Nah, Nintendo didn't move as many
DSi handhelds in Japan as it did DS units in America
last Thanksgiving, but hey, the week's not over yet. Even in the midst of an economic slowdown, the Big N managed to sell through 170,779 DSis during the first two days of its Japanese launch. Many outlets had just enough stock to appease those that pre-ordered, and small queues were present in a variety of locales. That's a number that Nintendo's surely proud of, particularly since total Japanese sales of the original DS and the DS Lite stood at 23.6 million at the end of October, or about one DS for every fifth person in the nation. Who says a sleek redesign can't rekindle interest?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kjb434 @ Nov 5th 2008 2:34PM
I just love how Nintendo bucks the trend that Sony and Microsoft set to make gaming consoles/handheld the most powerful thing around so it can sell.
Nintendo realized that the extreme gamer market is not the only one out there. Instead of catering directly to the people that jump on PS2/3 or Xbox/Xbox360, they catered to a different audience and are making bank on it.
idiot @ Nov 5th 2008 2:40PM
welcome to the late Oughts
adrian @ Nov 5th 2008 3:30PM
I think the many different types of software is the key to it's sucess. Brain training and Cooking Guide are just two examples.
kjb434 @ Nov 5th 2008 3:37PM
That's what I was thinking with the catering to new customers. You believe how many parents and people over 50 I see playing with DS's.
Some of them are just playing with their kid's, but I see single people and retired ones using them too.
sinjinn @ Nov 5th 2008 4:30PM
way to go stating the very very obvious in my opinion. i think ive heard that kind of comment a couple of hundred times already over the past 2 years
Atropos @ Nov 5th 2008 4:39PM
@sinjinn
Yeah, I think he just found a comment that worked back when the Wii launched and decided to stick with it.
TubeTop100.com @ Nov 5th 2008 4:59PM
Too bad Nintendo started that same trend you seem to dislike
*Now your playing with power! (Super Power)*
and the Nintendo oh-my-god 64 with REALLLL 3D graphics.
Don't get me wrong, I own a N64, Wii etc. Even the Virtual Boy. And Nintendo is definitely smarter these days, but still. You can't blame Sony en Microsoft for following the exact same route Nintendo did and which was succesful for the last 20 years. Besides that, I don't even own a PS3 or 360. But I do like their graphics, games and hi-def graphics.
Who gives a fuck though. The game industry died when Sega's consoles did. Dreamcast FTW!
AVG @ Nov 5th 2008 5:15PM
"The game industry died when Sega's consoles did."
The game industry died when LucasArts stopped making adventure titles.
lawyer bird @ Nov 5th 2008 6:31PM
@kjb
I guess I'm not the target market for the wii as a 19 year old college student, but i was sooo close to selling my wii due to a lack of good games and a ridiculous overabundance of shit titles.
Now that I got homebrew up with mPlayer, DVDx, a couple emulators and backup loader I wouldn't dream of it. The console just tripled its worth to me. I'm sure that's not what nintendo had in mind but at this point...*ahem*...fuck nintendo...and their kiddie bullshit.
Ozzman_79 @ Nov 6th 2008 10:50AM
So, you think the Wii has a "lack of good games," but as soon as you can play these games via the backloader, suddenly it increases in worth? So, it lacks good games enough that you considered selling it, but once the games were free, they somehow became less crappy and suddenly worth playing? Seems they musn't have been THAT bad then.
blaine @ Nov 5th 2008 2:47PM
would be nice if it was released in the US already...
bangladeshiluv @ Nov 5th 2008 2:56PM
nintendo can suck me DS lite
High Ranks make you sterile @ Nov 5th 2008 3:06PM
...............?
Game_playa @ Nov 5th 2008 3:27PM
Playing pirates are we?
Samboini @ Nov 5th 2008 3:57PM
I have another suggestion - eat shit and die.
adrian @ Nov 5th 2008 3:18PM
Can it cut and paste ?
Vander @ Nov 5th 2008 3:33PM
I swear to God that i saw a comment saying - "Iphone" (Yeah just that)
What's up engadget?
A.-From now on, the comments that are so low ranked are automatically deleted? or
B.-The word is too offensive.
Tom G @ Nov 5th 2008 3:41PM
Play guess the motive!
Why has Nintendo delayed the launch of the DSi until after Christmas, a holiday when it would potentially have the largest sales?
Are they worried they will annoy all the parents who have already bought a DS Lite for their kids for Christmas? I don't think it is really that late for them to introduce the DSi for the Christmas season as most present buying hasn't begun yet, and the shock would probably encourage impulse buying to get in there before the Christmas rush.
Ayrkain @ Nov 5th 2008 7:39PM
As always with Nintendo, it's production issues. The first shipment was 200k, with another 100k to follow. It's very likely they'll sell those quickly and have a shortage on their hands. No way they could launch in two territories with supply constraints like that. The cause? They want to keep the DS Lite around in case the DSi doesn't work out.
Hoan @ Nov 8th 2008 9:59AM
Simple bro. Regular DS sales.
If they come out with the DSi around christmas, then no/few people would buy the DS. But if they wait till after christmas, they'll make a profit out of the DS and possibly sell them out? Then whenever NDSi does come out, it'll sell out...Many people have said it; Nintendo got smart.
Why couldn't you find a Wii again?
Alan Partridge @ Nov 5th 2008 3:45PM
The DS Lite was a "sleek redesign". The cameras, SD slot and the potential functionality they bring make this virtually a brand new product.
Samboini @ Nov 5th 2008 3:58PM
But yet it is o so familiar to us at the same time. Those ever so clever, hardworking Japs!
morte100 @ Nov 5th 2008 6:29PM
Hardly the proper nomenclature there, dude.
DSi @ Nov 5th 2008 4:04PM
b4 DS, now comes with "DS3G" just like the iPhone and serving them as cash cows... next, DS3G 32GB with copy and paste!
DSi @ Nov 5th 2008 4:07PM
first comes DS, then shrinks it to DSLite (2g) now comes with "DS3G" just like the iPhone and serving them as cash cows... next, DS3G 32GB with copy and paste!
Apple @ Nov 5th 2008 4:10PM
Nintenjobs
Adam @ Nov 5th 2008 4:31PM
Huh. I don't see it as much of an upgrade. It's bigger, and most of the added functionality is already outdone by most mobile phones.
Japan loves Nintendo.