Well, that's the last time I trust the word of Nintendo's David Yarnton.  Less than a day after the Nintendo executive stated that there would be no new Nintendo DS redesign for quite some time, Nintendo announces a new DS redesign.  What the hell, Nintendo?  I understand that not everyone in the company is allowed to know everything, but at least make sure the quotes your people are giving to the press and the general public are correct!  Anyways, here comes the Nintendo DS Lite.  The major differences include adjustable screen brightness levels, a smaller overall unit size, and a change in button layout.  I'm not sure where I stand on the unit, as I'd have to try one and see just how much smaller it is before deciding to buy one or not.  I actually kind of like the original DS's heftiness.  The price for the new unit is... you know, hold on, wait a minute.

Keeping quiet about a new product is one thing, but misinforming fans is far worse.  I've become trained to filter out wild rumors from fansites and message boards and to accept the word of Nintendo's own people as truth.  When I can't trust Nintendo's representatives anymore, we've got a problem. Granted that, in hindsight, Yarnton probably didn't know this news was coming, but now I and everyone else who believed him and published a story about the lack of a new DS design looks completely foolish.  I mean, on PTB it's the next flippin' story on the front page right now.  This kind of thing reflects badly on me and everyone else who went along with it.  Dishonesty doesn't help anyone, as it hurts credibility.  I won't be taking Nintendo's word so easily anymore, at least not for a while.  I hope you all out there, in turn, won't look down upon me too harshly for believing and publishing a statement from Nintendo's own people.

What really gets me is that not too long ago I called for an end to "we do not comment on rumors" as an answer from publishers when the media called up with a question.  I said that it'd be nice for companies to actually provide an answer once in a while.  I should have been more specific.  I want companies to provide the correct answers to questions.  So, what have we learned from this incident?  We've learned that Nintendo can still surprise us.  We've learned that Nintendo will not always tell the truth.  We've learned that even wild rumors can be true sometimes.  We've also learned not to trust David Yarnton when it comes to rumor control.