Echoing the Wii HD speculation last, an industry analyst has predicted another new Nintendo system. This time it's a handheld successor to the DS, and the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research Group (EEDAR) watchman making the forecast says the hardware will be on the market within 15 months.
"Even though the Nintendo DS posted a record year in 2009, EEDAR expects Nintendo to make an official announcement on the DS2 within the next eight months," EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich said, according to GamesIndustry.biz.
Divnich's industry tea leaf reading may not be entirely unfounded. Ubisoft's recent briefing on their 2010-2011 plans cited a "considerable contraction in the DS market" in 2009, and if the company's decision to focus on developing for other platforms becomes a trend, Nintendo could curb such migrations with a new system.
If you've been following games news in the last month, Nintendo's own commentary on a possible DS successor has been a bit Orwellian. President Satoru Iwata reportedly speculated about what his company's DS follow-up might consist of. Nintendo said the comments were misinterpreted, though the Japanese paper defended them.
Furthermore, Nintendo already has a DS upgrade coming out this year in the form of the DSi XL. Releasing it in the final throes of the DS's life cycle would be an odd choice if a DS 2 is right around the corner.
Really, the only thing I'm sure of after reading these DS 2 expectations is that Nintendo will deny them, even if they're true.
Do you think Nintendo has a DS 2 on the way in the near future? What do you think they'll do with their next generation of handhelds? Sound off in the comment section below.