Nintendo DS2 to be announced this year, released not too long after?
By Paul Miller 
posted January 17th 2010 10:05PM
posted January 17th 2010 10:05PM
Nintendo has already been talking up what a Nintendo DS successor might look like, so it wouldn't come as too much of a shock if we saw the device in the near term. That's what EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes, anyway. He has a research note out saying that Nintendo will be releasing a new handheld in the next 15 months, and make the announcement within the next eight months. The reasons are numerous, including the need to bone up on online distribution, rampant piracy, and just the regular march of technology that Nintendo is never unaware of -- just ask the routinely trounced handheld competition. Unfortunately, there's nothing "solid" in this report as far as we can tell, so we'll have to wait for some "unnamed sources" or our cousin's friend's dad's barber to weigh in and tell us how it really is.
The more Nintendo tries to fight piracy, the fewer pieces of hardware they'll sell. That's pretty much the main reason to get the PSP, is the ability to hack it, and put emulators and ROMS onto it.
Obviously they want people to pay for the games, but they need to recognize that the ability to hack the handheld devices is what many, many people buy them for.
@Solidstate89
you sure!
Nintendo DS has out sold the PSP worldwide!
@Solidstate89
We need good games to sell the hardware not piracy, what's point of allowing piracy when there's nothing to pirate? Game developers is there for money, piracy isn't profitable, why waste good money developing, when nobody's paying? Seriously, how many games can you play? How may of your pirated games, load it once, never touch it again? Maybe you are a collector, who archive games, but I'm a gamer, who play games, availability of pirated games isn't important, availability of quality games is important.
@Solidstate89
Maybe that is the reason your typical engadget reader would buy one, but not the average consumer. Sometimes people lose sight of that on this sight.
ds...²?
....four screens sounds like a bit much for me
It'll be called the Iii. The Is represent people. one of them is you playing it, and the other 2 represent 2 other guys standing around watching you from 20 feet away, wishing they had a Iii too.
Why would they release a replacement when the DS is still selling so well? It just doesn't make any business sense and seems even less likely with the large DS still not even out yet.
@Frith
Why release when the DS is in a slump?
Its a good idea to take advantage of the situation of the great demand and bring out a new product, especially when its been out for a wile and still going strong.
@Frith Um, maybe that's why this would be released (according to the rumour) in 2011, rather than now. Just a guess...
Even so it does seem a bit soon after DSi (i.e. hardly time for any DSi-specific games).
Excuse me, do you have a cousin named Sven?
If this is suppose to be a step off of the First Generations of DS
(DS phat, DS Lite, DSi)
Then I expect this to be so much better than the already best handheld game system.
I want my Tegra 2, my snapdragon, and 2 HD screens
Not only will it be more powerful than the Wii, it'll have HD before their console too lolol
@Drybones5 You realize Tegra 2 and Snapdragon are both platforms, right? Tegra 2 (or, the Tegra 250) is a chipset with a Cortex A9 MP applications processor and an nVidia embedded graphics core. Snapdragon is a chipset with the Scorpion (modified Cortex A8 MP, being upgraded to Cortex A9 MP) applications processor, an integrated graphics platform, and mobile station modem. Therefore, it would make no sense for them to both be included in a handheld gaming platform. But, yeah, it would be cool for them to use an up-to-date applications processor in their handhelds, rather than the old-ass ARM7TDMI they've been using across the DS series.
@aschettler
what is SHOULD of said was specs similar to those lol
"Rampant Piracy"
I wonder why... maybe it's a whole lot easier to carry a DS loaded with 500 games on one cartridge, as opposed to carrying them in a backpack.
I mean seriously, I'm switching between Super Mario, Prof Layton, Ninja Gaiden and GTA:CW on a single subway ride...
Make them downloadable, make them cheaper (no packaging, distribution..etc should lower their prices), and piracy will end. But I think I'll go for the PSP2 though... I need real next-gen portable gaming.
@TareG PSP Go isn't selling very well though...
@mocax
Who brought up the PSP Go? It's not the PSP2... it's actually worse than the original PSP, IMO.
@TareG
The PSP Go uses the distribution model you're referring to IIRC. Correct me if I'm wrong.
@BigJayDogg3
It's not selling well bec it's too expensive for a redesign, and you can basically get a normal PSP for a lot less and play the same games on a larger screen.
Yesssss. Will be waiting patiently with my coral pink DS lite. Totally happy i didn't get a DSi
I still have an original DS. Never saw the need to give nintendo anymore of my money for a re-design that is gonna play the same games.
Yeee haw another DS!
Honestly I am sick of all these DS iterations (DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSiLL, DS2?) If it's going to bring new stuff to the table I think they should come up with some new branding. Maybe bring back the Gameboy brand..
DS2 is just a placeholder name. And either way, the 2 would entail a completely new iteration, not just a minor hardware upgrade, like the DSi.
Wait you're saying the "DS" brand is getting monotonous, yet you don't mind them bringing back "Game Boy"?
- Game Boy
- Game Boy Pocket
- Game Boy Light (japan only)
- Game Boy Color
- Game Boy Advance
- Game Boy Advance SP
- Game Boy Advance SP (backlit version)
- Game Boy Micro
@Plothole
I actually prefer the GameBoy name to the DS one. I guess its the same way I like my cars to have actual names as opposed to alpha-numeric characters.
And if this surprises anyone who has been alive for more than 5 years I have some excellent oceanfront property to sell you in Zimbabwe. It is rather expensive, five hundred decillion Zimbabwe dollars.
As far as piracy goes, just from observing the various kids my kids play with, it's virtually 100% for the DS now. Everyone has a MicroSD reading chip.
@Gregorian
I can confirm that. It's a shame bec amazing games like GTA:CW had to pay the price, very, very dearly.
If Nintendo doesn't address this (by releasing the new DS2), I don't think any 2010 DS game will make any money...
here I am hoping that Nintendo would come out with something like MSI Dualscreen 7' UMPC (http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/08/msi-dualscreen-umpc-concept-had-us-at-dualscreen/ ). Or maybe that MSI DualScreen(DS) is the DS2 itself?
i used to have that exact gameboy color with pokemon red, aw the memories :D
I miss my gameboy color lol..i never was big into handheld consoles like DS or psp..but im thinking about getting one..if the ds2 comes out ill def get it..i with i had 3 hands because i have my mp3 player phone now i need a handheld console
I hope it's the Gameboy 2. We don't need any more DS lites.
Nintendo was lying through its teeth when it claimed that there wasn't a planned successor to the Nintendo DS. We know it's coming... they didn't order a bunch of Tegra2 processors for curiosity's sake, or to prop up the legs of some really tiny tables.
What really burns me is that they're so adamant about their deception, right up until the day a new hardware spec is announced. Isn't this what they did with the DS Lite? One day it's "no, there's no new DS coming out," and the next it's "we'd like to introduce the next DS!" I know they're playing the corporate game, but some people actually believe that shit. At least use the standard "we don't comment on rumor or speculation." It's a stonewall but at least you're not outright lying to your customers.
@MNeko I think the problem is a matter of how you interpret what they say. Nintendo would never say "There will be no DS successor." Rather, they would say "We have no plans to announce anything now." This is not the same as the first. You may expect that they are ALWAYS working on the next generation of products. But they never make announcements about them until Nintendo is ready to do so.
Nintendo doesn't want news of a new system to cannibalize the sale of the current system. Especially with the XL iteration of the current DS system on the horizon.
Ahh kiwi-green Gameboy Color how I loved thee.
I had that Game Boy Color. I remember that useless light never dimmed enough and I would have no warning when my battery went out. Good times.
I do remember thinking, when I got it home, that the screen was very small and there was an awful lot of black space that they could have used.
Hmmm, this one better pay off. Nintendo is hurting a bit, strange as it is.
I really hope not. Its a bit too soon. The DS itself is still steamrolling the hell out of the PSP. And USA doesn't even have the DSiXL yet. So I think they may showcase the DS 2 at e3, but I doubt it'll see the light of day till maybe Q3 of 2011 earliest. The DS right now is murdering the competition, so why kill it while its king? Kinda dumb.
Ds original is the best. I have original and lite. They haven't been used in a year since lack of games. Well I got a game for it. The lite's touch screen doesn't work in an area but original is FINE!