DS Lite to arrive in Japan on March 2nd

Redesigned DS to arrive on March 2nd
 Rob Fahey 09:07 26/01/2006
42 per cent smaller, 21 per cent lighter, a little more expensive, out
in around a month

Nintendo has officially announced the widely anticipated redesigned
version of the Nintendo DS handheld console, with a more compact
version of the hardware, dubbed "DS Lite", set to arrive in Japan on
March 2nd.

The system was quietly unveiled on Nintendo's Japanese website last
night, with just one mock-up image of the console available, revealing
a slightly sleeker and more streamlined version of the existing
flip-top DS design.

DS Lite will come in at 133mm wide, 73.9mm high and 21.5mm deep, as
compared to the proportions of the original DS which was 148.7mm wide,
84.7mm high and 28.9mm deep - which in real terms, means that it's 42
per cent smaller than the original DS.

The weight of the console has also been reduced, from 275g in the
original model down to 215g in the new DS Lite, representing a drop of
almost 21 per cent. Despite the smaller size of the unit, it's not
thought that the screens themselves have dropped in size, although
Nintendo doesn't appear to have made any official comment on this.

Aside from the smaller size and weight and the redesigned shell, the DS
Lite has few functionality changes, confounding earlier reports from
some commentators which suggested that it would add voice communication
capabilities and even IP telephony.

The main new feature is an adjustable brightness setting for the
screen, similar to the one offered by Sony's PlayStation Portable,
which will allow users to flick between four different levels of
brightness.

Some components have moved around on the new unit; the power button is
not visible on the face of the machine and may have been moved to the
side, while the microphone has moved to the hinge between the two
screens.

Nintendo will launch the new system in Japan on March 2nd, priced at
16,800 Yen (118 Euro); which is marginally higher than the general
retail price of the existing DS console at present (well, perhaps not
at present - the stock shortages of the DS over New Year saw prices
pushed to silly levels even on second hand units at some retailers).

Despite the widespread rumours of a redesign, the company has been
remarkably secretive about the DS Lite so far - even with its own
staff, with Nintendo UK boss David Yarnton telling GamesIndustry.biz
earlier this week that "we haven't got any plans at the moment -
nothing I know of" when pressed on the question of a DS redesign.

Today may be a nervous day in the office for the usually effusive
Yarnton; he also told us that his staff would "probably throttle" him
if they did have a new DS to deal with as well as the rest of the
Nintendo line-up. So, er, we wish him all the best with that...

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=14285

date: 26 Jan 2006 05:59:26 -0800 author: video-game dude