OCT. 26, 2009 • The Nikkei business daily reports that Nintendo will release a new version of the DS on Nov. 22. The big change would be the substitution of 4.2-inch screens in the DS LL. The new model will be priced similarly to the current DSi at ¥20,000 (US$220). The DS has 3-inch screens and the DSi ships with 3.25-inch screens. The DS LL is slightly larger and about 50% heavier than previous DS models.
Impact: Although the easy comparison is with Sony’s PSP, the DSi LL’s real target is Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. Too many youngsters in the DS’s target audience are enamored with Apple’s products, which puts Nintendo in a position where it must defend its turf in a more spirited fashion. This new model also is a tacit admission that the DSi wasn’t enough of an improvement to turn the iPhone tides.
