Nintendo DS Set for Launch

DS hits the US this weekend!

The celebrities have been shmoozed, the media has been briefed and fans have been teased. Now, all that remains for Nintendo is to release its new portable. Ten months after officially announcing the handheld, Nintendo is making final preparations to launch the Nintendo DS in North America this weekend.

The Nintendo DS is a dual-screen portable system that features touch-screen functionality and compatibility with both Nintendo DS games and the Game Boy Advance catalogue.

Apart from the touch-screen, the most notable aspect of the hardware is the inclusion of two different forms of wireless communication. These will be used to allow both communication and gaming via wireless networks.

Equally as important as the quality of a portable is its battery life. Nintendo has gone to great lengths to stress the battery life of the Nintendo DS, which should allow for 6-10 hours of gameplay.

Super Mario 64 DS spearheads the US launch.

The hardware will retail for $149 (£81), which includes a silver Nintendo DS, the touch-screen communication game PictoChat (built-in), and Metroid Prime: Hunters: First Hunt, a demo version of the upcoming Metroid game.

Nintendo has earmarked a million units of the Nintendo DS for the North American launch window, but even this does not seem to be enough.

"Retailers began calling for more Nintendo DS units even before the first ones arrived," explains Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing.

Metroid Prime: Hunters - demo included with hardware.

"They're reflecting the demands of game players for entirely new ways to enjoy games - not just playing the same old games on a different platform. It really comes down to delivering a new experience and that's what we're doing."

Unlike the GameCube, which is currently suffering from the withdrawal of third-party publishers, the Nintendo DS looks to provide a large and eclectic mix of software over the coming months.

By March 2005, Nintendo hopes to have 25 games in stores. More than 125 games are already in development, including entries in some of the most successful series in the videogame industry.

Puppy Times has been described as a "killer app"...

Confirmed franchises headed for the Nintendo DS include: Super Mario, Pokémon, Castlevania, Harvest Moon, Wario Ware, Madden, Ridge Racer, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Final Fantasy and many more.

The Nintendo DS will be released in North America on Sunday, 21 November.

The European release of the Nintendo DS is currently scheduled for some time in the first quarter of 2005.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games