Nintendo DS Already Big in Japan
Japan December 2nd release on schedule
Nintendo is currently on course to release the Nintendo DS in Japan on 2 December. Yet despite its current unavailability, the machine is already the third-best-selling video hardware in Japan.
For the week ending 17 October, the as-yet-unreleased portable system was beat out only by Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's current handheld juggernaut, the Game Boy Advance.
This impressive statistic is possible because Japanese retailers have included pre-orders for the Nintendo DS in their calculations of hardware sales.
The Nintendo DS is Nintendo's innovative new approach to handheld gaming. With two screens, one of which is used as a touch screen, and an all-new approach to games, the Nintendo DS embodies the company's hope of reinvigorating the flagging Japanese industry.
The Nintendo DS will be released initially in North America, on 21 November, followed by Japan on 2 December and finally in Europe in early 2005.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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