The DS Lite has officially made its debut in Japan. Full report inside.
March 1, 2006 | 7:26 PM PSTby: Chris Playo
The Nintendo DS Lite has now officially arrived in Japan. At 8:00 pm Eastern standard time, 10:00 am Japanese time, the upgraded portable gaming device was unleashed upon frenzied Japanese gamers throughout the country.
Crystal White DS Lite
Those anticipating the arrival of the device were out in full force late last night (early this morning for us) as widespread shortages of Nintendo's latest product are fully expected. In what has been described as an exceptionally cold night, riddled by freezing, raining conditions. The long lines traditionally associated with the release of a new gaming system started off slow, presumably due to the inhospitable weather conditions present in Japan, however accelerated greatly throughout the night.
DS Lite Launch: Early Last Night in Japan
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The line evolved into this shortly afterwards
The launch of the Nintendo DS Lite has been one marked by uncertainty so far. Retailers throughout Japan were not provided with specific, day-one stock figures for the anticipated device, and as a result were unable to institute a widespread pre-order program. The original Nintendo DS made its debut with thousands of the units already spoken for, however the same can not be said for the Lite version as retailers allocated none of their stock for gamers to reserve.
This is what a lack of pre-orders does
The absence of reserved units was not all that troubled the launch of the system, as Nintendo has had difficulties producing enough of the system to meet the expected, exceptional level of demand. In fact, the company has only released one of the three available color offerings for the portable, the Crystal White iteration today. The forthcoming Enamel Navy and Ice Blue color offerings are expected to arrive nine days later on March 11th.
You won't see inventories like this for a while
Furthermore, it has been reported that the total quantities of the portable shipped for launch have amounted to a meager ninety-one thousand units. However, that number is entirely unconfirmed, and the actual amount available could indeed be more than the rumored figure. In total, it has been confirmed that four-hundred fifty thousand DS Lite systems will be allocated for the entire month of March for Japan, with the original DS model shipping some two-hundred thousand units.
Japanese Gamers using their original DS for the last time?
The official price of the upgraded portable is 16,800 yen, roughly $139.99 in the United States, however, the asking price has risen considerably for interested importers. Online retailers such as Lik-Sang and Play Asia originally offered the device for a respectable $169.99, however the going rate has risen to some $299.99 in some cases. To put it simply, if you want a DS Lite within the next week or two, be prepared to empty your wallet.
Is this worth $300? Can I say yes?
The truly high non-retail price associated with the portable is derived from the unprecedented demand for the system. Gamers across the world seemingly desire the unit's slimmed down proportions, improved battery life, brighter screens, and redone ergonomic design.
This is what all the fuss is about
In total, the DS Lite is twenty-one percent lighter and forty-two percent smaller than the original Nintendo DS. The system's specifications amount to 133 mm wide by 73.9 mm tall by 21.5 mm thick compared to the original version's 148.7 mm wide by 84.7 mm tall by 28.99 dimensions.
Japanese gamers waiting patiently for the DS Lite
Nintendo has high hopes for the Nintendo DS, as they fully expect to ship an unprecedented ten million units of both versions by the end of the year in Japan. If this were to occur it would shatter previous sales records for the country. Released in Japan during the month of December 2004, the Nintendo DS has been on the market for roughly fifteen months, twenty-one by June. If the Nintendo DS does indeed breach the ten million mark in Japan it will have done so before both the Playstation 2 and Game Boy Advance, two incredibly popular Japanese platforms.
Early pictures from the DS Lite launch nite
To reach the ten million mark in Japan, it took the Game Boy Advance roughly thirty months, with the PS2 requiring thirty-two. The Advanced Media Network will have much more regarding the launch of the Nintendo DS as soon as further information regarding its status emerges. Stay tuned. In the mean time, check out various pictures of the system's launch here.
Crystal White DS Lite
Those anticipating the arrival of the device were out in full force late last night (early this morning for us) as widespread shortages of Nintendo's latest product are fully expected. In what has been described as an exceptionally cold night, riddled by freezing, raining conditions. The long lines traditionally associated with the release of a new gaming system started off slow, presumably due to the inhospitable weather conditions present in Japan, however accelerated greatly throughout the night.
DS Lite Launch: Early Last Night in Japan
The line evolved into this shortly afterwards
The launch of the Nintendo DS Lite has been one marked by uncertainty so far. Retailers throughout Japan were not provided with specific, day-one stock figures for the anticipated device, and as a result were unable to institute a widespread pre-order program. The original Nintendo DS made its debut with thousands of the units already spoken for, however the same can not be said for the Lite version as retailers allocated none of their stock for gamers to reserve.
This is what a lack of pre-orders does
The absence of reserved units was not all that troubled the launch of the system, as Nintendo has had difficulties producing enough of the system to meet the expected, exceptional level of demand. In fact, the company has only released one of the three available color offerings for the portable, the Crystal White iteration today. The forthcoming Enamel Navy and Ice Blue color offerings are expected to arrive nine days later on March 11th.
You won't see inventories like this for a while
Furthermore, it has been reported that the total quantities of the portable shipped for launch have amounted to a meager ninety-one thousand units. However, that number is entirely unconfirmed, and the actual amount available could indeed be more than the rumored figure. In total, it has been confirmed that four-hundred fifty thousand DS Lite systems will be allocated for the entire month of March for Japan, with the original DS model shipping some two-hundred thousand units.
Japanese Gamers using their original DS for the last time?
The official price of the upgraded portable is 16,800 yen, roughly $139.99 in the United States, however, the asking price has risen considerably for interested importers. Online retailers such as Lik-Sang and Play Asia originally offered the device for a respectable $169.99, however the going rate has risen to some $299.99 in some cases. To put it simply, if you want a DS Lite within the next week or two, be prepared to empty your wallet.
Is this worth $300? Can I say yes?
The truly high non-retail price associated with the portable is derived from the unprecedented demand for the system. Gamers across the world seemingly desire the unit's slimmed down proportions, improved battery life, brighter screens, and redone ergonomic design.
This is what all the fuss is about
In total, the DS Lite is twenty-one percent lighter and forty-two percent smaller than the original Nintendo DS. The system's specifications amount to 133 mm wide by 73.9 mm tall by 21.5 mm thick compared to the original version's 148.7 mm wide by 84.7 mm tall by 28.99 dimensions.
Japanese gamers waiting patiently for the DS Lite
Nintendo has high hopes for the Nintendo DS, as they fully expect to ship an unprecedented ten million units of both versions by the end of the year in Japan. If this were to occur it would shatter previous sales records for the country. Released in Japan during the month of December 2004, the Nintendo DS has been on the market for roughly fifteen months, twenty-one by June. If the Nintendo DS does indeed breach the ten million mark in Japan it will have done so before both the Playstation 2 and Game Boy Advance, two incredibly popular Japanese platforms.
Early pictures from the DS Lite launch nite
To reach the ten million mark in Japan, it took the Game Boy Advance roughly thirty months, with the PS2 requiring thirty-two. The Advanced Media Network will have much more regarding the launch of the Nintendo DS as soon as further information regarding its status emerges. Stay tuned. In the mean time, check out various pictures of the system's launch here.
