It's awfully quiet here... That's because most of the action is over at the LITHCast Forums. Why not head on over?

DS Lite by Bill

Mar/24/07 12:37 PM
There is no denying that Nintendo is doing well these days all over the world. The DS has put games in the hands of people who never thought they would enjoy games. It’s getting harder and harder to find someone who doesn’t have one. And the momentum shows no sign of slowing up just yet. This is especially true in Japan, where DS Lites are gone faster than hair gel at a Final Fantasy cosplay convention.

Some might remember that back in January of 2006 Nintendo made a formal apology when the DS sold out in Japan. This was a big deal as Nintendo had never sold out of a system in Japan before. This surge has carried over to the Wii, which as many frustrated gamers know can’t be found on store shelves in.., well .., anywhere. I really don’t buy into the whole conspiracy theories that always come with things selling out. The success of the DS, I believe is one of the main reasons the Wii has caught on with so many people. It is certainly not the only factor, the control, the virtual console, and even the new look alone do of course help. The attention and interest people have for both the Wii and the DS is mesmerizing.

I believe it’s still a bit early to worry about short Wii supply. It has gone on longer than Nintendo expected and likely much longer than consumers expected. 　So I don’t really want to discuss that so much as the lack of the DS Lite in Japan. I am sure I would be perhaps more concerned if I didn’t already have my Wii. I was one of the crazy people who camped out the night before. But I am still using my DS Fat simply because there are NO DS Lites in stores! Many people I do know have them, but there weren’t able to simply just walk into their local shop and pick one up. It was combinations of calling ahead, or just being at the right place at the right time.

I usually do my game shopping at specialty shops, or large electronic stores. But once in a while I stop in to the Toys ‘R Us close to where I work. They had this great Wii display with a huge banner , and a white TV that sort of looks like an Apple display.
bill-ds-1
These kind of displays are common in most shops that carry the Wii, but the interesting part is the green sign Toys ‘R US were kind enough to put up for customers. Sorry that the photo turned out so blurry for this one :

bill-ds-2


They have been kind of enough to keep customers up to date with when they will be getting new shipments , and how many of them they will be getting in. This particular shipment was for March 17th (which was yesterday at the time of writing), and the list shows:
• Crystal White 36
• Ice Blue 20
• Enamel Navy 20
• Noble Pink 20
• Nintendo Wii 51
There is even a handy map next to the notice showing where to line up while waiting for the store to open. Yup, people still lining up for DS Lite shipments over one year later, and for the Wii five months after launch. I like to poke fun at my friend who bought a pink DS Lite because it was the only one they had in stock. Probably just ‘cause I’m a little jealous of his brighter screen. He just smirks and kicks my ass at Mario Kart over and over.