DS Lite coming to North America in June

[Corizzle]

REDMOND, Wash., May 4 /PRNewswire/ — Millions of people around the world

already enjoy playing Nintendo DS, and the system’s future looks even

brighter. On June 11, Nintendo DS Lite joins Nintendo’s video game family

when it launches in the Americas. The lighter, brighter version of the

hot-selling Nintendo DS is expected to be priced as low as $129.99 at

retailers throughout the United States. The inaugural color is an elegant

Polar White with a raised DS logo on the cover.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060504/LATH087-a

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060504/LATH087-b

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/NINTENDODSLOGO)

Nintendo DS Lite arrives just in time for players to pop in the latest

version of one of the most storied franchises in video game history. New

Super Mario Bros.®, launching May 15, updates classic Mushroom Kingdom

action with new features and fun.

“DS Lite and New Super Mario Bros. represent a double shot of gaming

excellence,” says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s executive vice

president of sales & marketing. “We’ve got something for both lovers of

beautiful, new gadgets and fans of old-school gaming.”

Nintendo DS Lite comes with a variety of distinctive changes that set it

apart from the original — and from all other hand-held video game systems:

* It’s less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more

than 20 percent lighter.

* Its two bright screens can be adjusted to four levels to adapt to

different lighting conditions and to extend battery power.

* The microphone sits in the center of the unit, and the LED lights are

clearly visible whether the unit is open or closed.

* The stylus is 1 centimeter longer and 1 millimeter thicker than the

stylus of the original, and slides into a side storage slot.

* The Start and Select buttons were repositioned for easier access.

* A removable cover keeps the Game Boy® Advance cartridge slot clear

from dust and debris when it’s not in use.

New Super Mario Bros. is just one of the many Nintendo DS games that look

great on Nintendo DS Lite. Players set off on a side-scrolling platform

adventure bursting with the style and superb game play that got many people

hooked on video games in the first place. The Mushroom Kingdom is populated

with friends and foes, both new and old, and tons of power-ups, including

mushrooms that make Mario mega- and micro-sized. The Super Mario franchise

has sold more than 184 million games worldwide, which makes it one of the

top-selling video game franchises of all time.

Ever since its November 2004 launch, the original Nintendo DS has helped

to redefine perceptions of what constitutes a video game. Many systems have

been sold to people who are discovering video games for the first time.

Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service, has seen

more than 1 million connections worldwide. Thousands of people every day log

on to battle one another in Metroid® Prime Hunters or see who has all their

Tetriminos (falling blocks) in a row in Tetris® DS.

Nintendo DS continues to broaden the market for video games. Nintendo DS

has software that appeals to older gamers, hard-core gamers and even lapsed

gamers. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day went on sale in the

United States on April 17 after encountering massive success in Japan.

Nintendo will continue that momentum by introducing two upcoming titles that

require more brain power than firepower. On June 5, Big Brain Academy

arrives to challenge users with a variety of mental tests designed to evaluate

various skills. Then on June 26, Sudoku Gridmaster will keep number crunchers

busy with more than 400 sudoku puzzles, each one sanctioned by the original

creators of sudoku.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,

Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and

software for its Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo

GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2 billion video

games and more than 360 million hardware units globally, and has created

industry icons like Mario, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda and

Pokemon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in

Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the

Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s

Web site at www.nintendo.com.

[Dan]

I swear.

They try too hard to make money.

[PkmnTrainerJ]

When it comes to the UK, I'll trade in my DS for one if possible.

[EZE]

BOllocks. I've just bought a Nintendo DS..

*bangs head off wall*

I love nintendo and all... but really... bastards. Those are some blatantly obvious modifications too which they could have done on the ORIGINAL version before they released it. The mic in the center is like... DUH. So why didn't they?

It was all a plan...

bastards.