The Sunday edition of „The Nikkei Business Daily” has revealed in a report that Nintendo has a new version of the DS portable gaming device in store for customers, scheduled to be first released in Japan. The new model is fitted with both a camera and a music player and will also feature enhanced wireless communications functions.

Expected to be priced at below 20,000 yen ($189) in Japan, the gadget is rumored to be unveiled during a news conference to be held in Tokyo on Thursday, when the company is slated to present a yet unnamed new product.

The Nintendo DS is a dual-screen handheld gaming machine with a clamshell design.
It was first launched in 2004 in Canada, the United States and Japan, followed by the release of the console’s second version two years later. Introduced on March 2, the new Nintendo DS Lite featured a slimmer and more lightweight design.

The device’s  Wi-Fi connectivity games include Madden NFL 08, Need For Speed: Pro Street and Spore Creatures.

Headquartered in Kyoto, Nintendo Company Limited is a multinational corporation that was founded on September 23, 1889. In 2007, it was ranked as the tenth largest software company worldwide. This year, it has been reported that Nintendo has sold more than 2.7 billion video games and over 460 million hardware units.

For the first quarter of 2009, Nintendo estimates that approximately 28 million units of the DS portable gaming consoles will be sold worldwide.