Yep, the guys at NextGen have a friend of a friend that works at a company named Hori that makes accesories such as screen covers for different gadgets including the DS, and they got a demo unit of the new DS Lite to try: A friend who works at Hori (Japan's most-trusted third-party controller and accessories manufacturer) told me over lunch last month: "I'm thinking of buying a DS. A new one. A WHITE ONE." I said, "Yeah?" He said, "Oh yeah. ON MARCH SECOND." He did this thing with his eyebrows. I guess I was a little slow to react. I think he was giving me permission to unleash this information onto my readership. Sorry for my negligence [sound of editor groaning]. I phone him today; he says "Yeah, we're doing screen covers and all that." He says they have a demo unit in the office. I say, "Oh yeah?" He says. "Yeah. To get the dimensions and all that." He tells me the surface feels smooth. The buttons click like the DS's current buttons, though the D-pad feels like that of the Gameboy Micro. "It feels solid." I ask about the screen. He says, "It doesn't turn on. There's nothing inside it." Well, that's to be expected, I guess. Meanwhile, the reality strikes a man who works at Sony: "This new DS looks both like an iPod and it looks at least as cool as the PSP." I personally await my first chance to look at the screen. AsoBitCity reports that demo stations will be available as soon as two weeks from now. They're moving fast -- or else they've been planning slow. It's interesting, at any rate. So the Dpad is like the one of the micro, no shit....
