Rumor: Nintendo already sent out dev kits for DS sucessor

[HappySqurriel]

leo-j said:
and they released the DS 3 YEARS after the GBA? WTF?

I could be wrong, but I suspect that the DS was released so early (as a third pillar) because Nintendo saw the PSP being released in late 2004 as a significant threat to the handheld market. While the impact can be debated, Nintendo has stated that they believed that a core reason why the N64 and Gamecube struggled against the Playstation and PS2 was Sony had an 18 month head start with both systems.