Nintendo cuts DS price to $129.99

Nintendo's hoping the impending North American release of its DS pet simulator Nintendogs will find the same measure of success it did in Japan, where the portable moved more units than the PlayStation 2 and PSP combined in the month of Nintendogs' release. On top of that, Nintendogs has sold more than 700,000 copies in Japan, and it's received a rare perfect score of 40 from the critics at Famitsu.

To facilitate such a phenomenal reception here, Nintendo today announced a price drop to $129.99 for the DS to go into effect Sunday, which is just in time for Nintendogs' official release on Monday. Currently the DS retails for $149.99.

Not so much a game in the traditional sense of the word, Nintendogs lets users raise, train, and play with a virtual puppy. They can use the DS's microphone to give commands, and they can pet their pooches using the touch screen.

Taking a page out of its own Pokedex, Nintendo is releasing three versions of the game, with each one including six different dog breeds. The Lab & Friends version of the game will let you raise a Labrador retriever, miniature schnauzer, toy poodle, corgi, miniature pinscher, or Shiba. The Dachshund & Friends edition includes a miniature dachshund, golden retriever, beagle, pug, husky, and a shih tzu. Meanwhile, Chihuahua & Friends features a Chihuahua, German shepherd, boxer, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Yorkshire terrier, and a Shetland sheepdog.

For gamers who prefer wrecking shops to housebreaking, Nintendo's Advance Wars: Dual Strike will also arrive on the DS Monday.

For more on Nintendogs, check out GameSpot's puppy diaries for a firsthand account of the game. Each version of Nintendogs is rated E for Everyone and carries a retail price of $29.99.