Given Nintendo\'s history of hardware redesigns, it was generally assumed that it would only be a matter of time until an updated version of the Nintendo DS made its way into the limelight. That time is now. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata just recently announced the DS Lite, a slimmed down and slightly reconfigured version of the original DS.
With new dimensions of 5.24x2.91x0.85 inches, as opposed to the 5.85x3.33x1.13 inch measurements of the original, the DS Lite is actually quite a bit slimmer than its predecessor. To give you a better idea, that\'s less than two-thirds the volume of the original DS. Along with providing a smaller frame, Nintendo also made its little handheld hit the treadmill to take off some excess weight. The Lite now weighs in at 218g, 20% lighter than the original.
Other cosmetic features include a new hinge design, the microphone has been moved to the center of the unit, the start and select buttons have been moved from the top to the bottom, the speakers have been centered on the top flap, and (my personal favorite) the easily-hittable power button has been moved off of the face entirely. The only technical revision we know of now is that the screens are brighter than before and the user can now utilize four different brightness levels to help prolong battery life.
Beyond this it appears that nothing else has been changed. Yes, both screens are still the same size, and yes, it will still play GBA games. Nintendo has announced that the DS Lite will ship in Japan this March at a retail price of 16,800 yen (about $140). No word yet on a Stateside launch date, but rest assured that when we get word you will know about it.