UPDATE: David Yarnton deceived us all.

Do you already have some spare change set aside to buy a redesigned Nintendo DS?  Hang on to it for a while, because Nintendo's David Yarnton has said that the company has no plans to reveal a redesigned unit at or before this year's E3.  The rumors have been flying for weeks that Nintendo was days/hours away from revealing a new DS at a surprise press conference, but as these supposed deadlines come and go there is nothing to see.  Hopefully Yarnton's comments will put this rumor to rest for a while.

As for an eventual DS redesign, I'd probably be open to buying another iteration of DS hardware provided the new design was improved in some manner.  I say this not because I feel the need to buy the same game device over again, but because my DS has seen a lot of play since I took it out of the box in November 2004, and since it's always in my pocket when I go out it's started to gather scuffs and general wear.  It still plays wonderfully, it's just looking a little weathered.  Who knew that shuffling a DS in and out of my pocket day after day would cause little bits of cosmetic damage?

My concern is that as time goes by additional wear and tear will lead to actual damage or malfunctions.  Nintendo makes great hardware so it's not like I'm babying my DS in fear, but I also remember the fate of my original 1989 Game Boy that sadly passed away not too long ago after suffering from a dying screen for many years.  The DS is different technology of course, but my worry is that the principle remains the same.