Hitachi, Sharp raided over DS screen price-fixing

Nintendo launched the "Polar White" DS Lite in North America in June of 2006, with an asking price of $129.99. Today the touch-screen-equipped handheld is available in a rainbow of colors, but the $129.99 price tag hasn't changed. Despite that, thrifty consumers holding out for a price drop on the DS Lite can take some comfort in the idea that Nintendo might not have lowered the price on the system because its own cost for producing them hasn't dropped as expected.

Japanese wire service Jiji Press is reporting that Japan's Fair Trade Commission yesterday raided the offices of two electronics firms who make screens for the DS Lite, Sharp Corp. and Hitachi Displays, Ltd. The two companies are suspected of having fixed prices on the LCD touch screens used in the DS Lite dating back to 2005.

A Sharp spokesman told JiJi Press that the company is looking into the matter, while a Hitachi Displays representative confirmed the Fair Trade Commission was investigating the firm, but did not specify why.