What Should the DS 2 Look Like?

I rarely ask questions about the future of the video game industry. The reason for my avoidance is primarily because the industry is so volatile and still growing. I have no problem waiting for what's next, to see what's around the corner. No one can deny that we are locked in the most interesting console battle in history, with the XBOX 360 the "traditionalist" hardcore gaming console, the Playstation 3 a cutting edge beast that no one can afford nor understand fully, and the Wii surprising just about everyone with its continually strong sales figures.

Of course, it was the Nintendo DS that was Nintendo's grand experiment, not the Wii. Pushed out alongside the immensely popular Game Boy Advance (R.I.P. 2007?), the DS proved that the market could stand something "different," and that untapped gamers did exist.

Everyone in the industry knows that a DS 2 is a surefire thing. Nintendo can easily get one more solid iteration from the DS design before questions will arise about "originality" on the part of Nintendo.

But what would the DS 2 look like? Below are my personal dreams, suggestions, and theories, in no particular order.

• Larger screens. When I first opened a DS Lite, my first thought was "wow, wouldn't this be awesome if that whole top half was a screen." Although Nintendo typically stuffs tiny batteries into their portables, making such a PSP-killing screen impossible, I do expect that the DS 2 will feature larger screens, most likely some form of a wide screen combo. Of course the screens will still be arranged vertically, and a larger touchscreen means easier tapping, stylus or otherwise.

• Built In Gyroscope. Gyroscopic sensors built inside of the Wii Remote are three-fourths of the "magic" behind the Wii. The DS 2 could easily incorporate this technology. Although games like Wii Golf wouldn't be recommended on the system, imagine games that could alter your perspective of the action by changing your orientation of the console, or WarioWare Twisted-type mini games. Of course, toss in a little Bluetooth and you're looking at an interactive Wii controller.

• DS Download Store & Virtual Console. One of the best features of the Wii is the Virtual Console, making countless games from past consoles available for purchase and ownership once again, all at a fair price. This, however, ignores literally thousands of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance titles, many of which are classics in their own right. I can see a subsection of the Wii Store opening on the DS, allowing hundreds of classic GB, GBC, and GBA games to be downloaded, for a price, and played anywhere on the go. Of course, you would need a place to store those games...

• Internal Storage. The Wii has 512 MB of internal flash storage. By the time a DS 2 comes down the pipeline (late 2008?), this same 512 MB of storage would be laughably cheap, and could easily be incorporated into the system without a great expense. This would allow Nintendo to naturally remove the (sometimes costly) EEPROM and SRAM specs from the game cartridges, as well as allow download-able content to be saved on the system (see above).

• More Power. There comes a point where CPU performance and 3D subsystems become far too costly and power-hungry to make it into a mobile device. The PSP, however, is proof that it can be done. Nintendo's "gameplay over power" strategy is certainly a winner thus far, but it is not unreasonable to think that the next DS could see PSP or a similar level of rendering and processing power available for developers. As long as The Big N remains focused on providing a worthwhile battery life from the system, I think the DS 2 could handle more power.

Those are my immediate thoughts on what the Nintendo DS 2 should do and look like. While some of these are perfectly expected (larger screens, more power), others are wishful thinking that honestly don't fall outside of any paradigms Nintendo recently ventured into with the Wii (internal storage, virtual console).

I guess time will tell.