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Japan goes big for the DS Lite

  • By Hirohiko Niizumi, GameSpot
  • Posted Mar 1, 2006 6:49 pm PT

DS popularity continues to be red-hot in Japan; new, smaller model sells out within hours.

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TOKYO--The launch of Nintendo's DS Lite in Japan today was a ferocious display of the power of the portable. The redesigned handheld generated far larger crowds than the launch of the original, and as expected, units sold out within hours of its morning release.

As usual, Yodobashi Camera had an extremely long line, prelaunch.

More than 60 customers had started to line up by midnight, and the line nearly doubled by 8:30 a.m., when the store opened its doors.

In 2004, the original DS only had about 40 customers waiting on line at the launching hour. And back then, the line dissipated in about 10 minutes, with consumers able to pick up the handheld at lunchtime or even a day later without a reservation.

This time, it was different. Employees tending the lines for the DS Lite were seen with "Sold Out" signs posted before the stores opened.

Yodobashi was originally scheduled to open 30 minutes earlier than its usual 9:30 a.m., but given the long line of customers, the store moved its schedule up an hour earlier. The line wasn't as bad as it was for Sony's PSP, but it still extended to across the street and over the block, curving at the corner and still continuing.

Similar crowds assembled at other stores across the city as well. The Shinjuku Bic Camera had an even larger crowd than Yodobashi, with about 300 people waiting in line. Its lines were so long that they were separated into two sections, with each snaking into three rows.

An even longer line was said to have formed at Akihabara's Yodobashi Camera, which is rapidly becoming one of the favorite locations for gamers to buy their wares.

One of the interesting aspects of the launch was the wide range of ages seen in lines--from teens to the elderly. Usually with new game systems, the lines consist predominantly of males in their teens and twenties, but it was very apparent that the Nintendo DS attracted a much more diverse crowd.

Nintendo has consistently targeted the DS towards a more general audience with its "Touch! Generations" series of games, a selection which includes Nintendogs and Big Brain Academy. Today's lines proved that the company's plans have been a success.

In an official statement, Nintendo announced that it will ship over 450,000 DS Lite units and 200,000 regular DS units during the month of March.

Previous predictions of 1 million DS Lite units being in the retail channel were revised last week when Nintendo announced that two of its color models, the Ice Blue and Enamel Navy, wouldn't be released until March 11.

171 Comments

  • lilazn_boi

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 4:55 pm GMT

    soooo many japs...no offense to anyone...

  • pinoyconcept

    Posted Mar 13, 2006 3:18 am GMT

    just wait for the psp lite or psp mini, what ever are they planning to call it

  • UberPcGuitarman

    Posted Mar 12, 2006 11:03 am GMT

    well sure Nintendo sells well in japan look were the company originated from... but in the end the ds lite is still just a ds... just smaller with more battery life.

  • smbius

    Posted Mar 12, 2006 1:05 am GMT

    I have a PSP and enjoy some of its games. This is a best time to get DS now that there are a really good number of games for it. Japan is pretty good at setting a tone over what to expect in the US.

  • poohbear12

    Posted Mar 11, 2006 6:29 am GMT

    ...this is so not surprising....considering the fact that Nintendo, unlike Sony or Microsoft, are more concerned with the FUN a game has, rather than how many 3d textures they can squeeze onto the screen before slowdown. Nearly every game for the PSP, for example, looks wonderful but plays crap. DS? Not so great on the graphics front, but so much more entertaining, inexpensive, less frustrating in terms of wait times for loads, a system that doesn't break every time you put it down on a hard surface, etc.etc.

  • roonagraphics

    Posted Mar 10, 2006 5:56 am GMT

    this gives me the overall advantage for presentation cuase the ds lite coming to the us thats when ill be able to get one and show it off to my friends and make them look like dumbasses for not listening to me cause they couldn't wait a few months for a redisgn of the ds. ha take that losers

  • willps3

    Posted Mar 9, 2006 8:59 pm GMT

    I'm buying one! Forget the rip off PSP with the stupid UMD movies. Can't even watch them movies on your 42'' HDTV with a nice surround system. Why spend money on PSP movies? I guess thats all they have.

  • old_school24

    Posted Mar 9, 2006 4:26 pm GMT

    cool

  • squashy

    Posted Mar 9, 2006 11:48 am GMT

    wooo rock on nintendo! but when do us brits get the machine? pleease say soon! i need one

  • Kefkamania05

    Posted Mar 8, 2006 2:45 pm GMT

    I can't wait till DS lite comes out over here!

  • Ernice

    Posted Mar 8, 2006 12:10 am GMT

    i want a ds lite too, oh man, come over here quick

  • Higamason

    Posted Mar 7, 2006 2:37 pm GMT

    Crazy...

  • 50cent99

    Posted Mar 6, 2006 10:15 am GMT

    i guess the japanese loves their nintendo

  • DeathWClass

    Posted Mar 6, 2006 5:33 am GMT

    kinda happy for nintendo,used to be a big fan,got a psp now and always look at teh news on the DS world and they have tons of crappy games and only a hand full of great games,but the great ones are really classic! its like mario kart,i want my ORIGINAL metal gear for my psp...

    Go nintendo? you bet!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Mar 6, 2006 5:30 am GMT

    WOW..... japan is always crazy like that, standing in line for stuff (except for the xbox 360 hahahaha). the DS light is sweet. yo N..... when's it commin stateside?????

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Mar 6, 2006 5:30 am GMT

    WOW..... japan is always crazy like that, standing in line for stuff (except for the xbox 360 hahahaha). the DS light is sweet. yo N..... when's it commin stateside?????

  • mikemetroid5565

    Posted Mar 5, 2006 4:13 pm GMT

    man i wish i could get one right now!

  • Anew614

    Posted Mar 5, 2006 1:24 pm GMT

    Well done nintendo you have been doing your home work keep it up.

  • mista_saki

    Posted Mar 5, 2006 7:01 am GMT

    this just proves the huge awesomeness of nintendo...I LOVE U NINTENENDO!!! UR THE BEST!!! ROCK ON!!!
    p.s. u prbly noticed that im prbly the biggest nintendo fanboy ull ever meet... luv ya nintendo!!!

  • mrgokugf

    Posted Mar 4, 2006 10:12 pm GMT

    lets not go overboard now ninty, keep the boat sailing nice and smooth in that big blue ocean of reggies

  • demonic_bunny

    Posted Mar 4, 2006 9:58 pm GMT

    damn...i might have to get one of these...

  • sonic_xa

    Posted Mar 4, 2006 11:25 am GMT

    yahoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

  • teh_ghost

    Posted Mar 4, 2006 8:41 am GMT

    no suprise here, japan likes small and sleek and they like the DS. Nintendo combines the two and walla.

  • 03054

    Posted Mar 4, 2006 2:09 am GMT

    Coooooool!!!!! Hope it comes out in Australia

  • xbox_junkii

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 7:59 pm GMT

    pretty cool

  • MgunHunter

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 6:47 pm GMT

    DS > PSP
    Go Nintendo! haha. I still hope Sony does well with the PS3 though.

  • tienchiha

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 3:38 pm GMT

    Towards strkr241.

    People in Japan already realize how big the DS is, people in America are too busy think about the next GTA or sex game. Thats why I really do not care about the American market, because all they think about in a gaming system is how is can make them become cool. How else would a game like 50 Cent Bulletproof sell over 1 million copies.

  • dounowhatiam

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 10:09 am GMT

    ds has owned psp hard and even more when ds lite comes out here.
    i got my psp when it came out with all it hype there was a lot of launching games but i got bored of them in less then 2 weeks,and now only use it to play videos in my house near the pc for no reason at all.
    i got my ds with mario kart and then got so many more amazing games,
    i still dont know what the psp is

    is it a portable video device- that you can't see the screen when you go out side.

    or a huge clunky mp3 player-too big to be a mp3

    a portable games machine-where are the good games?(only ever enjoyed 2 games on it sense it launched) and the battery is to short to be a portable games machine.

    i mite sell my psp to get a ds lite (if sony doesn't get it head out of its ass)

  • strkr241

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 8:03 am GMT

    that is totally sad, half them people probably already have a ds. whats the dam point in buying a newer one just cos its a bit smaller?

  • Koopatrol

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 7:59 am GMT

    Jesus that is kewl

  • tienchiha

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 7:09 am GMT

    Oh yea, and I would like to end by saying that Generation of Chaos absolutely blows. Check the forums, its another bad game.

  • tienchiha

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 6:52 am GMT

    Well, this ends it.......The handheld war is over! The PSP is no competition.

  • DFTricks

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 4:53 am GMT

    That KICK ASS!

  • cyprus646

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 3:33 am GMT

    I cant wait for it to come out in america ME WANT ONE ME WANT ONE NOW!!!

  • KSweeley1985

    Posted Mar 3, 2006 1:26 am GMT

    Wow!!! Amazing. I wonder how well the DS Lite will sell in the U.S.

  • Arkasai7

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 11:42 pm GMT

    I'm guessing all those people who were on the fence during launch...somewhere along the line decided they wanted a DS, and figured it was better to wait till the inevitable redesign.

  • thefjk

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 6:33 pm GMT

    Man... thats just so COOL!

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 5:39 pm GMT

    I knew this would be good for Nintendo - didn't expect this good =)

  • chaosreaper

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 5:22 pm GMT

    the thing is how will it sell in the USA? a lot of people in the US already have a DS and i'm not buying another one just for the size. still though nintendo has been doing an awesome job recently ^_^

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 5:11 pm GMT

    interesting.....

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 3:44 pm GMT

    DS's have been in low supply since December. this is great, but not surprising.

  • knn2003

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 3:30 pm GMT

    I'm gonna trade in my regular DS for a Lite when it comes on in the States. I doubt many people in line already have a DS. The teens already bought theirs, many people in line look older. I agree with the user saying console gaming and portable gaming are different, that's why I chose the DS as my portable. I have my GC and PS2 for console gaming.

  • GaaraZanta

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 3:17 pm GMT

    thetruthisdead your comment 't's like.. fighiting over Mac and PCs.. -_- ' is one of the most retarded I have ever heard, are you a communist? This is what capitalism is about, fighting to see which product does better or is better and at the end of the day what the customer demands is what ends up being the better product(the customer is always right.) Also that was probably your sly way of bashing the DS, since it is owning the PSP as of now(no i'm not a PSP hater, going to get one soon, already have my DS.)

  • Psycho_Teen

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 1:29 pm GMT

    When the heck is ds lite coming out in the US?

  • n2Deepeth

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 1:29 pm GMT

    Wi-Fi + Games like Mario Kart, ACWW, Nintendogs, Castlevania, Advance Wars, Meteos, etc. + Opera internet browser + Play-yan + GBA library = Crazy demand

  • Tjeremiah1988

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 1:12 pm GMT

    DS is doing this good and its not the new gameboy. Just wait till the new gameboy comes out. The lines will be 8 miles long!

  • thetruthisdead

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 1:06 pm GMT

    funny.. I only find this fanboy-ism only in United States...

    Even some of the Nintendo/Sony/Microsoft representatives seems to be promoting this fanboy-ism...

    And one more thing... Because DS is selling more than PSP... that doesn't Sony isn't making any money off of it..

    I don't know how old you guys are in GS generally.. but.. come on.. does it matter that PSP or DS does better than the other?

    It's like.. fighiting over Mac and PCs.. -_-

  • Tskull

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 12:59 pm GMT

    I really see and know about gameboy DS, but really! it's kind of fun playing this portale

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 12:40 pm GMT

    I understang Nintendo's move. After a year or two of production, it becomes cheaper to devlop smaller gears.

    Japanese truly know how to support their products! That's Nintendo first publicity right there. Since it was a "success" in Japan, the rest of world better get rid of their old look, and jump in the train. To bad the rest of the world never makes Japan jump in the video game train.

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Mar 2, 2006 11:48 am GMT

    HOLY CRAP! Wow! It still sells out!! My god... DS is just unstoppable. DS truly owns. No one can doubt about it.

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