Next Gameboy

It’s funny how we are always fascinated with what’s to come even given the mass amounts of information we’ve received over the past several months. News regarding the Revolution hardware, wi-fi network, and the high number of DS games being released and/or in development. We can also hope for Zelda: Twilight Princess next spring with a few more GBA games on the horizon.

So I think it’s safe to say that Nintendo has carved out it’s hardware plans for the next 4-5 years with their new home console (Rev) and their one-of-a-kind portable (DS) with one exception; the GBA. What will become of the most successful gaming system of all time?

It’s seems like the Gameboy platform has always been synonymous with straight forward gameplay and simple graphics. Less is more. 2 action buttons. 2-D graphics. Superb gameplay built on classic strategies that still enthuse. The franchise has arguably the largest and most diverse developer list, all of which add significantly to the numerous amount of creative games given the systems limitations.

So will Nintendo release a new Gameboy or simply repackage the oh-so successful GBA line like they’ve done with the SP and Micro? If they do develop a new system what should be the focus? Classic 2-D play or more advanced 3-D ones? And how soon could we expect that hardware? While we wish we had concrete answers, we can expect 3 foreseeable options: upgrade the hardware, stick to 2-D, reinvent the system a-la DS. Which do you think is most likely? What other options could we be overlooking?