Nintendo Announces DS Lite Console

The official Japanese Nintendo website has unveiled the much rumored redesign of the Nintendo DS. Named the Nintendo DS Lite, the new iteration of the hardware is approximately 20 percent smaller and lighter than the original. The new DS Lite measures 133.0 x 73.9 x 21.5 mm, as opposed to the original’s size of 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9 mm, and weighs 57g less than the original at 218g. The DS Lite is scheduled to retail at around ¥16,8000 ($145), slightly more than the current version at ¥15,000 ($129). Although the Start, Select and Power switches have been moved, along with the microphone and the stylus storage, the only major change to the functionality is the screen brightness. It is described as having four adjustable levels of brightness, using the new brighter screens from the recently upgraded Game Boy Advance SP. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the redesign is the fact that it now closely resembles the Revolution prototypes, with a shiny white finish and a D-pad that appears to be identical to the one featured on the Revolution controller. How much connectivity this implies between the two consoles though can currently only be guessed at. Oddly Nintendo of Europe hosted two days of conferences beginning on Tuesday, and yet no mention was made of the new hardware, with questions from the press regarding the rumors implying a possible E3 debut at the earliest. The Japanese website though indicates that "Nintendo will announce more information about the availability of Nintendo DS Lite in North America and other territories in the future."