Jet Black DS Lite Released in Japan

by Steven Rodriguez - September 2, 2006, 4:43 pm EDT
Total comments: 4 Source: Famitsu

Lines form, shops sell out...is there any stopping the dual-screen juggernaut?

With every iteration of Nintendo DS hardware that is released, people form lines and buy up all of the initial launch supply. The handheld is selling fast enough without there being a new color available, but it seems that Nintendo wants everyone in Japan to own (at least) one DS or DS Lite.

Now available to the Japanese public, the Jet Black DS Lite is sure to entice more people to finally get the system. Or, to upgrade from the original DS. Or maybe even to replace a different color DS Lite that they had previously purchased. Whatever the reason, there were a crapload of people waiting in line to get it, as seen in these Famitsu reports.

Lucky for us in North America, we're getting the Onyx (black) DS Lite on September 13, as well as the Coral Pink shade. It's not too much longer to wait for those that want to get one of those two colors, but at least we know we don't need to wait in lines hundreds deep to get one on the first day.

PRESS RELEASE

Pink and Black DS Lites Get a Date in the US

And it's soon!

NINTENDO LAUNCHES NEW DS LITE COLORS AMID RECORD-BREAKING GAME SALES

Onyx and Coral Pink Follow Sale of 1 Millionth New Super Mario Bros.

REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 24, 2006 – The only thing more fun than new Nintendo® DS Lite hardware colors is trying to keep up with the breakneck sales of the software to play on the popular little portable! On Sept. 13, two new colors – Onyx and Coral Pink – join Polar White, which is enjoying its own incredible sales peak and getting noticed everywhere.

The new colors also complement numerous DS games, including New Super Mario Bros.®, which has hit the 1 million unit sales mark after just 12 weeks on sale in the United States. That's an average of roughly eight games sold each minute continuously since launch, making it the fastest-selling DS title in the United States for a 12-week period. Overall, DS system and game sales are both up more than 300 percent in July alone.

"Not only are the DS Lite screen and battery life incredible," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "but the new colors just add another element of fun, allowing people to ‘personalize' who they are by the color, or colors they pick."

Several other DS games are burning up shopping baskets. Animal Crossing®: Wild World already has sold more than 800,000 units, and two brain games – Brain Age™: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (sold 4 million units worldwide) and Big Brain Academy™ (nearly 2 million sold to date worldwide) – are part of a phenomenon of people wanting to feel as mentally sharp as possible by playing daily.

The best part for Game Boy® Advance owners is Nintendo DS Lite plays their entire library of up to 1,000 Game Boy Advance games in single-player mode.

Talkback

RobageejamminSeptember 02, 2006

Can't imagine what will happen in Japan when Wii comes out. I expect roads to be closed just for the lines and probably about 2 in hospitalization from chlostrophobia or ignorance of bodily functions.....and thats just for when the color green comes out.

AcefonduSeptember 02, 2006

I really hope your right Rob. This could change the face of gaming forever. Once precieved as a 'geek' thing to do may well transform into a social activity shared by Wii. Yes, I left proper grammer for a bad Wii pun deal with it!

JensenSeptember 02, 2006

But the PS2 is still selling more than 10 times as much as the 3 other consoles combined...

edgeblade69September 03, 2006

That's because everyone's PS2s keep breaking haha...

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