My Vision of the Next DS

Lately there's been a lot of talk about the next DS. And they're not talking about another redesign like the DS Lite. They're talking about another platform altogether. Just as the Nintendo 64 became the Gamecube and the Game Boy Color became the Game Boy Advance, people are starting to talk a lot about the handheld commonly dubbed "DS 2".

Since it seems to be the current "it" thing to talk about, I guess I'd better toss in my two cents. Here's what I think the next DS will be like.

No GBA support

The ol' Game Boy Advance really is getting on in years. I don't think it's had a decent game released for it since Drill Dozer back in early 2006. So why bother adding something to a console that won't likely be used? The Game Boy Advance had a good, seven year run. But nothing can last forever.

And besides, ditching support for the old can make more room for the new, as well as lower production time and costs. And without the need for the big old cartridge slot, it will be possible to make the new DS even smaller! Imagine an entire, closed DS 2 no thicker than the bottom section of a DS Lite. The technology is there! Just look at the Game Boy Micro and the iPhone!

An SD card slot

Speaking of the whole "out with the old, in with the new" mentality, I see the next DS having a built-in SD card slot. And what would that be for? I'm seeing music, movies, pictures and more! Imagine using an SD card to input your own custom music into a Need For Speed game, or having your own pictures appear as posters in an in-game store. Sounds pretty neat, huh?

And of course, there'd be a separate mode just for listening to music, watching movies and checking out pictures. So if you don't have a specially made game, you'd still be able to see your files. It'd almost be cruel to not include this!

Larger, wider screens

It seems that everywhere you look nowadays, be it televisions, computer monitors or frequent fast food-eaters' waistlines, everything's going wide. So why can't the DS follow suit? Just imagine two huge, 4.3" wide screens, sitting one above the other. It's be like two PSPs stuck together! A DS with a resolution of 16:9... Now that's a handheld worth camping out for!

The raw horsepower of a handheld Gamecube

The Gamecube was one powerful system. Resident Evil 4, anyone? Take that, and imagine playing it on a handheld console. Crazy? Yes. Possible? It seems so! After all, look at the PSP. It came out in 2005, two months short of three years ago. The PSP was practically a PS2 in the palm of your hand, so really, a pocket-sized Gamecube may not be too far away.

And further helping this guess is an old rumour that was floating around. IGN said the following back in August 2006:

IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo hand-held -- presumably one that plays GameCube discs.

Yeah, so what? A rumour's a rumour, right? In this case, perhaps not. Shortly after the article containing this quote was posted, it was pulled from the website, and later reposted, WITHOUT the above quote. Would they go through all that if it were merely a rumour? I don't think so...

A DS with Gamecube-level graphics is almost confirmed to be on the way. With the increase of technology's limits, a decrease of cost, and the above suspicious activity, I'm nearly positive of this super-charged handheld's existence.

Put it all together and the end result is...

A handheld DS, with an SD card slot, two three inch wide LCD 16:9 screens, and the goldmine of graphical power that is the Gamecube. Add to it a sleek design, a great gaming library and some Nintendo magic, and voila! You've got one hell of a handheld system.

Is this in any way near what the DS 2 will be like? Will it be so powerful and have so many bells and whistles? Or does Nintendo have something even more grand up their sleeve? Only time will tell, and until then, we can do nothing but dream...

The Duck Has Spoken.