i dont think this year... maybe next year

So will Pachter be predicting doom for this one too like he did for DS?

DS2:
Same specs as DS (1 arm7, 1 arm9, same clock speeds, same screen sizes, same everything that could possibly be used to make games for it that aren't BC with the DS)

... plus channels, DS Shop, internal storage, better Wii integration (importing Miis, transporting them around, same FC list, etc) ... and downloading of VC handheld games.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. They wouldn't be pissing off current DS owners, because all games would work on both platforms, as both platforms are all but the same. All they would be doing is adding a new UI for the OS, more features to the OS, a bit of non-accessible internal storage, and some more things to do (like shop for handheld games)

This solution (or a very similar one) is likely the only way we'll see a new DS within the next 3-4 years, if software sales remain like they are. Nintendo likes having long life cycles when they can.

Hopeful Nintendo will delay the successor..Because ds is selling so well

Why would anyone make a new handheld when the current handheld is selling more every year?

That Pachter guy can be really stupid. I think he likes hearing himself too much!

Point is, this wouldn't have to be the DS 2 - it would be the "DS Deluxe". Basically a DS, with onboard storage, updated BIOS/firmware, and maybe a few other enhancements (better WiFit, etc).

The DS 2 will have souped up specs - run faster, bigger screens, better 3D, etc.

...

My wife picked up a iTouch tonight. I was sort of shocked to discover that a PC + internet is *required* - or you can't even start the thing up.

Imagine if the DS II "required" the Wii (as a shopfront, or in some form...).

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Nintendo had (more or less) finalized the hardware, and they're experimenting with software that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the new system; but I would be surprised if it was going to be released before mid-2010.

I expect Nintendo to go the predictable route with the internal hardware on their next handheld, and to combine the Flipper/Hollywood and Gekko/Broadway processors from the Gamecube/Wii with the mosys ram on one processor using a 45nm (or smaller) process; this will give them a system which is excellent for porting games from the Gamecube or Wii to, and allow them (and other) developers to reuse their tools and technology from Gamecube and Wii development. The user interface is far more difficult to predict, although you could assume (for backwards compatibility reasons) Nintendo will choose to have two screens, at least one of which is a touch screen (possibly multi-touch) and it will continue to have a d-pad, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons and a microphone.

Now the reason I don't expect a DS 2 any time soon is that there is no real reason for Nintendo to produce one at the moment. So far this year the DS has sold (roughly) 14 Million peices of hardware and will likely sell an additional 20 Million by the end of the year, it has the lowest development costs (by a wide margin) and the highest software sales (by a wide margin), and it has almost as many unique game being released for it as all other consoles combined.