It has only just been speculated by Enterbrain boss Hirokazu Hamamura that Nintendo will be bringing out a brand new edition of the Nintendo DS, unveiling the newly revised model at E3. Yet it got Nintendic thinking about just what exactly could be included in the third version of the immensely popular portable platform. So head inside to see some background on Nintendo’s past dealings with console changes, what it has already done with the DS and check out a few of the dream ideas that have been conjured up…

The first thing you have to consider is just how Nintendo has updated its systems in the past. You might believe that the company certainly does not like to remove major functionality from its platforms and run the risk of diluting the market in doing so. However, that assertion would be somewhat incorrect given how even as far back as with the NES / Famicom there were additions made to the console that meant gamers could not experience particular releases, such as the Famicom Disk System, for which games such as Super Mario Bros. 2 (The Lost Levels as we know it in the West) were released. The Super NES / Super Famicom equally had the online Satellaview service, for which new versions of Zelda and Fire Emblem were released, amongst many others, and then with the Nintendo 64 not only was there the 64 Disk Drive add-on (which saw the likes of the F-Zero X Expansion Pack, complete with extensive track creator, the original Doshin the Giant and SimCity 64 released in Japan), but the Expansion Pak that increased the amount of memory in the console, allowing Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64 to play, but alienating fans that wanted said products but did not have the extra memory.

The handheld side has seen its fair share of changes over the years as well, with the original Game Boy ‘brick’ being transformed into the slim-line Game Boy Pocket, followed by the Game Boy Colour that proved to be nothing more than a stop-gap whilst Nintendo finalised its plans for Project Atlantis, the format that came to be known as the Game Boy Advance. And Nintendo’s 32-bit portable was not guilt-free either in terms of amendments, with the clam-shell ‘Special Project’ SP edition arriving a couple of years into its lifetime to add front-lighting for better viewing of games, as well as added protection for the delicate Liquid Crystal Display screen, as well as a new vertical orientation that was later adopted by the Nintendo DS. Following this, Nintendo decided to ditch the old Game Boy and Game Boy Colour backwards compatibility aspect of the Game Boy Advance when it launched to miniscule Game Boy micro. Simply put, if people wanted the thrills of playing GBA titles on-the-go, with a screen that was easily as bright as that of the PlayStation Portable, all at a lower cost, then losing the ability to play comparably ancient GB and GBC games was surely a small price to pay, according to Nintendo. And arguably it was a very valid point as, in the eyes of this writer anyway, the micro was a fantastic little device that pumped new life into many of the GBA classics, as well as newer releases like Final Fantasy V and Mother 3. Older games were certainly not missed!

But what about the Nintendo DS – how can it seriously get any better than it already is? Nintendo is currently in the position of having the dual-screened portable be the market leader in Japan, surpassing the twenty-one million sales of the PlayStation 2 in half the time in the marketplace, whilst the system is also on track to topple Sony’s behemoth home console in the worldwide sales stakes as well, without even breaking a sweat. This is more than slightly impressive for what was originally meant to be a ‘Third Pillar’ platform for the Kyoto Company, one that if it only had a low infiltration rate Nintendo said it would not be too bothered due to the low manufacturing costs involved in its creation. And it certainly was not to be a direct competitor to Sony’s first ever handheld, the PlayStation Portable. Basically slightly more powerful than a Nintendo 64, the first generation line-up of DS games was nothing particularly amazing in terms of visual prowess, instead looking more like spruced-up Super Nintendo or Game Boy Advance titles, with the exception of Super Mario 64 DS. The design of the portable was deemed to be rather clunky as well, lacking the cool appearance of the PlayStation Portable and darker back-lighting to improve battery consumption levels. Yet the PlayStation Portable was still left in the dust as the DS shot off into the distance, amassing a comfortable sales lead over what was indeed becoming a surprisingly major threat to Sony’s début in the portable market.

It was not until the first revision, the Nintendo DS Lite, though, that the system really cranked up a gear and began to flood the market, terrorising the competition. But what was changed to make it so much more appealing? Well, nothing terribly drastic, that is definitely for sure. The casing was made to look sleeker than before, the innards were streamlined to reduce its weight, the brightness of the screens was improved and the position of various things was moved around (such as the microphone input point and stylus holster, complete with longer stylus). Other than that, it still included the extremely defunct and pointless Pictochat, came with its wireless connection straight out of the box and had the standard DS media card and Game Boy Advance cartridge compatibility.

The question has to be, though, if Nintendo does indeed release a third revision of the DS, a mere two years after the Lite hit, just what could be included, or even removed, to make it more appealing to the masses, and draw in that wider demographic that has only been slightly tapped into thanks to products such as English Training and Brain Training? Clearly the Touch! Generations software approach is only going to go so far, so Nintendo may well need to take some drastic measures to squeeze more life out of the DS. Below is just a sample of the ideas that could possibly appear:

Larger / Clearer / Non-Reflective Screens

If Nintendo is indeed going to seriously target the elder generation, then it has to take into consideration the fact that as people begin to age, their eyesight generally starts to deteriorate. Therefore, why not increase both the size of the DS screens as well as the resolution of the images upon them? On top of that, moving towards using better quality LCD screens would be beneficial to improve the longevity of the system on the whole, plus ensure that the screens are non-reflective to prevent the annoyance of having trouble playing the system outside due to screen glare. Maybe even using the new Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) could be a possibility…

Include a TV Tuner

There have been reports last year of how the One-Seg TV Tuner has already been a tremendous success in Japan, with DS owners clamouring to pre-order so many copies from the manufacturer’s website that the site had to be closed due to the unexpected popularity. However, just as gamers in the UK can now use the BBC’s iPlayer on Wii and the Japanese can get TV listings on their Wii consoles, just imagine how impressive it would be if you could wander around and watch your favourite shows on the DS anywhere you desire, all available at the touch of a button? The PlayStation Portable has already proven how popular portable media players can be, so this would definitely be a feature that would entice many more users due to the sheer accessibility of the DS in general.

Built-in Opera Browser

Nintendo has actually withdrawn the Opera Browser from retail due to lack of interest in the idea of forking over £30 just to get online with a very out-dated version of Opera’s product, that could not even be updated at all. However, should the feature come as part of the package, along with the ability to upgrade when necessary to maintain the maximum efficiency, then who would seriously complain about such an addition? It would most certainly be a far better use of the DS internal memory than the totally redundant PictoChat programme and could become an integral feature if Nintendo made good use of the online side, offering up various different services.

Aesthetic / General Alterations

Obviously there are a few issues still with the DS Lite that people have mentioned over the past year or so. For instance, some feel that the battery life could be further improved, as could the speaker quality since currently it struggles to cope with heavy bass, resulting in sound corruption to some degree. The inclusion of internal force feedback or simple rumble effect would be beneficial as well, rather than having to insert a separate pack into the GBA slot. The addition to the gameplay experience was magnified considerably during the N64 days and people complained so much when the PlayStation 3 launched with the rumble-less Sixaxis that now the DualShock 3 has replaced it as a result. Surely handheld rumble has to be a given at some point to respond to consumer demand. And how about making the system slightly thinner still, with rounder shoulder buttons to improve ergonomics? Any little extra touches would be much appreciated, no doubt, and counter the speed the PlayStation Portable has picked up since the release of the Slim & Lite version.

Improved Online Services / Connectivity / Storage

One major problem that people draw attention to is how the Nintendo DS cannot connect to wireless routers due to the lack of WPA/WPA2 support, instead having to rely on the cumbersome Nintendo Wi-Fi Adaptor that still has some compatibility issues with Windows Vista. The other bugbear is the lack of upgradeable firmware on offer. Many thought the DS’s wireless connection would allow for upgrades at some point, but clearly nothing has been forthcoming due to the lack of on-board memory. If these issues could be resolved, many people would be singing Nintendo’s praises from the rooftops. This would thusly be linked, as well, with the idea of including more internal Flash Memory or even SD card support so that media player functionality might be used, or even the transfer of Virtual Console games from Wii to DS could occur for retro gaming on the go.

Becoming More Wii-Like

Considering how popular the Wii has become over the past year and a half, why not create something of a Wii-esque portable experience? Whilst including Gyroscopes for tilt control might be an idea that would be better saved for a full-blown Nintendo DS follow-up, there could be the implementation of basic ‘Channels’ or at least a menu system that is akin to that of Wii, with Weather and News services also being bundled in, or something completely fresh. Other ideas might include the likes of a calendar system being added in, a contacts manager and / or a text messaging option.

Introduce a Portable Virtual Console Service

Finally, since the Virtual Console has already been such a major success on Wii, Nintendo could think about bringing retro portable titles to the Nintendo DS instead of Wii. This could breathe new life into the many Game Boy and Game Boy Colour classics out there, as well as possibly tap into other handhelds from over the years, like the Atari Lynx or Bandai WonderSwan. And the fact that this has been discussed only as recently as October of last year, certainly gives hope for such an idea to come to fruition.

Looking at the above, readers may be wondering why the seemingly obvious idea of removing the Game Boy Advance slot has not been broached. This is for one simple reason – the second DS slot is no longer being used as a mere GBA slot, instead proving to be an access point for numerous peripherals, such as Taito’s special paddle controller for Arkanoid, the expansion song pack for Band Brothers in Japan and the forthcoming accessory for use with Guitar Hero DS. Nintendo would certainly be stepping on far too many people’s toes if it removed that functionality from the system, so it would be a stunningly risky move if it took such a direction.

After reading all of the above, what are your thoughts on the matter? Feel free to express your opinion on the ideas talked about already and add your views in the comments section below.