tied to that hardware unit, and you can't transfer it to a new iPod.
Yes you can. The iPod/iPhone apps are tied to your iTunes account and not the devices themselves. You can sync multiple devices with one account.
My wife and I each have an iPhone. Whatever apps I buy for my phone are also available on hers. Everything is a two-for-one deal!
Re:Cool (Score:4, Informative)
FYI, Nintendo has officially responded [kotaku.com] to this rumor:
Hmm... playing close to their chest, aren't they?
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The expected reply. Many companies have a policy to never support or deny rumors except with official product announcements so noone can fill in the gaps (e.g. if they were to deny all or most false rumors a refusal to comment will mean it's more likely the rumor is true).
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When a Japanese business rag states something as a fact, you can be pretty sure they have good sources on it. Japanese papers don't play fast and loose with the truth just to sell a few extra copies.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
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You do realize that Nintendo will probably release a next generation hand-held, right?
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These features probably couldn't be used for games unless they were bundled with the new DS, because they're not consistent across the DS hardware.
Generally speaking, add-on hardware tends to have much less of an impact in the gaming market than what the core hardware shipped with. You have to create games that work on ALL generations of hardware - that's the implied contract with customers. Consoles *shouldn't* be moving platforms. That would just alienate existing customers, and ultimately be a recipe
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the only game i can think of that really uses a camera attachment is The Eye of Judgment on the PS3. so i can't see a lot of developers taking advantage of this new feature, especially as old DS owners won't be able to play the games which integrate the camera into the core gameplay.
that said, i think The Eye of Judgment is a very novel concept, and i wish more game developers would experiment with these types of innovative ideas.
and perhaps if the DS gets a decent music player, that'll compel Sony to make
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I don't know if it is true or not but yes the DS is a pure cash cow. That is why they would do it.
People will line up around the corner to get this. Nintendo will make a bigger mint. And the RnD will not cost that much. Nintendo has to keep the RnD department working anyway so why not push a new improved DS out the door.
Heck people go nuts for a new Color of DS much like the IPod so why not a refresh.
They might even cost less to make then the old ones as well.
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That's a pretty good article. And in fact, it's the first evidence (IMHO) that this rumor might be true. i.e. That Nintendo is running the show on a Blue Ocean timetable completely independent of their competition. Otherwise such an announcement wouldn't make a lick of sense.
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As long as I can play my homebrew on it, I'm up for a hardware refresh. On the other hand, I have a feeling if this were actually true and not a rumor, I'd be stocking up on DS Lites right now.
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Yep. And I'm happy enough with Nintendo products, I'm quite willing to support them like this. :)
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that means i'll be able to find an old DS for cheap. =P
aside from the size and aesthetics, is their any difference in functionality between 1st gen DS and the DS lite?
the only console i own at the moment is the PSP, and while i love the system (it's a sweet piece of hardware) I am rather disappointed by Sony's attitude towards their customers and their mismanagement of the platform (why make PSP owners purchase a PS3 to access the PSN when the PSP already has wi-fi + web browser?).
i'm also disappointed that
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Now I have to buy yet another Nintendo DS!
Why? Because it's tempting?
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Now I have to buy yet another Nintendo DS!
Why?