Nintendo announces new lighter DS

Redmond (WA) - Just days ahead of a planned, E3 gala press announcement this coming Tuesday morning at Hollywood’s spectacular Kodak Theater, where big "Wii" banners are expected to be draped auspiciously next to the Oscar statues guarding the entrance, Nintendo announced this morning it will be releasing a newer, lighter-weight, lighter-priced version of its fold-open, dual-screen, portable DS game console.

Nintendo’s forthcoming DS Lite game console. (Courtesy Nintendo)

While the price of just about everything else these days is rising, consumers should be pleased at the DS Lite’s new $129.99 price tag (the current DS sells for around $150). This morning’s announcement boasts the system weighs less about 80% that of the original DS (by our estimate, down to about 220 grams, or just over 7.5 ounces), is about two-thirds the size (about 100 mm wide, or four inches long), and yet will continue to support key DS features like two screens, the touch-sensitive stylus, and Game Boy Advance cartridge slot.

On-hand to welcome the new console, which will reach North America on 11 June, will be Mario himself - known widely to millions as "the little man" - in a newly revised edition of "New Super Mario Bros.," which continues his adventures and romps through the Mushroom Kingdom (not to be confused with Washington, DC). Picking up on the "bigger/smaller" theme that Nintendo has struck upon, the company warns that various mushrooms that Mario may happen upon in his journeys, can expand or shrink his size. Disclaimers may be necessary to remind customers that their actual experiences with similar-looking mushrooms in the real world may vary.