Reader Poll: What do you think of a new DS hardware design?

Yesterday we reported on the rumor that Nintendo was working on yet another DS redesign that would feature bigger screens for improved visibility. Nothing has so far been confirmed, but rumor and speculation go together like Sonic and Knuckles when it comes to the Internet, and we have already started to see some wild (and unofficial) ideas for a potential successor to the DS Lite. We wonder if another DS iteration is really needed; sure, sales would likely rise to even more astronomical levels, but considering the limited success of the Game Boy Micro, perhaps a new DS wouldn’t be a wise idea just yet. As of now nothing is set on stone, but we are free to speculate and think of features that would make the new DS worth a purchase.

Continue reading to hear our take on the features we would like to see in a future version of the DS.

Bigger screens are possible and would make it easier to write on the touch screen, but the resolution of older games might not look so pretty on the larger screen. The overall system size would probably change too; a ‘DS Phat’-sized new system with bigger screens and buttons wouldn’t be too bad. Built-in rumble would be nice, as long as games continue to offer the ‘turn rumble off’ option. A small button could be added to change screen brightness on the go without having to re-boot the system. For those that have played both versions of the DS, you have probably noticed the decrease in speaker volume on the DS Lite; a redesign would be a good opportunity to fix this. Other quirks could be fixed as well; using new technology or better production methods, Nintendo could lessen the amount of dead pixels that end up on retail systems, as well as those odd yellowish touch screens or problematic shoulder buttons. Hardly any regular DS player continues to use PictoChat, but an online-enabled chat system could be implemented on the new DS, and possibly even voice chat. We wonder if the possible system size increase would mean the lack of GBA cartridge support. It’s likely, seeing how the DS practically ate the popularity of the Game Boy Advance, and very few games / accessories take advantage of the second system slot. Nintendo could replace said slot and implement something else; SD card slot for game expansions or data transfer, built-in gyroscopic mechanics a la WarioWare Twisted!, etc.

For now we’ll have to wait and see, and if Nintendo indeed is working on a new DS we would likely hear something about it at this year’s E3 come this July.