More Launch Madness for DS Lite

For the second time in as many weeks, Japan has gone wild for the DS Lite, in a possible preview of what we can expect later this year.

Japan loves the DS. Not only did throngs of Japanese line up for the release of the Crystal White edition of the sleek new DS Lite, GameSpot reports that the crowds were even bigger this past weekend for the delayed arrival of the Enamel Navy and Ice Blue variants.

The cause of the ruckus

Following production glitches, Nintendo was forced to hold back two of the three colours slated for the 2 March launch. When the 11 March release date for the delayed colours arrived, though, the reception was beyond what most were expected.

There are reports of more than a thousand people queuing in some areas of the city. As GameSpot points out, Nintendo was probably helped out by the convenient timing of the delayed arrival, as the new colours hit on a Saturday and not a weekday, as the white edition did.

Japan has been on a DS binge since Christmas when sales soared, so much so that Nintendo was forced to issue an official apology for not being able to keep the twin-screen handheld in stock.

The DS Lite, a smaller, sleeker version of the system, was announced earlier this year. When the white version of the DS Lite hit Japan on 2 March, the frenzy quickly spread online, where sly auctioneers were cashing in to major profits, even as resellers were found flogging "used" systems for double the price just hours after launch.

Nintendo is still mum on when North America and Europe will take delivery, though sources close to the company have told Kikizo it should happen sometime this May.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games