Big industry secrets are exactly secrets anymore. I mean look at Modern Warfare 2. We pretty much found everything out before the game's release. I imagine 'No Russian' was leaked.

EDIT: Oh, and DS2? Already? I can't even keep track of original DS variations! What are up to now, three versions?

Pokemon will get better every time. I find R/B/Y nearly unplayable thanks to the shitty "catch Mewtwo and fight the Elite Four over and over" metagame.

And now we can tilt/shake Pikachu until it dies, if they let me use the tilt sensor for evil. DIE PIKACHU!

Hmmm...

Mario is tugged up into a ball, and enters thin maze like tunnels, his goal is to make it to the end of the level and get closer to the princes.

Marioooo!

We better not be seeing another DS till at least 2012. I just got a DSi to replace my DS phat. I can't afford another.

Quadtrix:
We better not be seeing another DS till at least 2012. I just got a DSi to replace my DS phat. I can't afford another.

Though that being said, the DS is nearly six years old with a hundred percent market penetration. They're probably releasing another one to keep that stranglehold, but I don't see this coming out until at least 2011.

DS2? Forget that. Give us a QS, Nintendo. You know 4 screens would be awesome.

Well, nVidia won the bid for Nintendo's next handheld with the Tegra 2, so we know it will have some very high-quality visuals. Here's a tech demo for the Tegra to see it in action:

I'm still not certain about the validity of these claims, but if they do turn out to be true I wouldn't expect anything until the middle of next year, with the DSi and XL being available.

So Nintendo plans to keep the dual screen feature, then? Good. I like having two screens.

Hmm, Pokemon, eh?...I guess fifth gen is going to incorporate tilt somehow. Fun.

If this thing gains shaking capabilities, then Yahtzee would be all over this: "Now we have to waggle the f***ing handhelds?! The end has come!"

Yeah, really not much to do with a tilt sensor other than tilt. I'm afraid to see how Nintendo further butchers portable Zelda with the mechanic, though.

I'm guessing they're a year, at minimum, from putting out a DS2. This is not really anything other than conformation that such a thing will exist.

Personally I think Nintendo may be jumping the gun a bit but really this is better than releasing another permutation of the DS. It was hitting PSP levels of ridiculous.

So it's the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DS lite, the Nintendo DSi, and now the Nintendo DS2 (or Dii, if you like).

This makes me wonder: how come Microsoft hasn't done something like this? Hand-held systems, I mean? I suppose they have other things on their mind (Project Natal and... uh... I can't think of anything else), but still, they don't have the time or money to even consider it?

scifidownbeat:
So it's the Nintendo DS, the Nintendo DS lite, the Nintendo DSi, and now the Nintendo DS2 (or Dii, if you like).

This makes me wonder: how come Microsoft hasn't done something like this? Hand-held systems, I mean? I suppose they have other things on their mind (Project Natal and... uh... I can't think of anything else), but still, they don't have the time or money to even consider it?

Given the hurdles they've had to overcome in the home console market I think they probably didn't think it a wise investment to compete with the juggernaut of handheld gaming that is Nintendo, and given that Sony now is 1/3 of that market it would have to be one hell of a handheld to make a dent.

How many DS's came out this year alone? Screw the DSi, DSxl and the DS2 I'm keeping me DSlite because it works, it's great and I've yet to have a problem with it, I'm not shelling out more money for you Nintendo.

It better not be called DS2, it better be called Gameboy Awesome. or Gameboy Really Awesome. anything with gameboy in it. Call it nostalgia but I love the gameboy title.

So this handheld, if my calculations are correct, should have the same graphics as the gamecube/wii, if it still has N64 graphics than someone is ripping us off.

Therumancer:
I am not sure if game developers, both in hardware and software, live on earth anymore.

The DS2 looks good, don't get me wrong. But let me be honest, the economy is in trouble. People don't have as much money to be spending on games. Big companies are losing tons of money and laying people off. Out comes Nintendo who pretty much *just* released the DSI and says "Oh yes, this looks like a grrreat time to release the DS-2".

For all I know the thing could be the handheld equivilent of the holy grail, but it doesn't matter because I doubt they will be giving them away for free. I'd expect the price to be $150-$200. What makes them think that people are going to be running out to buy this thing?

I mean I might be wrong, but it just seems rather ridiculous. It's extremely greedy, and also seems very badly timed.

My concern is largely based around the fact that I would like to see a DS-2 released, but this seems like a ridiculous time to be doing it.

What's more I ironically look at companies like EA who were criticized for producing deritive shovelware and sequels endlessly, and decided to change their track at the same time as a massive economic slump. Innovation and new properties probably taking the blame to the people in charge rather than timing.

I'm sure Nintendo has "Done their research" but I think they are getting cocky (as they have done in the past) and right now I suspect this has a good chance of being a failure of truely epic proportions.

Haven't game sales been good, however? Sure, people are getting laid off, but it isn't like we are seeing a drastic cut in games coming out, or at least I know I never have a shortage of titles to play through. The DS did really good, and Nintendo wants to capitalize on the success, it makes total sense. People will buy it, I'm sure they'll come up with good marketing and all that.

Sure, they could take the "ungreedy" route and wait for the economy to clear up, but they are also a business, and realize if they release this and keep supporting it, it will probably catch on a year or two after release and pick up steam when they get some really good titles on there to entic people to buy the handheld, especially after the initial price drop.

Hey man, I know it sucks having these things coming out left and right, but Nintendo has been good to us. Look how long they have supported the DS, and it doesn't look like they are stopping. Let them release it, so when the price drops people like us will go snag it and catch up on the good release titles it will have. Imagine, an F-Zero game using the tilt, or another Uniracers game. Mama's cooking, where you get to sprinkle the salt, it's great!

Not a single person, not one in this entire goddamned earth, has learned a single fucking thing from Kirby's Tilt 'N' Tumble.

Of course it will control better than the iPhone, it'll have real buttons. That means the tilt is free for things where it actually makes sense instead of being shoehorned into the role of a shitty analog stick replacement.

I'm personally excited. I just dropped and shattered my DS and was going to get another, but maybe I'll just wait!

well i'm glad i didn't waste my money on a DS then. I'll just wait for one of these things to come out.

TheEarlOfGrey:
Big industry secrets are exactly secrets anymore. I mean look at Modern Warfare 2. We pretty much found everything out before the game's release. I imagine 'No Russian' was leaked.

EDIT: Oh, and DS2? Already? I can't even keep track of original DS variations! What are up to now, three versions?

DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL.

I don't know if I'll buy it as soon as it comes out.
I mean, I bought the DS when it came out, but then they made the much more practical DS Lite!

get rid of the stupid mic so i dont have to blow or yell into my DS, and I'll be a happy camper