Be sure and check out IGN DS on Wednesday evening mainland America time for a full report. We didn't see any lines, but we're expecting a different scene when we head out early Thursday morning to ensure that we get our own stock of DS Lite units. This sign outside Bic points out how great the DS Lite is, but also mentions that pre-orders aren't being taken and a date for the next shipment of systems has yet to be announced. Here's what we saw in the Shibuya area around 10:00PMish. In short, we're expecting major lines on Thursday morning, along with, say, seven deaths.Īs we did with the original PSP and DS launches back in late 2004, we took our cameras out to Japanese retail the night before the DS Lite's launch to see what was going down. Many retailers aren't taking pre-orders, demand is expected to far outstrip supply, and auction prices are expected to earn would-be profiteers (who may or may not have been hired by Chinese exporters) enough for a PS3 later this year (auction profits for the PS3 can then be used to purchase a PSP2 - it's all a vicious cycle). In contrast to the launch of the original DS, we're expecting something more PSPish for the DS Lite's launch. In all, Nintendo promises to have at least 450,000 DS Lite units hit Japanese retail in March, joined by 200,000 units of the older, uglier, bulkier, less-fun model. The system will be available exclusively in white until 3/11, when two shades of blue will join in. Relief will come tomorrow as Nintendo gets its first shipment of DS Lites out to retail. Although the number shot back up to the 60,000 range the following week, the fact that retail shelves are still empty suggests that Nintendo could be selling a lot more. With nothing to buy, hardware sales dropped down to a low of 5,000 units a couple of weeks back. Following a surge in demand during the holiday selling season that elevated the DS from popular game system to Seaman-like social phenominon (non gamer types still know who Seaman is!), Nintendo's been unable to keep the DS in shops. That's not the case this year, as you might have gathered from our updates over at IGNDS. So strong was Nintendo's supply chain that year, in fact, that despite the young DS having two of the hottest Christmas weeks in Japanese gaming hardware history, the system was readily available. We caused quite the controversy last year when we labeled the original DS's Japanese launch as "boring." In late 2004, we didn't have to wait in line to get the DS LM ("Loser Model") because Nintendo had implemented a comprehensive, nationwide pre-order program and had managed to keep supply up with demand.
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