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Nintendo DS Puts New Experiences Only a Touch AwayPosted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 @ 11:40:34 am E.S.T
If you've ever enjoyed video games,
you've likely played Mario(TM), Madden or Metroid(R), The Sims(TM) or
Spider-Man(TM) -- but you've never played them like this. The names
and characters might be familiar, but now you can interact with them
in completely new ways.
On Nov. 21, just in time for the holidays, gamers across North
America will begin snapping up the most innovative game platform in a
decade, the Nintendo DS(TM). Boasting dual screens, touch-screen and
voice-recognition interfaces and two forms of wireless connection, the
1 million Nintendo DS units available in North America already are
expected to be depleted by year's end.
"Retailers began calling for more Nintendo DS units even before
the first ones arrived," explains Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of
America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "They're
reflecting the demands of game players for entirely new ways to enjoy
games -- not just playing the same old games on a different platform.
It really comes down to delivering a new experience and that's what
we're doing."
Nintendo DS comes embedded with the PictoChat(TM) communication
feature and bundled with a playable demo of the upcoming Metroid
Prime(R) Hunters. In addition, the system will have a dozen titles
available during its launch window, spanning every genre, including
Super Mario 64 DS from Nintendo, Madden NFL 2005, Tiger Woods PGA
TOUR(R) Golf and The Urbz(TM): Sims in the City(TM) from EA,
Spider-Man 2(TM) from Activision, Ping Pals(TM) from THQ, Feel the
Magic(TM): XY/XX from SEGA, Rayman(R) DS and Asphalt Urban GT(TM) from
Ubisoft and Ridge Racer(R) DS and Mr. DRILLER(R): Drill Spirits(TM)
from Namco.
By the end of March, the Nintendo DS game library will include 20
to 25 games. More than 125 games remain in development worldwide, from
Nintendo as well as every major third-party developer. And because
Nintendo DS is backward compatible with Game Boy(R) Advance SP games,
it already has a library of more than 550 games.
"Interest in Nintendo DS is very high as we head into the
holidays," says Jeff Griffiths, CEO and president of Electronics
Boutique. "This is a must-have item for a wide variety of people,
older and younger, this holiday season."
Nintendo DS will sell at an MSRP of $149.99. Its clamshell design
protects both screens, and its rechargeable battery allows for six to
10 hours of play on a single charge. The launch is being supported by
an aggressive, multifaceted marketing program, which includes the
"touching is good" campaign that targets a hip, male demographic in
lifestyle magazines and on hot broadcast and cable television
programs. Additional information about Nintendo DS is available at
http://www.nintendods.com .
Nintendo DS launches in Japan on Dec. 2. By the end of 2004,
Nintendo will ship 2 million units worldwide and another 2 million by
the end of March.
The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive
entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and
markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video
game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the
best-selling Game Boy(R) Advance, Nintendo DS(TM) and Nintendo
GameCube(TM) systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue
the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games
for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video
game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video
games and more than 170 million hardware units globally, creating
enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and
launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid(R),
Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). 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 http://www.nintendo.com . Posted By: Adam Paoli - 132 Reads
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