This is still largely unsubstantiated and yet too exciting to pass off as a rumor online. World-wide, the Nintendo DS fans are all hyped up about the possibility of getting their hands on to the a new handheld console at the gaming expo E3.

Apparently, it is being rumored now that the Nintendo will unveil the next-generation DS at E3 2008 this summer, two years after the launch of the DS Lite and four years after the original DS launched.

However, the actual data isn’t here and the web is rife with speculation. Here’s a report from 1up.com:

Bloomberg Japan reports that Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Japanese magazine publisher Enterbrain (parent company of Famitsu), has stated that he believes Nintendo will show a new model of the Nintendo DS at the E3 Media Summit this July (via Shacknews).

Since this report comes via second-hand translation of a Japanese story, there are a couple of key things that aren’t entirely clear. For one, it’s hard to say whether Hamamura was merely speculating on what may happen or if he has any sort of information he’s basing this on. Also unclear is whether he means another update to the current DS, like the DS Lite, or if he means the next generation of the DS hardware (Nintendo DS 2, if you will).
When Bloomberg Japan contacted Nintendo, they were evidently told Nintendo was unable to comment at the time. With the rate at which DSes burn through retail, both in Japan and in North America, it’s hard to imagine Nintendo would be readying its successor already. A new model wouldn’t be out of the realm of their track record (Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance SP, Game Boy Advance Micro, DS Lite…), but for now, it’s better to regard this one with healthy skepticism until more concrete info surfaces.

It is going to be a fest if this is correct information – there are loads of takers and better things to come our way then.

It got them busy, that’s what. The DS lite is an ultra addictive addiction now seen in the hands of many a young game enthusiasts and it no wonder then that it is beginning to seep into the very psyche of people’s mindsets. It seems to have grown from the stage of “something for people to do when they are bored” to “This is my way of life; you go define yours”. It is now filling up a void that the ubiquitous PC could not really encroach into—the warm space in the hands of people when they aren’t talking on phones or not dabbling with their personal computers.

DS lite is a welcome addition and is quite a replacement when it comes to Sony’s PSP simply because of its small size; doable form factor, the innovative touch screen abilities and with great games to boot. Well, the screen resolution isn’t really something you ought to clap hands for, when compared to the Sony PSP but then, look at the sheer number of games you can pick from.

All the way from the addictive Picross to the scary Dementium: The Ward, you have no dearth of games to keep you up in the night.

DS lite is indeed a hand-filler — a machine that can fill the void that has been left by the omnipresent PC and the addictive cell phones.