I am going to post this straight from Wired.com. I would like to add that Nintendo conference starts this Thursday, could we be hearing something about it this week?

Reports out of Japanese newspapers Saturday indicate that Nintendo is preparing to announce a new version of the Nintendo DS hardware in the coming days, one that adds non-gaming functions to the popular portable machine.

Nikkei Net, the online arm of Japan’s foremost economic newspaper, reports that the new model will launch this year in Japan and include a camera and music playback. Nikkei’s take on the new machine is that Nintendo is moving outside the boundaries of the “game industry” and attempting to create a device that will compete with more general electronics like cell phones.

The machine’s wireless communication functionality will also be strengthened by allowing it to connect to “information terminals,” possibly allowing a user to find nearby train stations or restaurants using his DS.

Continue Reading HERE

Here are some rumored fetures that I just found about it.

Nintendo DS Next model
– (digital) Camera included
– music playback function
– Wireless connection function power up
– larger screen
– to be released this year in Japan
– under 20000 yen
– new types of games by using the camera
– get/exchange data from Wii and SD card (SD card slot included?)

Update: Just for your info, 20,000 yen equals about $188 in US. Also, more and more Japanese Sources are coming forward saying that this is true.