It’s amazing.. For all of the bitching that I did about the name “Wii,” I don’t even blink when I say it these days. We all just got so used to it.

So, I don’t think we’ll hear a single thing about a new handheld this year. The DS is still selling way too well for Nintendo to even think about putting a new system on the market. My guess is a 2012 release.

Given Nintendo’s proclivities, we won’t see digital-only (and I hope we don’t until Nintendo works out their crap with regards to online store interfaces) and the PSP kind of showed that optical discs are a bad idea for portables. I’d expect the next system to use DS cartridges (which can hold a decent amount of data) to maintain back-compatibility.

I wonder if they’ll keep with the two-screen theme? I assume they will at this point.

Oh man, there is nothing that can beat the fun of speculation. Especially during that time period leading up to the launch of the DS and revealing of the Revolution. Magical stuff.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about the successor to the DS, but I haven’t quite put together what it is that I want it to be. A part of me wants it to be something totally, completely different.

Dogg, I heard that the next platform will have a thing in it that has smell packets in it, and then it releases smells during gameplay so that you can smell what Link is smelling, and so on.

It’ll come with nosephones so you can stick them up your nose if you don’t want to share the smells with your class when you’re ignoring the worst professor you’ve ever had (mine).

Haha, if it had smell packets in it then for the first year after its release we’d see nothing but shovelware variations of scratch-n-sniff games.

I hope Nintendo’s researchers have studied Cronenberg’s eXistenZ for inspiration: http://tinyurl.com/cah4n4

I am super excited to see what the successor to the DS will be. I got a DS Phat the day it came out and still play it occasionally. Nintendo has been on a hot streak the last couple years and i can’t even imagine what they have up their sleeve for this one.

I’m 50/50 on the idea of Nintendo’s next hand held being backward compatible, the DualScreen concept wouldn’t have the same impact as it did. Though there would more then like be a motion sensor like the iPhone, blue tooth, 802.11g, and touch screen controls set away from the touch screen. each giving a different feed back. most likely a clam design like the GBA:SP, they could make it backward compatible with having the same face buttons as the DS though and sneak in a second screen on the clam shell… But the only major issue with that would be no one would try the new control face. hence the 50/50, we’ll see and hope it’d of been Gonpei approved

Just bring back the Game Boy.

The future of handheld gaming. Well, the GBC was graphically similar to the NES. The GBA was like the SNES of handhelds. Now the DS is very similar to the N64. Hopefully the next Nintendo handheld system will be a Gamecube with the Wii motion controls. Imagine making Mario jump by shaking the whole system and tilting the system to make him run left or right. Pretty soon handheld gaming would start to look like a seizure!

I’m too busy playing my DSi to begin to fathom what Nintendo has up their sleeves next. Maybe after the new Zelda…

New portables for sure. Digital Downloads will be prominant, but there is still a place for physical copies. Given the previous generations, 0_o it’d be sick if we see a DS2 with the power of a Gamecube.

Upgrades to existing consoles. 3D on PS3 and Natal are already known, curious to see if we get a WiiHD or something

Obviously, it will have three screens, four cameras, and the same horrible online experience based on friend codes.

i just wonder about size. i would much prefer psp-sized screens (might get a pspgo when it goes down) especially with more horsepower, and for a lot of genres im just not seeing anything displacing traditional input methods. im sure that just like all handhelds a later incarnation will be smaller, in this case maybe around 2013/14. im sure theyll come up with something. a part of me would like a gba micro with a bigger screen and some grotesquely powerful innards, with download-based content (slimming device) a la pspgo and a touch screen. sony and microsoft can afford to not make any money on the hardware, which is the main reason nintendo has gone for modest power this gen, although that may change with the recent success.
design-wise, i hope there’ll be some character instead of the ubiquitous white brick design. i’ve no real qualms with it but no real enthusiasm either. it will be sleek and boring though.

oh and a name would be nice instead of an acronym, and fuck cameras unless theyre interestingly integrated into the software, like invisimals or whatever

recently, I’ve been having crazy thoughts about this new era of gaming and from what I see, nintendo is making all the right moves with almost every significant piece of hardware, but maybe jumping the gun and trying to tack on things that are better saved for next time around, but I think the handheld will be different, very different.
They’re already in the last phase of DS and are releasing the updated versions with everything tweaked and new gameplay features that are precursor to what they should be intending to further flesh out in a new console. My dream machine is a crazy idea, I’m not sure right now so patent pending on this(other than the things that are already patented)
but imagine,
i
the letter can mean numerous things but the first and second that come to mind are the EYE, and yourself as in “I”
it also is in the names of Wii and DSi
this new handheld should merge the game and the player, the way that most forms of entertainment are trying to attain more and more these days, but the way you react to it should be just as intuitive, immersive and insinuating as it will react to you.
I’m talking new input type, in the same tradition as previous, but now on a higher level all around. every system has been introducing something new, starting with gba’s wario twisted, to the DS’s microphone integration and wii’s motion, and recently the DSi’s cameras.
this is what I’m getting at,
You will play games with your eyes, your ears, your mind, your emotions, your heart rate, your stress level(hah, yeh maybe even yer NOSE!!). YOU, you will play these games. The way you already play them, but now the games will play with YOU.
You see, you press buttons for actions not only with your fingers, but also with emotions, either within a psychological profile or on your face.
Your hands may be sweaty over details in the game and it will sense that and understand what could be making you sweat, and it has a thermometer to tell the difference whether it’s outside in an LA summer or if your on your last life, or frustrated because you can’t tell what to do next. It will most likely be a facial recognition system that can tell the small different facial expressions we make when posed with a question, or a challenge, or basically anything. It’s not reading your mind, it reads YOU. and will base the game off that experience. You already press these invisible buttons but they don’t yet have a function in gaming. “i” is all about games and you together. It should be weather proof as well, I’m thinking with a circular design, something that is not to small, but is also comfortable in the hands. There really is the need for buttons, but I’m thinking touch is something that’s completely integrated to the point where there aren’t any actual buttons, just a comfortable rubber d-pad and face buttons that clip on when needed or stashed somehow when not, (like the stylus is stashed in the DS, but completely backwards) I think that the screen will probably be the full face of the circular design, yes with a circular LCD(hey the DS has TWO screens, WTF it works, so this should maybe transition into a smoother organic perspective)
with the camera, it should have eye tracking which will give another factor of focus so the game adapts more to you.
It could also have a new type of ingame camera perspective, due to understanding where your eyes are looking,where your head is and where the system is and it’s orientation based on it having full motion sense, which in turn means it could properly display 3 dimensional graphics with depth to the player.
I think it’s all about how we play current games and what limitations for gaming we will pass and the proper way to do it.
this system can be adapted to any style game and the new possibilities for such great game experiences will be the forefront of all types of interactive media.
It’s weird, but it definitely is what I want to play.
putting the imagination back into gaming, making people think about what they’re doing and love every second.
Damn, so many more cool ideas but I’m out of juice, please if you want me to brainstorm your mindcastle some more, mail me back, even if you don’t and just want to comment to me about this, I’m game-
Thanks

DAMN, I totally did not mean to write that much, sorry

My assumption with the successor of the DS is that it will be visually and technically superior to the PSP. I mean if they are going to to have a successor to the DS it best be quire a bit more powerful. As powerful as it can be and still cost just around 200-250 dollars. A stronger ability to connect to WiFi and perhaps even a more streamlined online network. Not to mention it should be able to work with all existing DSiWare titles that have been released.

More importantly though it should retain it’s touch screen controls, and have backwards compatibility with DS carts. I’m not sure what should be used for games… but it should have a solid media format. Seeing as how the PSPgo’s complete dependence on buying titles online hasn’t helped it, I’m guessing the market isn’t quite ready to fore go physical merchandise… I myself also enjoy physically owning the product still.

The camera of the DSi, and even SD cart slot should be a given in the new system. I mean I think it’s safe to assume that those features would be carried over.

Personally this is all I hope for. Call me simple. I don’t think it’s far off either.

Personally I don’t think a Wii successor is too far off either… I think by the end of 2010 we will hear of the next Nintendo system by then. They actually have the most reasons to release a new system and it will be to their advantage. People will be ready I think by 2012 at least for the next consoles.

If I’m just throwing out ideas for fun, then how about some inflatable hand grips, blown up by a tiny tube of compressed air? I also like the “nosephones” idea.=)

If I’m going to make any guesses about the real direction Nintendo might go, though, I’ll need to think about what purpose it’s meant to fulfill.

The styling will, like laserbl’ast mentioned, be sleek, plain, and non-offensive because it will be marketed towards everybody. That is, if they go with the traditional single system design. Who knows, considering all the versions of the current DS, they might decide to release multiple styles of it aimed at different kinds of people, like a more futuristic, techy look for core gamers and a more classy, traditional style for older people.

The screen/button layout will be largely affected by whether or not it features backwards compatibility with the DS. If so, it’ll likely have a dual-screen design, as after working on mockup layouts, I can tell you a single-screen backwards compatible design would require compromises and increased complexity. If not, single screen makes sense because you can only really focus on one thing at a time anyway. In keeping with clean design and approachability, they’ll probably avoid more buttons and sticks than absolutely needed. I’m thinking that’ll mean no dual analog, but with a touch screen, head tracking, and possible analog control pad, it probably won’t be an issue.

As for new controls/sensors, I’m thinking camera-based controls will be a much bigger deal than they are right now, with the potential for facial-recognition, augmented reality, head-tracking based camera and motion controls, and virtual 3d environments like in the videos by Johnny Lee. It’s also possible that if the vitality sensor is successful, they could incorporate something similar into the system. Who knows, there could also be some new kinds of sensors/input devices nobody’s ever really seen before, if the designers at Nintendo come up with some unorthodox game ideas that require them.

As for tech specs, while they will obviously be upgraded, I think anybody hoping for ultra-competitive cutting-edge graphics will be disappointed. Nintendo has made it very clear that they’re not pursuing the most-advanced graphics technology, but something “good enough” that can be sold profitably at a relatively low price. That said, I’m guessing it’ll be in the neighborhood of the current PSP, maybe a bit better.

Oh, and my guess is that we’ll see it next year at the soonest, considering the current system’s still selling like it is.

Considering that Nintendo has very little real competition in the hand-held video game market I doubt that they are going to go all out when it comes to the graphics. Something tells me that maybe Nintendo will just try to take what little market share the PSP has left by making it’s visuals just as good (maybe even a little better by adding anti-aliasing or something) and combining that with whatever innovations they have in mind.

Nintendo will most likely adhere to their policy of making as much money as possible from sales of their hardware, so it would just not make sense to put in some very beefy GPU as that would be, y’know, more expensive to produce and executives’ exotic car collections don’t pay for themselves sheesh.

I have a feeling that touch screen controls will still be implemented into the hand-held somehow. Whether it will be a dual screen setup like the current DS or one big smexy screen like the PSP is something I don’t even know where to start to speculate on.

……

You know, Nintendo should just re-release the original Gameboy. It would cost them, what, maybe one or two dollars to produce and they could sell them for around $30 to $40 for massive profit.

I would totally buy one!

Don’t think DS2 will have CD… reason being the fact that they have a huge market for kids and Nintendo likes keeping things unbreakable.

But yes… definite graphics bump… and something ENTIRELY different is up their sleeve, I’m sure. I want to be surprised.

One big Iphone-y tablet with enough space to display both screens of a DS if rotated properly (think one big rectangle screen). The entire thing is touch, though there are buttons on the sides. So, you could hold it like a wide-screen PSP, or upright to display like a DS’s 2 screens. I dunno how they would configure the buttons to accomodate both stlyes though.

@BudDudandSlash,

Yup, a big widescreen that could be oriented vertically seems like a good idea for backwards compatibility, but finding a good place for the buttons is a major problem. Every solution I’ve seen or come up with would add bulk, mechanical complexity, and/or multiple sets of controls, and also be less comfortable to hold. One way you could avoid all that is to make the screen very big, with a space in the middle where the gap between the DS’s screens would be, and place iPhone-like virtual buttons there, but that would bring its own problems. Also, even if they could figure out a good placement for the buttons, I’m not sure older people (an increasingly important market) would like a device that has to be held in 3 or 4 different ways and/or transform to play old software.

Next Nintendo “portable” system? (handheld is so 200x)
Glasses that project images onto your retinas directly, for backwards compatibility you control it with a wireless pad/wiimote style wand/anything bluetooth. the new controller is 2 gloves/ finger attachments to touch what you see. Yeah the PowerGlove for the win.

Whatever it is, I hope it will be small and robust enough to carry around. I’m speaking as a ds phat owner who never upgraded here, so i dont know about the lite, but I dont really like bringing my DS anywhere with me, it takes up too much space. My GBA micro however? That never leaves my side.

A handheld so compact that it can be mistaken for a mobile phone or MP3 player, without the iphone/ipod touch price tag, would be interesting to see.

Gotta say, im not as excited about the idea of a new nintendo as I was in the DS/wii hype days, I’d much rather see some sort of portable XBLA monstrosity so I can get my banjo kazooie and geo wars on, with killer online play instead of the rubbish nintendo and sony currently give us on their handhelds…

Maybe some sort of GPS or tracking, to make games where location is important or being mobile/active is involved. They may drop the cameras as they haven’t come up with any intriguing uses for it so far. It could be made to accept add-ons like the wiimote ie. a blender with a program that has a bunch of drink recipes to invade the under-served drunk college student/alcoholic granny market. If nintendo launches some satellites it could be always connected to the net and your wii successor as well.

Lazers

I’m one of those players that never take their portables outside the house, sadly I get motion sickness and/or headaches if I try to play them on a car or bus so I use my DSi at home, that’s what I play just before I go to sleep.

So I don’t care about portability, I care about the feel of the console itself, I love my DSi, the texture of the plastic and the size of the screen, the weight is really good too (I hate it when stuff weights too little and feels cheap, or when it weights too much and feels bloated, the DS/DSi feel great in that regard).

So for the next handheld I would like something similar to the DS/DSi, keep the dual screens, mic, touchscreen and I would add:

1) Dual Touch Screen (I always have to explain to people that you can’t tap on the upper screen, its counter intuitive to have just one)
2) GPS (maybe if the console knows where you are they can have different priced Nintendo Points depending on you country’s situation, like cheaper for 3rd world countries and more expensive for USA, Japan and Europe).
3) Better graphics, I think that they’re just fine now, but making them crisper would be nice.
4) Buttons that are less clicky (sometimes I wake my wife even when the volume is muted, the buttons are really loud).
5) I would make it a phone too, it seems logical, people want to carry just one device in their pockets when they go out, make it like the Nexus One, just let me put my chip in it and that’s that.
6) Multitouch.
7) Motion control.
8) One (or two) little analog sticks that you can rotate like the arcade Ikari Warriors joysticks, I would love those for racing games and stuff like that.

That’s pretty much it, I would be happy with that.

It will use holographic technology . You read it here first.

I freaking love this! those revolution speculation pictures were what bought me to this site in the first place years ago! In the words of the great analrapist tobias funke, “let the great experiment begin!”

SUSHI K WINS

Haha, ToddJamin, you are now my new favorite commenter.

“Well excuuuuuuuuuuse me!”

Big LOL @ SushiK