Nintendo Ups DS Sales Estimates
Sales forecast up to 5m by March.
More than five million gamers will be enjoying dual-screen gaming on the new Nintendo DS by the end of March, if Nintendo estimates are right.
The company increased its sales forecast for Nintendo DS hardware to 5 million from the 3.5 million Nintendo had originally expected to sell.
This optimism is a result of the strong launch of the Nintendo DS in America last weekend, and also the overwhelming number of pre-orders placed by Japanese gamers ahead of the handheld's Japanese launch in early December.
Despite predicting more than a million extra users, though, Nintendo is sticking to its estimate of 15 million games sold by the end of March.
This suggests that Nintendo is prepared for a lower than expected tie-ratio, which indicates how many games are bought per console sold.
Traditionally, tie-ratios for portable systems have lagged behind their home console counterparts.
Meanwhile in Europe, there are still no firm release plans for the Nintendo DS.
Rumours are circulating that the Nintendo DS will cost anywhere between £99 and £129 when it launches in the UK, which is considerably more expensive than the handheld sells for in either North America ($149 or £78) or Japan (¥14,900 or £76).
But Nintendo has said only that it is not ready to discuss pricing before January.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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