Nintendo DS Lite

It might not be revolutionary, but Nintendo's updated DS Lite is certainly sleek and pretty. We'll be seeing lots of the new, brighter, slimmer version of the DS at E3. We might already know the release date (June 11) and the price ($130), but Nintendo and other developers might still throw us a few curveballs when it comes to games and features.

Plenty of must-have games are already on the way for the Nintendo DS/DS Lite and the Game Boy Advance. New Super Mario Bros. comes out May 15 and is shaping up to be one of the biggest games for the little handheld. It might be coming out a month before the DS Lite itself, but seeing the twin plumbers return to their roots will be the deal-breaker for many who are on the fence about getting the DS Lite.

If Mario's not enough, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is also on the way. This new Zelda game will have Wind Waker graphics, Link to the Past gameplay, and tons of stylus work, and it will look amazing in the DS Lite's brighter screens. With luck, we'll see more screenshots, more gameplay, and maybe even a release date for Link's latest adventure.

Square Enix is one of the big third-party names for DS and GBA games. The never-before-seen-stateside Final Fantasy 3 is hitting the DS and the DS Lite later this year, with completely overhauled 3D graphics and lots of tasty extras. Children of Mana is also on the way, giving action-RPG fans a taste of that old Seiken Densetsu magic. Also in the pipe are Final Fantasy V and VI Advance for the GBA, which will have nostalgic RPG fans everywhere grateful for the DS Lite's backward compatibility. Square Enix has a lot of handheld games in the pipe, and we're going to try to get some hands-on time with them.

Nintendo has currently denied any Wii games that use the DS for a controller, but the compatibility is there. Square Enix is the most likely candidate to announce DS-Wii games; a Wii version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles would be begging to be linked to the Wi-Fi-enabled handheld.

Tons more DS and GBA games are coming, and the big names are likely to make some major announcements about the little systems. Expect vampire hunters from Konami, robots from Capcom, and who knows what from EA. The DS Lite may just be a prettier version of the original DS, but that won't stop gamers from playing its little dual-screen heart out.