Gamespot has coverage of an interview for Nintendo's official online magazine done by hardware engineers Kazuo Yoneyama and Tomoyuki Sakiyama. In the interview, the two detail the process that went into designing the Nintendo DS lite.
One of the most-appreciated functions of the new design is the new screens. Yoneyama said the screen was so bright that it caused discomfort playing in a dark room, so the brightness levels were added to the system to address that problem. Sakiyama noted that battery life was also a concern with the screens, saying the battery not only had 20% higher capacity but other internal hardware was tuned to reduce power consumption.
Yoneyama explained the many factors that must go into making a device smaller. "It's not just a matter of making sure all the components can fit in the case, we also have to think about the total weight and how the machine balances from front to back and left to right when the user is holding it.
"We knew that we couldn't make it so small that we sacrificed functionality. Of course, we wanted to keep the display the same size, and it wouldn't have worked to change the button positions much either. To reduce the size within those constraints, we worked together with component makers, and now we're using some custom-designed parts."
The new revision of the DS features a custom LCD in the unit's top to meet Nintendo's durability standards as well as fit into the tiny dimensions demanded by the design. Similar concerns dictated custom-designed speakers. However, Yoneyama points out, they had to remain cost-conscious and also aware of difficulties some factories may have had producing those parts.
Durability is key for any Nintendo hardware, of course, and Yoneyama explains why. "Rather than having our users pay several thousand yen to fix the console if they drop it, we'd rather that they be able to spend that money on buying games instead. With that in mind, we've beefed up the internal structure and layout, and we've spent a lot of time doing strength testing. Of course, when you strengthen the device, you also struggle with weight and size...that's a conflict that's been with us since the time of the Game Boy."