I mean, compared to the time it took Nintendo to go from the GameBoy Advance to the DS, do you think their next 'real' handheld is still a ways off?

It's at least two years away. It could be more though. The DS has shown no signs of sluggish sales and continues to dominate the charts on many weeks. The software is getting increasingly stronger every year. The PSP is doing well on it's own but it doesn't seem to affect the DS's performance at all. Overall, I'm not sure when Nintendo would need to replace the DS, but it sure isn't anytime soon.

The gap between the GBA and the DS is much smaller than what will eventually be the gap between the DS and its successor, I am sure.

DS is still outselling all other gaming systems, and it has a fantastic lineup coming up, with games like Kingdom Hearts, Perfect Prosecutor, Spirit Tracks, etc. Especially now with DSiWare, it has the potential to at least hit 150 million before they even announce their next handheld, let alone release it.

Well considering the DSi...just.....came...out, yeah it'll probably be quite a while until there is a need to really revamp the handheld system. There are so many possibilities for new ideas on the DS and the DSi that I doubt there will need to be a majorly new system anytime soon.

Correct me if I am wrong but this is the 5th year for DS I think. I believe it will be on the market for longer than what the GBA was. It will probably be out for seven years before the next handheld is out.

The release of a new PSP might force Nintendo's hand if Sony A. get the price right B. take the innovative approach with this one.

If the a new and innovative PSP comes out then the DSI (or what ever revision that follows it ) will look dated , we all know the importance of being the first console into the market for a particular generation

We do? We might want to tell that to the SNES, PS2 and Wii because I don't think they got the message.

Well PS2 didn't really launch with any meaningful competition.... SNES and Wii were late to the party though... although I think if the Wii had launched first this gen would be a different story entirely, and developers might actually be making an effort on the Wii by now.

I never said it was a determing factor , but in most cases it's preferable to have an early release as opposed to a late one. look at the 360 it certainly wouldn't have made as much ground as it did without a years head start.