Nintendo has gone ahead and made a few announcements regarding its upcoming Nintendo DS handheld. The new details confirm the official name for the device, expected in late 2004 in the U.S. and Japan and in Q1, 2005 in Europe, as well as a revised design which hints that the Japanese gaming giant may be after a different kind of consumer this time round.
The innovative dual-screen, wireless, hand-held video game system will feature a new slimmer design, images of which are available to your right and by following the Screens tab above. The logo below both images is the new official logo which will accompany the device in all of its PR appearances.
The new design deviates from what we had seen and tested at E3 this year and it appears there is good reason for that. The feedback from the E3 prototype and our impression as well was that the device seemed like the classic Nintendo portable, aimed at a younger audience. The new device is a lot slicker and in some respects you can't help but feel that the Nintendo people may have had a peek under the sheet covering rival Sony's PSP.
The retooled Nintendo DS features a thinner, black base and an angular platinum flip-top cover. The face buttons and shoulder buttons are larger, and some have been reconfigured for optimum use. The unit includes a new storage slot for the touch screens stylus, and the speakers now broadcast in stereo sound, with or without headphones.
Nintendo also confirmed the obvious by officially naming the device as Nintendo DS. The company claims that the Nintendo DS name evokes the idea of a portable system with dual screens, providing the rationale for the final name.
The Nintendo DS will change the future of hand-held gaming, said Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Dual screens, chat functions, a touch screen, wireless capabilities, voice recognition-- these abilities surpass anything attempted before, and consumers will benefit from the creativity and innovation the new features bring to the world of video games.
Software companies worldwide have more than 120 Nintendo DS games in development. Nintendo alone is developing more than 20 titles, and in excess of 100 companies have signed on to create games for the new system.
The innovative functions make Nintendo DS a superior game device, while the chat feature and ability to detect other DS units make it a social device as well, said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of Americas executive vice president of sales and marketing. We've figured out the magic of what makes portable game play so attractive to consumers. We've defeated nine challengers and once again were prepared to win.
Nintendo will announce a precise launch date, price and game lineup for Nintendo DS at a later date.
