Rumor: Nintendo DS screen size increase in 2007

by Blake Snow { Dec 18th 2006 at 1:58PM }

Well if there's no new games this week, then by golly, let there be rumors. The newest one comes from the always reliable Japanese blogs and forums and suggests that Nintendo will release yet another redesigned DS next year in Japan. The unofficial, highly speculative, and translated report goes on to say that both screens will be slightly larger at 3.5-3.8 inches in comparison to the current 3 inch diagonal Lite version. For reals? Well, it's anyone's guess if this little snippet holds any credibility, but is there any doubt Nintendo will release another DS iteration sometime in the future?

[Thanks, O_o, via N-Europe]

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ignatius @ Dec 18th 2006 2:04PM

Now Sony can't say they have a huge screen. Rofl.

Ritz @ Dec 18th 2006 2:04PM

Why?

cfrog7 @ Dec 18th 2006 4:14PM

sweet, but when are they going to announce the next game boy? Also, theres still no ds wii connectivity, but when they have it it should be cool. I really hope they don't kill off gameboy.

is @ Dec 18th 2006 2:07PM

If this is true, it COULD indicate that nintendo has plans to expand the multimedia capability of the DS, as I indicated in my last post here: http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/18/wsj-sony-to-offer-video-downloads-to-battle-itunes/#comments

That my interpretation at least.

sparkguy @ Dec 18th 2006 2:06PM

just what ive been waiting for

Eggroll @ Dec 18th 2006 2:09PM

Time to get rid of my DS...again...

crono141 @ Dec 18th 2006 2:10PM

At first, I'd be glad for it to have a bigger screen.

But then I just remembered I already own 3 DS lites as it is, and probably won't buy big screen versions at this point.

delldude420 @ Dec 18th 2006 2:14PM

nintendo has a2 year plan so they might not release til 2008

unless the new gameboy will comeout but then again nintendo showed off the micro at the same time as ds so who knows

nintendos handheld plans

gba
2 years later
gba sp
2 years later
gba micro

ds
2 years later ds lite

CJC @ Dec 18th 2006 2:17PM

Man, I still haven't even upgraded to a Lite yet.

Will there even be room for buttons without compromising the awesome smallness the the DS Lite has accomplished?

Brogan @ Dec 18th 2006 2:19PM

that's a 5 inch screen surely on a screen so much bigger older games will look like shit as the been designed for the a small size and new games will be unplayable (unreadable text and the like) on older ds because they be designed for larger screens

Steve @ Dec 18th 2006 2:19PM

As to possibly avoid any consumer outrage at the release of yet another version of the DS, Nintendo may just quietly release this version the same way they did with the second version of the GBA-SP (the one with the really bright screen).

BlindsideDork @ Dec 18th 2006 2:24PM

#7

The New GameBoy is no longer existent. They were going to do it, the follow up to GameBoyAdvance but then the DS took off so well, why create a GameBoy to cut off the DS? So they stuck with the DS.

Was it really 2 years that they released the Lite?

I meant to get one but I haven't got around to it...maybe i will wait for this next one if it comes out this year(2007), cause my DS right now is working just fine!

poke50uk @ Dec 18th 2006 2:23PM

Its true..
met a nintendo rep the other day...
before these rumours
we were disscussing the wii
he said there was a update for the ds in feb 2007
i feel special

accidental @ Dec 18th 2006 2:30PM

Brogan, the pixels would just be bigger, so the same informaton is being displayed, just larger overall. They'd never increase the resolution of the DS (see: GB Micro, smaller screen, but smaller pixels so no visual information is lost) both because the hardware was designed to handle it's current res, and because the visual quality of past games would be worse. The 3D games might look shittier like Metroid Prime Hunters which already looks very 'pixel-spritey' as it is and would be amplified on a larger-pixel screen.

I personally don't think Nintendo would make the screen larger for the very reason that the visuals would appear worse, the current screen's pixels are already big enough to see anyway so any bigger would be quite horrible I think.

epobirs @ Dec 18th 2006 2:31PM

THe big question here is whether this would be the same resolution or greater. If it's the same resolution it'll be a bit easier on the eyes but not nearly the gain to be had from increased resolution. Existing DS games could run at their normal resolution with a black border, much like GBA games on the DS, with a stretch option like GBC games on the GBA. New games would take advantage of the resolution but would also need to run in the lesser res, making some hard decisions for developers.

If the new model is promoted as a new platform with more than just added resolution, a DS Advance perhaps, then it wouldn't be a problem to eventually transition to new games requiring the new model, much like the transition period before games for the GBC stopped supporting earlier B&W units.

A lot would depend on how Nintendo handles the existing DS. If they dropped it down to $99 it could take the role of the GameBoy. Just call it GameBoy DS and they're ready to sell. That would leave the high end segment wide open for a mondo deluxe DS Advance at $149 to make Sony's life harder.

One possible feature, that would tie in well with higher screen resolution, would be to have an SD card slot and the ability to run classic games purchased through the Wii's Virtual Library. They would need to be separate files since the Wii versions are integrated into their emulators and an entirely separate set of emulators would be needed for the DS.

Right now, the DS screen resolution is too low for direct emulation of many older consoles without a lot of image distortion. But it would take much more pixels to eliminate that issue.

Eviil @ Dec 18th 2006 2:31PM

The money tree Nintendo style.

James @ Dec 18th 2006 2:36PM

I think I'll hold onto my DS phat for a while longer. Probably until it breaks. If it can be broke.

Still, I can't quite understand people who continually buy new DS's all the time. Can someone explain that to me please?

jsmooove @ Dec 18th 2006 2:44PM

Brogan did you read the story b4 posting? Its a 3.5 to 3.8 inch screen not 5. An increase in screen size is being discussed not an increase in the screen resolution. "Hey Nintendo is copying the psp by having a larger screen!" By fanboy logic that is what is happening. "Hey SONY copied the wii controls!" What ever I wish all handhelds had large higher res screens and all home consoles had motion control of some type.

Fred T @ Dec 18th 2006 2:41PM

A direction i see them moving in is a Virtual Console type platform. They could get rid of the GBA slot and replace it with an SD slot.

Now, they can 'offer' thousannds of GB, GB Colour, and older GBA games for sale (since cartridges are more difficult to produce after their run is over). Perhaps they will let you play your VC (wii) purcahses on it as well; although, more likely they will make you buy them again.

They can also distribute simple games like Brain training in a much more efficient way.

And, if you havent figured it out yet, DS = GameBoyNext. They've set a precendent with the touch screen; now, any handheld device they put out will NEED to incorporate a touch screen, and thus, will be a DS type device. That whole 'third pillar' crap was spewed in case DS didnt catch on.

AStalkingButler @ Dec 18th 2006 2:47PM

Not going to happen. There is no way Nintendo is going to ruin the DS's mojo until the weekly figures in Japan drop well below 100k. And that seems a way off.

Though I do like the idea of a portable system to run games from the VC.

poke50uk @ Dec 18th 2006 3:02PM

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdraw?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US2006252548&F=0&QPN=US2006252548

^
is that it?
Publication date: 2006-11-09

MaX PL @ Dec 18th 2006 2:55PM

whomever buys into more of this nintendo BS is an idiot.

stop feeding them.

Prokaryote @ Dec 18th 2006 3:05PM

Give me a break. The best thing I can say about Sony is that at least they don't redesign the PSP every five seconds.

Brogan @ Dec 18th 2006 3:13PM

18 the story said that the current screen was 3 inches across so to work out the new screen size i did Asqd+Bsqd =Csqd GCSE maths FTW

josh @ Dec 18th 2006 3:21PM

"Give me a break. The best thing I can say about Sony is that at least they don't redesign the PSP every five seconds."

Why does it matter? My original DS still works fine even though there is the DS Lite. I'm sure it will continue to work when and if this larger-screen DS comes out, as well.

Eric @ Dec 18th 2006 3:41PM

No one is making anyone buy the upgrades. If you want the item then get it, otherwise, Nintendo is just a smart company and creating impoved versions of a sucessful product

Mini_Dragon @ Dec 18th 2006 3:45PM

If it is true, I wont get mad at Nintendo.
Ill just laugh at everyone who had a DS "phat" and bought a Lite :D.

lucky644 @ Dec 18th 2006 4:06PM

"22. Give me a break. The best thing I can say about Sony is that at least they don't redesign the PSP every five seconds."

Heaven forbid they actually continue to try and IMPROVE their design....

Selfish jerks.

Crazylink @ Dec 18th 2006 4:21PM

I haven't bought a Lite yet so this could be great.

ackmondual @ Dec 18th 2006 4:15PM

@ #16
""I think I'll hold onto my DS phat for a while longer. Probably until it breaks. If it can be broke.

Still, I can't quite understand people who continually buy new DS's all the time. Can someone explain that to me please?""

For new features silly. Lite offers brighter screens, smaller handheld size, and better placed start/select buttons. Don't know what else this new DS will offer, but it seems Nin may be able to up the ante even on the Lite.

The only thing worse are ppl who upgrade their ipod at every generation.

.

@ #18
"" "Hey Nintendo is copying the psp by having a larger screen!" By fanboy logic that is what is happening""

I think #2 was being sarcastic there. If not, whatever.

Linkman2004 @ Dec 18th 2006 4:19PM

This just seems fake. Making the screens larger would mean making the whole unit larger, screwing one of the reasons they made the DS Lite in the first place.

11: "Its true..
met a nintendo rep the other day...
before these rumours
we were disscussing the wii
he said there was a update for the ds in feb 2007
i feel special"

Yeah, sure you did...

Von Karma @ Dec 18th 2006 4:23PM

DS was clunky and had a shitty stylus. At least DS Lite was an improvement, and everyone saw it coming.

This will probably be useless, but I can't blame Nintendo for knowing trendy idiots and fanboys are willing to re-buy. I think I'll stick with my Lite, and wait until a hopeful PSP redesign.

AssemblyLineHuman @ Dec 18th 2006 5:15PM

NO BUTTONS!

...just a thought.

James @ Dec 18th 2006 4:41PM

@#21: that mosaic you linked to can't be it, it only shows A and B buttons (no X or Y).

Anyway, I haven't bought a DS yet, so I'd really like to know if this rumor has any teeth so I know to hold off until the "next next" DS comes out -- maybe it will be worth getting, but if not, a Lite should be cheaper than they are now, so I win either way.

Still, I wish there was a DS with a Gameboy link port. I own an SP and an origial GBA, but I'd like to have two backlit Gamecube controllers -- the GBA is really effin hard to see.

phipps @ Dec 18th 2006 4:53PM

I honestly think its going to be hard to redesign the ds again and be better than the ds lite. It will probably be like the game boy micro, just an alternative. If anything, maybe even smaller screens. If they can really improve then i'm sold (that will be 3 ds's!) but i really doubt it.

JS @ Dec 18th 2006 4:54PM

This is what happens when you dont put your best product out in the first place, 3 DS already,, LAMO

crono141 @ Dec 18th 2006 5:07PM

"This is what happens when you dont put your best product out in the first place, 3 DS already,, LAMO"

Yep, you get one customer buying 3 of your product. Thats such bad business practice, I know.

hef @ Dec 18th 2006 5:12PM

I have read a few posts from people with the old DS. I was once like you. I wasn't sure if it was worth upgrading. To me the size of the unit isn't what is really important. But the screen brghtness is a revelation! Those badboys pump out vibrant colour like you wouldn't believe. You won't go back once you see them side by side.
As for a new DS, I think it's unnecessary. They should release a portable 'Cube around the same time as PSP2.

Kai @ Dec 18th 2006 5:58PM

Yes, this is expected. When the only commercials I see on TV for the DS is to "old people" who can't remember their friend's names, I naturally expect them to come out with a bigger version.

Sure, the screens are sharp and bright, but very small. You can't expect grandma to have to get her glasses to play the cash cow Brain Training, do you?

drew @ Dec 19th 2006 11:20PM

This is Great, I was just about to buy a DS!!! Now i'll wait it out and see what happens.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Dec 19th 2006 5:05AM

*Steve: "As to possibly avoid any consumer outrage at the release of yet another version of the DS, Nintendo may just quietly release this version the same way they did with the second version of the GBA-SP"

Are you joking? Nintendo people are never outraged over anything.

*epobirs: "Right now, the DS screen resolution is too low for direct emulation of many older consoles without a lot of image distortion. But it would take much more pixels to eliminate that issue."

And a magnifier. Remakes would be a better idea. The ARM processors aren't really fast enough for decent emulation, anyway.

*James: "Still, I can't quite understand people who continually buy new DS's all the time. Can someone explain that to me please?"

For the same reason people upgrade their iPods. For the same reason people trade in a car with 9,000 miles to get the same car with new styling. For the same reason people will buy a 2nd Wii just because it now comes in red.