Nintendo ups shipments of DS

Nintendo plans to increase North American shipments of its popular DS handheld by 40 percent to address a shortage of the devices.

The company said Thursday that it now plans to ship approximately 1.4 million of the portable gaming consoles to North America by the end of 2004. Nintendo\'s initial consignment of 500,000 DS units for the region was almost completely sold out just a week after the handheld was launched November 21.

Nintendo said that North American retail sales of the DS have already crested the 700,000-unit mark. The company said sales of the device in Japan have exceeded 500,000 units less than one week after the gaming system\'s introduction there on December 2.

"Nintendo is doing everything it can to make Nintendo DS attainable for the holidays," George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing at Nintendo of America, said in a statement. "The enthusiastic response from shoppers has made Nintendo DS a \'must have,\' and we\'re determined to make it a \'will have.\'"

The announcement comes during the heart of the holiday shopping season, typically the best period for video game system sales during the calendar year. Nintendo expects to sell 5 million DS units worldwide by March 31, the end of its fiscal year. The company was forced to open an additional factory in order to meet advance demand for the machines in Japan.

In the wake of the perceived DS shortage, some retailers--including vendors working under Amazon.com\'s Marketplace partners program--cashed in on the limited supply of the devices by marking the gaming system up by as much as $100 over its $150 price tag.

The DS\'s impressive debut is considered likely to have given Nintendo an even bigger lead over Sony, which is set to enter the handheld game market later this month with the PlayStation Portable. Sony executives recently confirmed reports of PSP inventory issues, saying that only 200,000 units will be available when the machine goes on sale in Japan on December 12.

By Matt Hines, David Becker -- News.com
POSTED: 12/09/04 10:56 AM PST

>>>Link<<<

Things just keep going up for Nintendo\'s handheld.  I\'m really surprised considering that it launched with a Mario game and a few quirky titles.

Good for them.  Nintendo is giving the people what they want for once.

Sony executives recently confirmed reports of PSP inventory issues, saying that only 200,000 units will be available when the machine goes on sale in Japan on December 12.

They /can\'t/ be serious!!?!  Didn\'t they learn their lesson with the PS2?

[Evi]

It was originally 500,000, but this is exponentially lower. What the hell is wrong with Sony? If they haven\'t learned their lesson from PS2...I\'m a little worried about PS3 :/ Shortages = STUPID

Ginko: You said it yourself.. it launched with a Mario game. Every console that launches with a Mario game has historically sold well off the bat. GameCube didn\'t and it was Nintendo\'s weakest launch.

Mario sells, even when he doesn\'t launch with a system.

Iwata claims handheld market...

Nintendo has proclaimed itself the undisputed winner in the handheld race. And for now, no one can contest the claim.

In a presentation yesterday at the Tokyo headquarters of the Foreign Correspondents Club, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reportedly said, "Both in the US and Japan, our supply cannot catch up with demand." Earlier today, Nintendo announced plans to increase shipments of the DS to North America by 40 percent. "We\'re running short on stock," he told attendees.

Commenting on the DS\'s unique selling point, one he summed up as "easy to play and fun to play," Iwata distanced his company\'s solution from Sony\'s. "The old formula for success--the combination of high-specification game consoles and advanced graphics--is no longer working," he said. "We now need to create a new proposal for our customers to set a new course for the industry. The launch of the Nintendo DS is our answer to such challenge."

Addressing the PSP directly, Iwata said, "I believe the PSP is built on the belief that the old formula for success is still viable, although we do not think so. ... Although we have no intention of fighting over the market share with Sony, we will make our utmost efforts to help people understand that our approach is right."

The strong language from Nintendo comes just days before the launch of the competition\'s entry into the handheld space. The PSP goes on sale in Japan on December 12.

Staying closer to the facts, Iwata also updated sales numbers for the handheld, saying, "In the US, sales have already hit 1 million units." Commenting on those sales, he said, "To meet strong demand, we will ship 2.8 million Nintendo DS consoles by the end of December, about 800,000 units higher than we had initially targeted."

Additionally, Iwata made brief mention regarding Nintendo\'s plans to enter the Chinese market, but wasn\'t clear on whether he specifically meant with the DS. "We are moving in some new directions [toward the China market]," he said. "But it will be a while before we can talk more about it."

To what extent the DS can maintain its first-to-market advantage, however, remains to be seen. The PSP launch, just days away, will put Iwata\'s fighting words to the test.

By Curt Feldman, Hirohiko Niizumi -- GameSpot
POSTED: 12/09/04 02:26 PM PST

>>>Link<<<

So now it\'s 1 million in sales in the U.S.?  Whatever, it\'s cool to see the new handheld doing so well.  I plan to get one after more games are released, specifically Baten Kaitos and/or Xenosaga.  Catching up on all the GBA games on my Gameboy Player will keep me busy until that time.

As for the PSP, Sony is just dumb.  There have been so many indications that they are not ready to launch the PSP.  The lack of launch games, the poor battery life, and the long load times are a bit discouraging.  It looks as if Sony just rushed it out to contend with Nintendo\'s new handheld...the arrogance.  I\'m glad they pushed off the U.S. and Euro launch.

Originally posted by EviscerationX
It was originally 500,000, but this is exponentially lower. What the hell is wrong with Sony? If they haven\'t learned their lesson from PS2...I\'m a little worried about PS3 :/ Shortages = STUPID

See what sony needs to learn is either how to be smarter about how to get things done

OR

Keep their damn mouths shut and making up incredibly false estimates.

False estimates like that the PS2 can produce Toy Story graphics in a game environment?

They\'ve hyped up a lot of things, but that\'s my favorite.

Creating shortages is smart. It creates a demand for it.

Then everyone can go on about how its sold out and no one can get one, so then more people want one...


It worked for PS2...

-Dan

Originally posted by Eiksirf
Creating shortages is smart. It creates a demand for it.

Then everyone can go on about how its sold out and no one can get one, so then more people want one...


It worked for PS2...

-Dan

I suppose thats fairly right. I mean for people start hating something because there are shortages is plain stupid but i can understand how you may disslike the company a little bit.