Two heads are better than one. So say Bill and Ted at the end of their excellent adventure. And now Nintendo are hoping the same holds true for number of screens on a mobile device.

The January announcement that the successor to the Game Boy Advance (GBA) and the GBA-SP (the clamshell backlit 'update') caught everyone a little on the back foot. The sketchy details revealed at the event gave two new features. Firstly it would have two processors, and two screens.

Gaming Headlines have been on the case to try and put together what details are out there, and what the DS (Dual Screen) might consist of. So here we go.

We think we're looking at a horizontal console, which is going to look similar to the GBA Advance when closed (so following a long line of consoles such as the Game Gear and the Neo Geo Pocket Colour). Two fire buttons (A and B) and two shoulder buttons (Left and Right) are going to be present, with a D-Pad and start/select buttons. Hopefully this means that we're going to see the DS as an alternative console, that can sit alongside the existing GBA-SP.

Compatibility is going to be something that should be a no-brainer. The GBA range has always had backward compatibility with the entire range of Gameboy cartridges, and we'd hope the DS is no different. It means that everyone is more than happy to move to the new console as their existing collection of carts will work. There's been no word on this issue though.

Now, the big visual selling point. Two screens, measuring 256x192 pixels each. That's the same size as a ZX Spectrum, and a touch larger than the GBA machines (which run at 240x160). They're also going to be stacked vertically, so it would be fair to guess that the DS will open up along its top edge and hinge between the screen.

The technical selling point is easier to figure out. A main ARM9 processor running at 67mhz, and a slower and older ARM7 at 33mhx. Given Nintendo have already said the new machine will have graphics acceleration, it's a fair bet the second CPU is going to deal with the screen, and possibly handle all the 3D requirements of new titles.

The DS is also going to drop the idea of connection cables and move to wireless. But not the short range (10m) Bluetooth that the Nokia N-Gage is heavily promoting. The DS is going to carry an 802.11 Wi-Fi connection - the same service used by laptops and base stations to give high speed (11mbps and greater) connection speeds.

Put all this together and you have a lovely evolutionary device, with just enough bells and whistle that will allow it to fight toe to toe with the upcoming Playstation Portable this Christmas 2004 season. I don't think Nintendo are too concerned about the Finnish Phone Manufacturers trying to break in to the gaming sphere.

But could there be something else lurking there? Up to 200 metres wireless connectivity? What if your DS can act like a messaging client, connecting up with our units in your local area for shared multiplayer games? Heck, why not have some sort of multiplayer game built into the unit when it ships? The success of games like The Sims and Everquest has proven that this is a popular genre - if there's something being cooked up with this connected Gameboy, plus a tie-in to something on the Gamecube or (god forbid) a net connection...

I think Nintendo have a strong multiplayer, wide arena, connected game in mind for a launch title (perhaps shipping with the machine). Perhaps we'll get to know more when the unit is presented at E3 in May? ES