#nintendo3ds
Nintendo has priced the Nintendo 3DS, it's 3D-glasses-free portable, at ¥25,000. That is the equivalent of US$298. Forget the crummy exchange rate for a moment, because the pricing could be different for the West. More »
Europe will receive yellow, green and blue DSi XL models on October 8, the latest colors in DS fashion (previously released in Japan). With uncertainty swirling over the launch date of the 3DS, it may be worth tapping the brakes just a little before splurging on one of the XL's latest colors.
Well, that didn't take long. Less than two months after the North American release of the DSi XL, Nintendo has announced a new color variation for the handheld -- and it's one that doesn't make us think of a Cadillac at all! On July 11, the large-screened handheld will be released in Midnight Blue, which appears to be the same as the "blue" color announced for Japan this month. It'll retail for the normal $189.99 price Nintendo has set for the DSi XL in North America.
Though Nintendo doesn't mention it in the press release, the timing of this new handheld coincides perfectly with Dragon Quest IX. The publisher is likely hoping to entice customers to pick up both together -- a Midnight Blue DSi XL at a midnight launch of the game, perhaps?
#sales
Last month, the Nintendo DS had a hell of a month, selling more thatn 700,000 units to portable gamers in the U.S. That was the same month the larger Nintendo DSi XL launched. How'd it do? More »
Michael Pachter described the March launch of Nintendo's latest handheld, the Nintendo DSi XL, "solid." Considering it outsold both the PSP and PSP Go combined, we're inclined to agree.
According to NPD figures (via Gamasutra), the DSi XL sold 141,000 units in March, besting PSP's combined 120,000. Even more impressive is that this figure only accounts for four days of sales; the DSi XL was released on March 28th. The tremendous success of the equally tremendous device confirms that there truly is "room to grow" for the DS market.
#nintendo
Whether it be the DS Lite or the DSi, Nintendo has announced a spate of Nintendo DS hardware spin-offs in the last few years. The Nintendo 3DS is not a spin-off. It's worth pointing out, you know. More »
We didn't know what to expect when Nintendo of America showed up to the Joystiq offices with a brown paper bag. On the bag was a "guest check" featuring one Nintendo DSi XL and one "XL sandwich." When we opened the bag we only found Nintendo's new hardware (which we'll be giving away soon, of course!).
So where was our sandwich? And how big could an XL sandwich be? Two men carrying twoten-foot subs walked up the stairs and plopped it in front of us. Looks like Joystiq's current NYC representatives -- Andrew and Ludwig -- will have a pretty significant lunch to eat today.
We didn't know what to expect when Nintendo of America showed up to the Joystiq offices with a brown paper bag. On the bag was a "guest check" featuring one Nintendo DSi XL and one "XL sandwich." When we opened the bag we only found Nintendo's new hardware.
So where was our sandwich? And how big could an XL sandwich be? Two men carrying twoten foot subs walked up the stairs and plopped it in front of us. Looks like Joystiq's current NYC representatives -- Andrew and Ludwig -- will have a pretty significant lunch to eat today.
Following last night's NPD report for February, Nintendo has issued a press release lauding the amazing selling power of its own products. In typical fashion, the gaming giant that got your grandma into gaming has managed to sell a ridiculous amount of DS and Wii systems in the U.S. -- 1.9 million in the first two months of 2010, to be exact.
As impressive as that 1.9 million figure is, Nintendo's ability to break its own records is even more impressive. In selling 613,000 DS units throughout February 2010, Nintendo has managed to set a new monthly record, besting the previous top-selling month of February 2009's figure of 597,000 units. It would seem that two things are certain in this life: we're all going to die one day and before that day comes, each of us is going to own nine DS systems.
With March 28 fast approaching -- that's the release date for the DSi XL -- Nintendo is hoping to further build on the success of its now six-year-old handheld. And, to think, even after all that time, the gif still hasn't gotten old.
Simple question, yet a tough answer. I’m sure there are many of you that aren’t sure what you’ll be doing just yet. If you don’t have a DSi, the answer is quite easy. If you do own a DSi, is the upgrade worth your money? Should you trade in towards the [...]
[Business Wire]
Nintendo of America VP Cammie Dunaway thinks the Nintendo DS is going to keep on getting bigger in America. (And no, not just literally.) Speaking with VentureBeat, the executive highlighted the tremendous success of the Nintendo handheld. "We had our best year ever, selling 11.2 million units. That has never been done by any game platform ever."
Yet, in spite of its success, Dunaway believes there's still a lot more to be done with the US market. Dunaway notes that -- in terms of market penetration -- "in Japan, one in two consumers has a DS." But in America? "It is one in four. So we have room to grow." Essentially, if Japan is the benchmark for America, Nintendo must sell twice as many DS systems as it already has.
If there's one thing we've learned not to doubt this generation, it's Nintendo's ability to sell systems and make money. In January, the company was able to sell over 400,000 units in America -- and that figure is likely to grow with the introduction of the DSi XL in March. Perhaps we need to add even more money to this already-overused JPG.
Left to Right: DSi XL, DSi, DS Phat
Perhaps it was no coincidence that Nintendo stopped by New York City to show off the Nintendo DSi XL, one day after Apple made its not-so-earth-shattering iPad announcement. Like the iPad, the DSi XL is a larger version of an already successful handheld device, but unlike the iPad, the DSi XL promises no added functionality, nor does it alter the electronics landscape in any way. It is, quite succinctly, a bigger DSi.
One can't help but question why the device exists in the first place. To whom does the DSi XL appeal? Certainly, its gargantuan size makes it stand out as the least portable handheld system we've seen in quite some time, taking a completely opposite approach to that of Sony's PSP Go. Thanks to its larger screen size, it takes up even more space than the original DS Phat -- strange, considering one of the primary complaints held against the Phat was its unwieldy girth.
What the XL excels at (sorry!) are games that require extensive use of the stylus. The massive stylus that's included with the system is easy to handle, making earlier stylus pens feel cheap and flimsy. The larger screen real estate makes it easier to draw on the system, perfect for intense Pictochat sessions or a round with WarioWare DIY.
The DSi XL is the star of the show at the Nintendo Media Summit, with the announcement an official price and release date for the system, as well as the marketing material posted above. There are no shocking revelations in the video -- well, aside from the fact that they actually went with "A Larger Experience" for the device's advertising catchphrase. A lesser blog might mention how that sounds like the slogan of one of those commercials that come on cable television after midnight. We'll abstain from making the reference.
The video does a great job of showing the size of the the device in correlation to human hands of various shapes and sizes. Check it out, and imagine what that Squiggle Pen-sized stylus will look like in your own meaty grasp.
