NINTENDO DS A STEAL AT $129.99; NINTENDOGS BARKS UP A STORM
U.S. Fans Brace for Japan's Smash-Hit Puppy Simulation
REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 16, 2005 – Nintendo is announcing new pricing for the Nintendo DS™ of $129.99 MSRP, effective Aug. 21, in advance of the arrival of a critically acclaimed title for the dual-screened, hand-held video game system. The $20 price drop comes just ahead of the Aug. 22 U.S. launch of Nintendogs™, which has become a cultural phenomenon and a sales leader in Japan because of its innovative appeal.
"The new price and the arrival of a mega hit like Nintendogs give Nintendo DS a one-two punch that will thrill consumers," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "Consumers know Nintendo offers the best in the hand-held video game industry, and this news should make them very happy."
Nintendo DS has outsold all other hand-held and console video game systems in Japan for four months straight. Nintendogs recently went on sale in Japan, sparking a nationwide craze, as owners began raising, training and falling in love with their lifelike puppies; more than 700,000 copies of Nintendogs have sold since its debut. Weekly Famitsu, Japan's leading video game magazine, gives Nintendogs an extraordinary overall perfect score of 40.
Nintendogs is a puppy simulator made exclusively for Nintendo DS that lets owners name, train and play with a realistic puppy. The pups respond to their owners' voices with the built-in microphone, and react to praise and positive reinforcement via the Nintendo DS' touch screen. The sophisticated artificial intelligence simulates a real dog in every way. Nintendogs players pick from 18 breeds, then owners feed their pups, buy them new toys and take them for walks as they bond.
In addition to Nintendogs, Nintendo DS has a strong lineup of games arriving before the end of the year. These include Advance Wars®: Dual Strike on Aug. 22, Trace Memory™ on Sept. 26, Metroid® Prime Pinball on Oct. 24 and Mario & Luigi 2™ in Q4. The new price for Nintendo DS also gives consumers another excuse to buy a Nintendo DS to be ready for the upcoming Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, the wireless gaming service to launch later this year with a Mario Kart® racing game and an Animal Crossing® community-building game.
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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Just in time for Nintendogs? More like just in time for a Zelda-less Cube Christmas. They have to keep their fans from buying X360s somehow. If Nintendo fans are going to have to look for another system to get their gaming fix this Christmas it's obviously better for Nintendo if they buy a DS. I suggest they cut the price even more around October. Anything to dissuade an Xbox 360 purchase.
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Originally posted by: Nile Boogie
"You can please some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time but you can't make Ian Sane happy."