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As predicted in our November 5th news update, Nintendo DS sales have been phenomenal, with over 500,000 units sold during the console's first week on the American market.

To help keep up with this tremendous demand, Nintendo expects to recruit an additional assembly firm (making a total of three) to manufacture the consoles. Nintendo has also revised its initial DS sales target, now aiming to have 5 million units sold by the end of March 2005.

The Nintendo DS became available in stores on November 21 in the US, at a retail price of $149.99.

Sales began in Japan on December 2, at a similar price of 15,000 yen.

European sales are scheduled to begin next March.

Information about features of the Nintendo DS may be found at Nintendo's Official Website; additional information about the sales and release of the Nintendo DS, along with hardware specifications, is available from UK-based news website The Register.

I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. After all Nintendo is the King, nay God of Handhelds. PSP is probably going to go the way of the Game Gear because of that fact too. I finally got to try one, I just have a few complaints(other then the ridiculous price):

1. It is a little big and boxy, not something I like in a handheld. Call me crazy but I think the DS is even bigger then the original game boy and almost just as boxy.

2. The touch screen(s?) is used for something major in the one game I played. Just shooting but it is an FPS Metroid game so it is a little distracting from the controls. (No, I didn't catch the name. Probably the Metroid Prime port I heard about.)

3. $150. Enough said for the cheap, myself included.

But hey, I never made a best selling handheld in my life so who am I to complain . I am curious about how so many people can afford $150 for a handheld system. I can't even imagine forking over that much money for a regular console, at least not without getting a game or two thrown in. Am I the only penny pincher left in the world?

Oh well, I'm glad to see Nintendo's doing so well, they are my favorite video game company. I just don't want to see them over do this success like they did with Pokémon. Nintendo seems to get a little overly mad with power sometimes.

This post has been edited by Tonepoet on 20th December 2004 09:03

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Role reversal at its finest.

I'm in complete agreement about the price; most electronic stores are selling the new "slim" PS2 consoles for about $150, and since I consider a handheld console a peripheral--something I only intend to be playing when I'm away from home, I can't justify spending as much money on it as a "regular" console, which seems like it would inevitably have more processing power, a larger screen (without the lighting problems that handhelds seem to have), more comfortable controls, and AC power (as opposed to worrying about battery life).

Most unfortunately, the PSP is selling at an even higher price, from what I understand.

Yeah, $150 is still cheaper than projected PSP prices. Not that I'd bother buying a PSP anyway.

The DS seems like a wonderful new system, and its strong initial showing is hopefully a portent of a long and successful future. I've been a supporter of the DS ever since its first showings, back when everyone was condemning it as "the next Virtual Boy" and the like. I think now its longevity depends on the creativity of the developers to come up with new ways to use its unique design, while not abusing it and making it too gimmicky.

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People were calling it the "next Virtual Boy?" Did they bother to remember that the Virtual Boy sported unique features like the ability to display only one color, give users motion sickness, be incredibly uncomfortable to play, and completely lack any backwards compatibility?

Quote (Phoenix @ 21st December 2004 01:11)

People were calling it the "next Virtual Boy?" Did they bother to remember that the Virtual Boy sported unique features like the ability to display only one color, give users motion sickness, be incredibly uncomfortable to play, and completely lack any backwards compatibility?

The only person I remember calling it the Virtual Boy 2 is (I think) Neil, and he didn't really call it the Virtual Boy 2, he just named the subject that when we first heard of the DS. Other than that I haven't heard of anyone calling it that.I agree though, it would be a bit rediculous to call it the Next Virtual Boy, since the Virtual Boy sucked royally. They probably just did it because it has two screens.

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Climhazzard is the timeless evil robot who runs some of the cool stuff at CoN (mostly logging chat, since there are no quizzes at the moment), all the while watching and waiting for his moment to take over the world. -Tiddles

Quote (Tonepoet @ 20th December 2004 03:40)

I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. After all Nintendo is the King, nay God of Handhelds. PSP is probably going to go the way of the Game Gear because of that fact too. I finally got to try one, I just have a few complaints(other then the ridiculous price):

1. It is a little big and boxy, not something I like in a handheld. Call me crazy but I think the DS is even bigger then the original game boy and almost just as boxy.

2. The touch screen(s?) is used for something major in the one game I played. Just shooting but it is an FPS Metroid game so it is a little distracting from the controls. (No, I didn't catch the name. Probably the Metroid Prime port I heard about.)

3. $150. Enough said for the cheap, myself included.

But hey, I never made a best selling handheld in my life so who am I to complain . I am curious about how so many people can afford $150 for a handheld system. I can't even imagine forking over that much money for a regular console, at least not without getting a game or two thrown in. Am I the only penny pincher left in the world?

Oh well, I'm glad to see Nintendo's doing so well, they are my favorite video game company. I just don't want to see them over do this success like they did with Pokémon. Nintendo seems to get a little overly mad with power sometimes.

The DS' price isn't persay, 'ridiculous' IMO. When you look at all of its features, and every thing it is capable of doing. The price seems within reason.

And though the system might be a bit on the large side, it would have to be to possess the many things it does.

As for the touch screen on the metroid game, it isn't mandatory, you can edit the controls to not include it if you wish.

Quote (Tonepoet @ 20th December 2004 03:40)

I could say I'm surprised but I'm not. After all Nintendo is the King, nay God of Handhelds. PSP is probably going to go the way of the Game Gear because of that fact too. I finally got to try one, I just have a few complaints(other then the ridiculous price):

1. It is a little big and boxy, not something I like in a handheld. Call me crazy but I think the DS is even bigger then the original game boy and almost just as boxy.

2. The touch screen(s?) is used for something major in the one game I played. Just shooting but it is an FPS Metroid game so it is a little distracting from the controls. (No, I didn't catch the name. Probably the Metroid Prime port I heard about.)

3. $150. Enough said for the cheap, myself included.

But hey, I never made a best selling handheld in my life so who am I to complain . I am curious about how so many people can afford $150 for a handheld system. I can't even imagine forking over that much money for a regular console, at least not without getting a game or two thrown in. Am I the only penny pincher left in the world?

Oh well,  I'm glad to see Nintendo's doing so well, they are my favorite video game company. I just don't want to see them over do this success like they did with Pokémon. Nintendo seems to get a little overly mad with power sometimes.

Actually, Tonepoet, these aren't too big... and to solve your money problem, because you know I'm broke too, just ask for it for Christmas... I got one! And it fits comfortably in your pocket, and has lots of neat features... it's worth its size and price.

WARNING: However, it CANNOT PLAY the original GB or GBC games, they will not click into slot 2, slot 1 is for DS cards only so keep your GBA or GBA SP...

This post has been edited by Twilight Paladin on 25th December 2004 12:38

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One thing I've noticed is that people often forget that while the Hand Held systems are smaller so they may seem like they aren't worth the money, they also come with a portable screen (in the DS's case, two screens), and it seems to me like if one of them is a touch screen as well, and it has the ability to be backwards compatible with the gameboy advance that although some people may not be willing to pay that much for it I still think it's worth the money they are asking for it. Basiccaly in the end your getting a DS with two screens and you can take it anywhere for the price that some people at one point payed for a game cube or a PS2, but you can play this in your car without dragging along a tv and plugging it into the cigarette lighter.

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Climhazzard is the timeless evil robot who runs some of the cool stuff at CoN (mostly logging chat, since there are no quizzes at the moment), all the while watching and waiting for his moment to take over the world. -Tiddles

Who is buying these things? I've only seen one so far. I think the price is reasonable to what the handheld prices for both the consoles and the games look to increase to. PSP is launching at $245 I'm pretty sure, but that's the "Value Pack" (the only pack available at launch), which comes with a few things, but stuff most of don't care to pay for.

I've also heard games will now be $30-50 now, which is a little high for handheld is you ask me, but I'm not a fan of handheld games at all.

I bought a GBA in hope that I'd see some new RPGs with the same style as the SNES RPGs, but except for a few titles such as Golden Sun (a disappointment for me), there hasn't been much. Yeah, some respectable remakes and ports, but I'm not interested in that; I was hoping for something fresh. So yeah, I've probably spent about 15-20 hours total playing my GBA the two and a half years I've had it now.

The GBA has several excellent strategy-rpgs, but the best traditional rpgs you'll find on it are Golden Sun, Dawn of Souls, and some Mega Man and Pokemon rpgs if you're in to those. The best reasons to own a GBA are excellent Castlevania, Metroid, Mario, and Zelda games.

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