Nintendo has officially announced the redesigned version of the Nintendo DS handheld game console, dubbed "DS Lite" and set to appear in the Japanese market on March 2nd. The system was unveiled on Nintendo's Japanese website last night. The DS Lite will come in at 133mm wide, 73.9mm high and 21.5mm deep, as compared to the proportions of the original DS which was 148.7mm wide, 84.7mm high and 28.9mm deep.The weight of the console has also been reduced, from 275g in the original model down to 218g in the new DS Lite.

Aside from the smaller size and weight and the redesigned shell, the DS Lite has few functionality changes, such as an adjustable brightness setting for the screen. The twin displays, the one of the touch-sensitive, and Wi-Fi networking functionalities remain the same at the new DS Lite.



Nintendo will launch the new system in Japan on March 2nd, priced at 16,800 Yen (€118 ); which is marginally higher than the general retail price of the existing DS console at present.

The device will be also released in Europe and the US following its launch in Japan, some time after the spring.

Nintendo will continue to produce the original DS, and it will continue to retail for 15,000 yen (€104).