Directional Pad

No DS redesign yet, is anyone surprised?

Well, since the 16th is now officially gone in all but a couple timezones that matter, it's pretty safe to assume that the rumors that came to a head last week about a theoretical redesign of the Nintendo DS are completely unfounded. It also helps that Nintendo of Europe [everyone's least-favourite Branch of Nintendo, whose motto is apparently "Please allow 6-12 months for delivery."] has now gone on record stating that a DS redesign is "pure rumour and speculation."

But we all knew this already, right?

Think about it. The original GBA had massive problems. No screen lighting of any kind, massive pain in the ass to hold, took batteries, etc. Nintendo even acknowledged these problems, and even addressed them. But even then, it took them nearly two years from original release to get the GBA SP out the door. The "problems" with the DS are so insignificant compared to those the original GBA, and the DS is doing so unbelievably well worldwide - even in the face of rather stiff competition from Sony - that Nintendo has no reason to rush an update to market in such a short timeframe.

Does this mean we'll never see an updated DS? Of course not, and not just because I refuse to commit to such absolute statements. I'd be incredibly surprised if we don't see something on this front at E3 2006. Reggie seems to just love whipping out some new handheld product during those keynotes. He's almost got it down to a science. Not quite Steve Jobs "One more thing . . .", but pretty close. Nintendo has never been one to hold back on handheld redesigns, and that's when they didn't have viable competition to deal with. We'll probably see a redesign some time in 2006, just not in January.

Until then, I guess we'll all just have to suffer with our wonderfully designed DS's, with their amazing battery life, always-expanding library of must-have games like the upcoming Tetris DS, and ever-improving homebrew scene. How will we get by? I just don't know.

Discuss this article on the forums.