March 11, 2009
Nintendo Ships 100 Millionth
Nintendo DS System
Nintendo DS Helped Redefine What
a Video Game Could Be
Somewhere – perhaps in Chicago,
maybe in Paris, possibly in Tokyo – the 100 millionth system in the Nintendo DS
franchise has been shipped to a distributor or a retailer as of March 6, 2009.
The combined total sales of 100 million Nintendo DS systems, Nintendo DS Lite
systems and Nintendo DSi systems represent a significant milestone in the life
of this franchise, which is still going strong.
"Consumers have shown their love for
Nintendo DS – 100 million times over," said Nintendo of America President Reggie
Fils-Aime. "We are grateful that people of all ages continue to respond to our
products, and we will continue to look for ways to please current gamers and
create new ones."
Since the original Nintendo DS
launched in late 2004, its dual screens, touch screen and voice-recognition
capabilities ushered in an era of new experiences not previously possible on
portable systems. The successor, Nintendo DS Lite, launched with a slimmer,
trimmer look.
The third iteration of the Nintendo
DS hardware, Nintendo DSi, launches in the United States three and a half weeks
from now on April 5. Nintendo DSi includes two cameras and the ability to
record, manipulate and play sound files, and will allow consumers to personalize
their very own Nintendo DSi experiences. It will again transform the way people
access, experience, create and share portable content.
From the beginning, consumers around
the world responded to the novel software options available on Nintendo DS. This
is reflected by the fact that as of Dec. 31, 2008, there were 83 DS titles whose
global shipment exceeded 1 million. Seven of these titles topped 10 million.
Experiences like Nintendogs and the Brain Age series began a paradigm shift for
the industry, as video games grew beyond the traditional audience of young men
to include girls, adult men and women – and even seniors. Traditional games like
New Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart DS keep people coming back for more.
Nintendo DS games demonstrate an "evergreen" quality: They frequently remain in
the top-selling lists, months – or even years – after their launch. The system
continues to expand into new territory with titles such as those in the Personal
Trainer series.
For more information about Nintendo
DS and Nintendo DSi, visit
www.NintendoDS.com and
www.NintendoDSi.com.
