E3 2009: DSi sells 1 million units in US and Europe in eight weeks since launch; 900,000 DS Lites shipped in the same period in the regions.
LOS ANGELES--Nintendo has had its fair share of good financial news among the gloom of this year, recently posting an 8.5 percent rise in profits, and it used its E3 press conference to deliver a little more.
Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, revealed to the assembled gaming press that the DSi has shipped more than 1 million units in the US, just hours after Nintendo had confirmed that the same milestone had just been reached in Europe.
The DSi's launch sales figures in the US were already dwarfing those for the launch of its predecessor, the Nintendo DS--selling 435,000 units in its first week of release, more than doubling the week-one sales for the last upgrade to Nintendo's handheld line. Over the entire two-month window, 400,000 DS Lites were sold as well, according to Dunaway.
Sales in the eight weeks since the DSi's European launch have outpaced those of the DS Lite's launch period by over 60 percent, reaching the million mark in five weeks fewer than its predecessor. As well as 1 million DSi's, 500,000 DS Lites were sold across the continent in the same period.
For more on Nintendo's E3 annoucements, watch the press conference in full here, or read the live blog as it happened.
Alex Sassoon Coby has been involved in tech and video games journalism for the better part of a decade. He likes his games hard, his meat raw, and his women on wheels.
The Nintendo DSI is a definite improvement over the older Nintendo DS because it has bigger dual screens and two integrated 640x480 cameras. You will also like the web browser. http://www.epinions.com/review/Nintendo_DSi_Black_Console/content_471199485572
It amazes me that people will invest in such a trivial upgrade to an aging platform in the midst of a global recession were the same amount of money can buy half a month's food for two people. I have a DS Lite and i'm sticking with that until Nintendo bring forward real innovation, not milk-mongering.
I might get a DSi, but I already have a DS, however, it's broken (some kid messed up my L-button) so if I sell my Wii the DSi is on my list of things that I might get.
Dsi/DSlite has earned it. I own a DSi and it's a kick-ass handheld. It's game selection is awesome and relatively cheap. And the DSi's ability to download games means there'll be even MORE cheap goodies from Nintendo's back-catalog. I'm really feeling the DSi.
...Now if only Nintendo would just lower the price from $170 to $130 like the DS lite. I mean, it's almost as expensive as the PSP-3000 for crying out loud! Guess it can't be helped with the camera, the micro SD HC card slot, and some other details.
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