Australian DS Launch Plans Announced
DS headed down under on Feb 24 for £80.
It seems to be a rut the continent is unfortunately stuck in; for a multitude of reasons, Europe is usually the last major territory to get new hardware - despite the impressive and consistent growth of videogaming in the region.
As if to underline this, Nintendo has announced the official launch details for the Nintendo DS in Australia. On 24 February, gamers down under will join their North American and Japanese counterparts as Nintendo DS owners, leaving only Europeans waiting empty-handed.
The Nintendo DS will sell for AU$200 when it is released in Australia, which is about £80. This is the same price the handheld launched at in both Japan and North America in late 2004.
And while the prices do allude to a similar price for the Nintendo DS when it is officially released here later this winter, Europeans - and UK gamers in particular - have often ended up paying more for hardware than can be explained by currency exchange rates.
But respite from disinformation is near. Nintendo of Europe has said that it will host an event in Paris later this month where full details for the European release of the Nintendo DS are expected to be revealed.
Sources suggest to Kikizo a UK release date of March 11.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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