Find out what celebrities had to say about the DS at the pre-launch party.
CELEBRITIES FIRST TO 'TOUCH' NINTENDO DS AT EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE PARTY
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., November 17, 2004 – It was all about touching and playing at the Nintendo DSTM pre-launch party last night as celebrities including Cuba Gooding Jr., Jesse Metcalfe, Zach Braff, Orlando Jones, Taryn Manning, Anthony Keidis, Sarah Chalke, Rachel Hunter, David Gallagher, J.C. Chasez, Donald Faison, Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Vartan and more were the first to play Nintendo's newest hand-held video game system – the Nintendo DS – scheduled to debut in North American stores Nov. 21.
"Since we announced the Nintendo DS, celebrities have been clamoring to be the first to get their hands on it," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing. "The Nintendo DS was a huge hit due to its revolutionary features – the dual screen; touch-screen; a built-in chat function; and wireless communication."
The Premiere of the Nintendo DS
The worldwide Hollywood premiere of the Nintendo DSTM got rave reviews.
Celebrities in attendance: Cris Judd, Mila Kunis, Drew Fuller, Jason London, Damian Lewis, Ethan Embry, David Gallagher, Marsha Thomason, Lake Bell, Jennifer Gimenez, Lochlyn Munro, William Lee Scott, John Hawkes, Nick Gonzales, Trent Ford, Alexis Arquette, Adam Garcia, Allison Munn, Megan Good, Rachel Miner, Melinda Williams, Ashley Peldon, Courtney Peldon
Entertainment:
Nintendo DS exclusive games such as Metroid Prime® Hunters: First Hunt and Super Mario® 64 DS from Nintendo, Madden NFL 2005, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® Golf and The UrbzTM: Sims in the CityTM from Electronic Arts, Spider-Man 2TM from Activision, Asphalt Urban GTTM from Ubisoft and many others. The PictoChatTM communication feature embedded in the Nintendo DS was also available.
A special performance by The Killers (number 1 global single "Somebody Told Me"), who took a special detour from their sold-out worldwide tour to be a part of the event. Also, DJ Spinna, producer of numerous tracks and remixes for notable artists span tunes throughout the evening.
Reviews:
"They look great! They are small enough to travel with and will help me pass away many hours when I'm on tour, especially on those long bus rides." – Pink
"Proud to be the first (to receive the Nintendo DS)!" – Nelly
"Yo, this is the dopest thing I've seen in my life." – Donald Faison
The Party Scene:
The party atmosphere reflected the intimacy and selectivity of the Nintendo DS. It featured VIP lounge areas for game play and focused on the "Touching is Good" theme, which is Nintendo's massive multimillion-dollar campaign for the new system targeting a hip, male demographic in lifestyle magazines and trendy TV and cable channels.
The event was held at an exclusive location, The Day After, a new venue with a modern, sophisticated look located in the space once known as the Montmartre, the first glamour Hollywood nightspot in the early 1920s. The Nintendo DS Launch Party was THE hot party to be at in Hollywood complete with a celebrity dating game that featured Calvin Klein model Trent Ford posing questions via the Nintendo DS PictoChatTM function to three beautiful women.
Nintendo DS will sell at an MSRP of $149.99. In the first 30 days of system availability, players can enjoy 10-12 Nintendo DS games covering all genres. By the end of the first quarter of 2005, the Nintendo DS library will grow to 20-25 games. In addition to the built-in PictoChatTM function, Nintendo DS will come bundled with a playable demo of Metroid Prime® Hunters: First Hunt, the latest installment in an extremely popular first-person shooter franchise.
