Japanese buy 10 million DSes

  • By Walt Wyman, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 31, 2006 5:36 pm PT

The company that Mario built says its latest handheld is all the rage in Japan; sales buoyed by the recent release of the DS Lite.

Nintendo announced today that Japanese sales of its DS handheld have passed the 10 million mark after just 20 months on the market--a new record for game console sales, the company claimed.

The handheld, which launched in December 2004, was Nintendo's bid to bring a wider range of age groups into the gaming fold with its "Touch Generation" titles like Brain Age and Nintendogs.

A good chunk of the sales of the DS are attributed directly to its revamped shell, the DS Lite, which saw long prereleases lines during its launch in March and moved 2.34 million units in April and June. Worldwide sales of the DS wonder have surpassed 20 million, while the recently released DS Lite sold nearly 600,000 units 19 days after its release in the United States.

Sales of the handheld don't appear to be slowing down much. Early last week, Nintendo announced that it expects to sell 17 million DSes worldwide during its current fiscal year, up from its previous projection of 16 million units. And the sales figures are more than merely boasting: The DS sales were a primary contributing factor to the company's first-quarter profit of $133.6 million.

Japanese newspaper Kyoto Shimbun reports that about 10 DS titles have gone platinum.

204 Comments

  • jetsethi

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 10:56 am PT

    You are corrct when you say "The PSP is a much more..... powerful...." Its got some kick-ass graphics and is an all-around powerhouse media player, but it also is a gaming device.Since the PSP is a sony product that plays games, people associate it with being primarily a gaming device. the games for the PSP are sub- par at best. Although, there may be one or two tittles that are awsome, there aren't enough to make it the TOP gaming device.

    As for its finish, I don't think you've seen the DSLite and really taken a non biased look at it.

  • 03054

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 3:43 am PT

    I dont know whats wrong with you all BUT THE PSP ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and how can anyone say otherwise???

    The DS game line up is crap!!!!!!!!!! Nintendogs? Brain Age? Trama centre this is all crap using the 2 inch touch screen irritating!!!!!!!!!!!!! The PSP is a much more finished console that is powerful and FUN to play!!!!!!

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Aug 23, 2006 11:48 am PT

    Nintendo sure is making their products especially for smaller people, everything theyve been producing, they will later make it smaller, they never come up with anything new..that is sad, its like they same idea and just make a different concept... they need to grow up so that their merchandise will grow, and they will stop making a bunch of small toys( their easy to use video game machines) something perfect for all the kiddie people in the world.. yaaay make the little people happy.......LOL

    And the proof is here all the nintendo ds fanboys every do it cut the psp down and try to say the ds is better what a bunch of sissies.

  • Gribb85

    Posted Aug 23, 2006 2:48 am PT

    Suck it PSP!

  • L_E_D

    Posted Aug 22, 2006 5:38 am PT

    Damn I want a DS lite instead of my regular DS now I don't need it but I can't help looking at them when I go shopping.

  • Limonadi

    Posted Aug 22, 2006 4:16 am PT

    no emulator in console so ssuuuucks

  • gozyaj

    Posted Aug 22, 2006 12:46 am PT

    Nintendo Live Again!!!!

  • deadmeat59

    Posted Aug 21, 2006 8:33 pm PT

    looks like nintendo has goten the right idea for once! lol nintendo has gone way down hill since the late days of the n64 but it looks like they are going back up agian but how far will they go?

  • PuffTheDragon

    Posted Aug 21, 2006 5:57 am PT

    I'm no DS fanboy, but I have to say to all the people yelling "OMG PSP PWNZ UR DSS CUZ IT IZ MORE MATYORE!", go and jump in a hole.

    And to quote a little-known internet figure named Maddox: "Saying the [PSP] is a good system because it's powerful is like saying you made a great painting because you used the best set of paints." (It was said about the Xbox, but the same principle can be applied.)

  • bigredman3000

    Posted Aug 20, 2006 11:15 am PT

    long live nintendo ds

  • bootsfansonly

    Posted Aug 19, 2006 11:23 pm PT

    I've owned a psp for over a year and just bought a ds lite. Listening to music with the psp and playin a game on the ds, thats getting the full potential out of each system and at once mind u. I NEED MORE PSP GAMES THAT ARE WORTH A DAMMMMM.

  • 0li

    Posted Aug 19, 2006 3:23 pm PT

    The reason why Nintendo have sold many DS units in Japan is simple: its because anyone can play it. And as for one particular person...

    "Actually if you think about is the ds is a joke, that is why they make so many game rated E, the ds was made for kids ages 13 and down, that is why its so cheap so that the kids wont have to ask their parents for too much money for their little ds, the gimmicky toy, the games for it are so easy youd have to be blind to fail at them....that is another reason its just for kids unless you are a geeky old person with nothing else to do but play games....DS is for Down Sized people aka children."

    So the fact that i am nearly 18 means that i cannot enjoy New Super Mario Bros? Or Wario ware touched? Because of one simple little rating? Go back to your game-cave.

    EDIT: oh, and to those who ask if the sales matter to us, the game players? They do. More profit on a console = more developers = more games. 'Nuff said.

  • Muazzin

    Posted Aug 19, 2006 12:00 pm PT

    BIG UP DS! KEEP IT UP!!

  • zelda4ds

    Posted Aug 19, 2006 7:53 am PT

    ds rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • 08011989

    Posted Aug 19, 2006 3:13 am PT

    The thing that got me into buying a DS-lite is the PSP. My cousin owns a PSP and keeps bragging on about how good the system is with its technical stuff like music and videos and somtimes games, he also bought one of those add-on speakers which too i think is impressive. My other cousins then had an interest in PSP which i think is silly coz they dont even play games on it they just like it coz of the media player and add-on's and then also doubted the DS.

    I went and bought myself a DS-lite and went for the fun game (Wario Ware: Touched). In an instant my DS-lite was more popular than my cousins PSP and then i also stated that i will get one of those memory cards which i can play music and videos, for the speakers i can get one for the DS as well but with the sourround speakers that the DS-lite already has there was no need to.

    My cousin kept it kol but inside i knoe he was shattered and nevah agin he braged on wif his PSP

    SHATTERED !!!!!!!!!!

  • conkers209

    Posted Aug 18, 2006 8:40 pm PT

    Well I can see why the DS is doing better than PSP, its because the DS has better games, my brother has a PSP and all he does with it is watch videos on it, he doesn't buy games for it and he is 28. I'm 21 and I have a DS Lite and I like the games on the ds alot more. Not all games on the DS are kids games, more looks like kids games but I'll take a kid looking game thats fun over a mature looking game that has problems in it any day. And how some people say that the DS has dunb down graphics, most of the games looks good, check out Metriod Prime Hunters, that is a good looking game.

    Besides for people that want all those features like the psp does, check this out http://www.ds-xtreme.com/. I know its the price of another DS lite but for 4 GB for music and video and all on a DS card that's is really good. I'm going to get one of these when it comes out.

  • PenguinKommando

    Posted Aug 18, 2006 6:03 am PT

    ssjtrunks6
    Actually if you think about is the ds is a joke, that is why they make so many game rated E, the ds was made for kids ages 13 and down, that is why its so cheap so that the kids wont have to ask their parents for too much money for their little ds, the gimmicky toy, the games for it are so easy youd have to be blind to fail at them....that is another reason its just for kids unless you are a geeky old person with nothing else to do but play games....DS is for Down Sized people aka children.

    You know the PSP is more of a gimmick than the DS right? Its a 250 dollar video iPod but you have to spend like 200 dollars on a reasonable sized flash drive, plus the essential accessories anyway, so youve already spent more on it than on a 60 gig video ipod. The internet browser on it is the biggest gimmick of all and sony fans refuse to see the hipocrasy in their statements, "Oh Nintendos touch screen is a gimmick, but the internet browser, now THATS going somewhere." Yeah, I love typing like 2 words a minute with the terrible PSP key function setup.
    And if youre so obsessed with being 17 and up (which I doubt you are - youre probably 6 years away from it) and being a grown-up, then why are you still playing video games? You said yourself theonly grown-ups who play video games are losers.

  • GAMEGEEK1

    Posted Aug 17, 2006 1:01 am PT

    2 GB = 500 songs 4GB = 1000 songs usualy i think

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Aug 17, 2006 12:47 am PT

    Um not quite, its MB, GB are a whole lot bigger, there is not portable device that has nearly that amount of memory, and the average mp3 player holds about 500 songs, Im not sure how much that is in memory, but the psp can have up to 4 GB of memory, you dont have to stay with the same amount of memory, you can upgrade whenever you want, for the mp3 players, youd would have to buy one with more memory and cant get upgraded.

  • GAMEGEEK1

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 8:58 pm PT

    lol get used to it loopy almost every thing is turning into a psp vs. ds or 360 vs ps3 vs wii war at least both the psp and the ds are out so people can effectively crab about them instead of coming up with half baked crap about y they don't like them or blow another outta proportion to make it seem larger than life

    i know my spelling suck but i have better things to do than spellcheck my writing.

  • pathogenb

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 8:37 pm PT

    "one of the best things of the psp is that it is a mp3 player, and it is cheaper than a great mp3 player that could cost around 300 dollars"

    yeah, and those mp3 players are a hell of a lot smaller and can hold 30+ GB of data. how much is a 4GB flash card for the PSP? right.

  • ParkCarsHere

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    DS sure is popular... I highly doubted it would ever get popular when I first heard of it. However, I'm glad I have both a PSP and DS... they're both awesome.

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 4:41 pm PT

    one of the best things of the psp is that it is a mp3 player, and it is cheaper than a great mp3 player that could cost around 300 dollars, this is what the next gen portables should be like, not downgrading graphics, or alot of remade games

  • loopy_101

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 3:19 pm PT

    Is it me or the comments for this have turned to a PSP vs. DS war?

    Nintendo have always been the best at the handheld market, its why sales for the DS have been this great. They don't take risks with the technology (thus better battery life) and third-party developers seem to take the handheld more seriously then the PSP. Nintendo have also appealed to all ages yet one or two games are classed at a more mature age (e.g. Resident Evil, Castlevania and Final Fantasy). And its likely the people who are going to post comments on this session are Nintendo fans and neutral gamers. This is no place for hardcore Sony fans of the sort

  • Tigerman950

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 10:33 am PT

    I'm older so I am a PSP owner. For some reason, I like the games for the PSP way more than the games for the DS, and I don't know why, as much as I do understand that PSP games are just remakes of PS2 games. I simply cannot stand the DS, even if I'm playing a Lite, because none of the DS games can draw me in for more than 15-20 minutes. I just own a PSP, and a 1 GB memory stick along with it, and I'm happy.

  • FortuneC00kie

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 8:59 am PT

    Go check out Trauma Center ssjtrunks6. You'll feel really, really stupid.

  • stanislavski86

    Posted Aug 16, 2006 4:14 am PT

    Only problem is Nintendo doesn't create games that are up to DS's potential, why do we have so little amount of satisfactory touched based games!?

  • ssjtrunks6

    Posted Aug 15, 2006 10:02 am PT

    Actually if you think about is the ds is a joke, that is why they make so many game rated E, the ds was made for kids ages 13 and down, that is why its so cheap so that the kids wont have to ask their parents for too much money for their little ds, the gimmicky toy, the games for it are so easy youd have to be blind to fail at them....that is another reason its just for kids unless you are a geeky old person with nothing else to do but play games....DS is for Down Sized people aka children.

    I dont have to check out anything, Its a fact there are more older people with a psp than a ds, because of the types of games for it, not to mension the capabilities, and if you check on all the people that have a psp, they are mostly around the age of 17 and up, the gba can play more games than the ds, that thing cant even play gameboy or gameboycolor games.

  • xxstaggerxx

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 5:34 pm PT

    The psp is a joke. Simple as that. If you own one, i laugh at you.

  • reptilia93

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 4:23 pm PT

    all ds needs is a metal gear solid game

  • Kbs64

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 4:11 pm PT

    Go NINTENDO!!!

  • FortuneC00kie

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 10:28 am PT

    "I just need PSP for its awesome games, MP3 player and video player. Plus I don't get the whole touch thing."

    The truth is, PSP does not have awesome games. The DS does. The story ends there.

  • Ahsafan

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 9:13 am PT

    THE BOTTOM LINE IS: PSP PWNS DS BY FAAAAAAAAAAAR PSP ROCKS!!! CUZ THE STONECOLD SAID SO!

  • Jerell_rast Site moderator

    Posted Aug 13, 2006 4:59 pm PT

    DS is best in handheld. If you wanna play music, buy an IPOD. If you wanna play movies/DVD buy a DVD player. If you wanna play PS games, buy the PS2/P$3. If you wanna surf the net, you're doin' it!! So what's the point of PSP?

  • Tigerman950

    Posted Aug 13, 2006 1:00 pm PT

    Cool, DS Lite is pretty cool but I still like the PSP better. I have a PSP and I don't wanna buy a DS Lite. I just need PSP for its awesome games, MP3 player and video player. Plus I don't get the whole touch thing.

  • Rockman_X9

    Posted Aug 13, 2006 10:58 am PT

    Some time ago, I got a hardware for my DS, and let me tell you is so nice to play music and watch videos on my precious DS!!! See!!!, the exact same thing that PSP can do, and for a small price depending on the storage of the CF card. The DS can play SNES and NES games too!!! and some other consoles as some guy ( keerazy) said, that PSP was only able to do!!! Ím so happy with this adquisition, play my favorite classics anywhere. Or hear music!!! About the video I dont use it too much, I prefer watching it on a DVD.

    DS ROCKS!!!!

  • Lithavalon

    Posted Aug 12, 2006 11:05 pm PT

    woot nintendo rocks psp sucks

  • lord-azrael

    Posted Aug 12, 2006 8:55 am PT

    I find it funny how every gaming thing says DS selling more than PSPoo by crazy amounts and then at the sony conference at E3 Sony had the nerve to say PSPoo was outselling DS,yeah maybe in his dreams and then he woke up with his face in his cornflakes

  • GaaraZanta

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 5:54 pm PT

    jammers_182,
    yes sales( of the DS) do matter, because if a system doesn't sell well then people stop making good games for it then less people buy the system because of the lack of good games and its a vicious cycle to the bottom, why do you fanboy make stupid comments without thinking them through first?

  • GaaraZanta

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 5:51 pm PT

    hgadson, many DS games require you use the touch screen to even play, and the emulator for DS games sucks, you can't play all Nintendo games on the PSP, on the other hand with a PC you can play almost all Nintendo games, if your a dirty pirater.

  • Phantsy16

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 4:38 pm PT

    Just brought one to day. OWNZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

    SUPER MARIO BROTHERS ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • santiagochile

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 3:28 pm PT

    DS lite rules!

  • fantasticlink

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 10:22 am PT

    DS ROCKS!!!!!!11

  • KahnArtizt

    Posted Aug 10, 2006 3:43 pm PT

    seems like nintendo is coming back the wii looks great and ds's are flying off shelves. and i thought the gamecube would have killed them. looks like they could knock sony off top since ps3 looks less than spectacular. im so glad i bought a ds lite! horray nintendo!

  • Raspinudo

    Posted Aug 10, 2006 3:33 am PT

    I SOLD MY CRAPPY EXCUSE for a SYSTEM( aka tha PSP) and Imported a Enamel Blue DS Lite with Ouendan and JUMp superstars.. ( AWESOME)

  • wildsoul0509

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 11:34 am PT

    good for the DS, i know that another 10 million are coming very soon. i have the first version of the DS, my games: animal crossing wild world, feel the magic, mario&luigi partners in time and trace memory. and i waiting nintendogs dalmation&friends

  • L1qu1dSword

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 9:26 am PT

    play it loud!

  • L1qu1dSword

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 9:24 am PT

    I just bought a DS Lite last week and it is very good. I do not regret spending more then 100 dollars less then I would for the crap@ss PSP. Sony Sucks.

  • stiker71

    Posted Aug 8, 2006 8:45 am PT

    GO LITE!

  • krazykone12

    Posted Aug 8, 2006 5:11 am PT

    Why would I get a PSP when I can play about 95% of those games on my PS2 and PSone, DSLite 4 evar

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