Rumor: New version of Nintendo DS on tap?

The Web is abuzz with word that an updated DS might debut at E3 later this year, although details remain maddeningly sketchy.

Next Generation reports that Hirokazu Hamamura, the president of Japanese magazine publisher Enterbrain, believes that Nintendo will have a successor to the DS ready in time for July’s E3 gaming conference.

Exciting, yes, but where exactly is Hamamura getting his inside knowledge? Well, it sounds more like speculation than anything else. According to a translated article from Bloomberg Japan, the gaming publisher is basing his statements on industry gossip and the fact that Nintendo tends to crank out a new gaming handset every two years (the last one being the DS Lite from 2006).

Also unclear is whether Hamamura thinks the new DS will be a full-fledged successor or just a redesign, a la the DS Lite.

For its part, Nintendo has issued a terse “no comment,” although it hasn’t denied the story.

In any case, it looks like the “new DS” chatter is still deep in rumorville territory, although given the continued strength of the DS handheld (which consistently tops gaming hardware sales charts), Nintendo would be nuts not to have a DS 2.0 on the drawing board, at least.

What do you think? Ready for a new DS? And if so, what features would you want to see?

Related:
New DS to be Unveiled at E3? [Next Generation]