Topic: Release Dates?

[kirby_killer_dedede]

Well, analasysts are all suggesting a holiday season release date in the Land of the Rising Sun, but what about state-side?  I mean, Decembers the ideal time for release, so you'd think it would be the same here, but for whatever reason, Japan gets everything first.  So you think we'll have to wait till next holiday season?  I don't know, just a thought...

Well, actually, I highly doubt we'll need to wait that long, but what other times are ideal for release?  Summer, the holy season during which everyone lethargically bores themselves into comas?  Or Fall, the un-holy season when we all go back to hell...or as some know it, school...

I am a tremendous clownboat.

EDIT: PGC is conspiring at us in the form of evil Emoticons.  I swear, it's happening.

[Bill Aurion]

Hehehe...Anyways, I doubt the DS will release in the U.S. till early next year, which happens to be a hotspot for Ninty as of late...Next holiday season?  I think not...

[jasonditz]

We really have no clue how far along the DS software is, and likely won't until E3, there's no way of knowing.

For all we know those 30 titles from E3 will be done and ready to go for a summer launch in Japan, which could make a Fall launch stateside a strong possibility.

And I mean, there's no law that says you can't have a worldwide launch on the same date in the first place, so who knows?
 

[blablamax]

Nintendo said they plan world wide release of the system. In the same month, in closer dates. But it depend on lot of things: LCD market, pricing, advertising, transelting and more..... I believe Nintendo will release the DS in Japan on December this year, while in the US they will success to release it only throw the first Quarter of 2004.

[odifiend]

Hopefully Nintendo has learned that the holiday season in the North American market is a force to be reckoned with.  In fact if they could release the DS around Black Friday (Last Friday in November), the insane shoppers would eat it up like they did the cube.

[KDR_11k]

They better get a f###ing big supply ready if they do that. A console launch by itself is enough to sell the device out, Black Friday will amplify that effect.

[jasonditz]

It might be though, I mean, who knows how long this thing has been in production? The chips and whatnot within it that we know about so far have all been available for years...

[joeamis]

That's true, especially since it will be using the arm7? from the GBA
makes it alot easier to have full scale production ready.
The speaker system will probably also mirror the GBA SP.

Also the design of the SP may resemble the DS quite a bit,
and maybe the SP was thought of after planning the design of the DS.
(notably the flaptop, where the 2nd screen will be)
The SP was released afterall as a surprise without any hype and right
on the heels of the original GBA (in a handheld release comparison sense)

[KDR_11k]

I hope they realign the buttons if they have only two, it's almost impossible to press A and B simultaneously on the SP.

[blablamax]

I think they shouldn't use the same design as the SP for the DS. while I think the SP design is great, and they will probably will stay with something similar on the next GB, the DS should have original design and must not be similar to the GB dsigns cause Nintendo point is to open a new sub market on the HandHeld market. The DS doesnt supose to be the next GB and if it will have the same deisng .. people will get lost from all the GBA options...