The DS IS the GBA's successor-Nintendo might have denied it, but actions speak louder than words. the GBa is the last Nintendo handheld of it's kind..maybe even the LAST handheld of its kind. Nintendo has proven that a touchscreen can not only work for a portable gaming system, but that it can be fun as well. Don't expect Nintendo's competitors to stick to the same formula as in years passed. Nintendo has injected a disruptive technology into the handheld market-and since it did so well, its now the new standard.