DS the Third: another redesign on its way?

Recognize the picture? This is a prototype of the original DS design, which was eventually retouched to what we now know as the DS Phat. 2006 brought to light the DS Lite, with great aesthetic improvements and a smaller, thinner unit. Talks of yet another DS redesign have come and gone…and they’re back. Pacific Crest Security analyst Evan Wilson sparks once again the possibility of a third DS model:

“Our contacts indicate that a refreshed DS is complete; it is thinner (it has no GBA port), has on-board storage, and larger screens. However, we do not expect a revamped […] DS until sales begin to tail off in all three major geographies.“

Our thoughts? A DS ‘refresh’ could be great; speakers could be louder, screen brightness could be changed with the push of a button, and perhaps PictoChat could get the Wi-Fi treatment. The possible removal of the GBA port doesn’t sound so good, however; some games, such as Pokémon Diamond / Pearl, would lose a few of their features, and accessories such as the Rumble Pack, RAM Pack, and the Arkanoid DS paddle would not be supported, and neither would possible game expansions or unlockable content via GBA connectivity. We are intrigued by the possibility of on-board memory; perhaps this is the start of the rumored DS ‘Virtual Console’ for old-school Game Boy / Color game downloads.

Rumor or fact, if true, then we can expect to stick to our Lites for a while; the system shows no signs of slowing down in sales or software support. There aren’t as many anticipated titles as there have been in the past, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of game companies, including Nintendo, announced upcoming DS surprises to look forward to in the coming months. A third DS in the works, or finished? We’ll have to wait and see.

Thanks: [GameSpot]