Nintendo has been upgrading the DS incrementally by making it slimmer and giving it a couple of cameras, but now it is set to launch a completely new handheld that will jump on the 3D bandwagon.
This next DS is definitely coming, but for the moment the media is being forced to speculate as to how it will look, what technology will be inside and even what it will be called. Since Nintendo has never gone in for numbering its console sequels, many expect that it will be called the 3DS, although Nintendo will probably work on something catchier before it is released.
Nintendo plans to make the next DS far more powerful than its predecessor, which is sensible as the current DS is rather less capable than the PSP and completely outclassed by the majority of smartphones, including the iPhone.
You might assume that Nintendo will be forcing its customers to wear those silly dark shades in order to see the 3D effect, but it has confirmed that there will be no need for these as the 3DS will use alternate display technologies.
There are a few techniques for simulating 3D without the need for the polarising glasses, but experts predict that the mainstream market will not see televisions which ditch the specs completely for over five years.
It is believed that the next-gen DS will be on the shelves from March 2011, although Nintendo has not committed to any kind of launch schedule as yet. The 3DS will carry on the backwards-compatibility tradition and let you play original DS titles.
