Nintendo Unveils DS Redesign
Smaller, more compact, and hitting Japan March 2nd.
Nintendo today announced a newly-redesigned version of their DS handheld in Japan, confirming rumors that have been floating around the internet for the past few weeks. The "Nintendo DS Lite" features a smaller case design than the original DS and a higher-quality screen with four brightness settings. According to Nintendo, the name "Lite" is a play on words meant to emphasize both the system's lightweight design (it's about two ounces lighter than the previous DS) as well as its lighter, brighter screen.
We contacted Nintendo for further information and were able to confirm a few extra bits of info beyond what was issued in the release. For starters, the
new DS Lite will continue to play Game Boy Advance games as well; some users have already expressed concern that the GBA slot might have been removed from the new design in order to save money, but we can confirm that this is not the case.
In addition, Nintendo is planning to launch the system in three different colors in Japan, though the actual colors have yet to be determined. The only image released thus far shows a white DS Lite, but Nintendo hasn't yet decided if that will be one of the final choices come launch day. Furthermore, while the physical size of the new DS is smaller (133.0 x 73.9 x 31.5mm -- the old DS was 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9mm), the actual screen itself will remain identical in size to that of the original. And finally, those of you with giant man-hands can rest easy, as the original DS will continue to be sold alongside the new Lite version (at least in Japan).
The DS Lite will be released in Japan on March 2, 2006, and will retail for 16,800 yen (approximately $145 at the current exchange rate).
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