DS Lite arrives
Initial rumours of the Nintendo DS re-design were quashed last week by a spokesperson who said, "Clearly, Nintendo DS continues to be one of the most popular and talked-about video game systems available. Through 2005, some 13 million units have sold worldwide. Nintendo is always looking for ways to improve its games and systems, but we have nothing to announce at this time."
However, Nintendo have today revealed that the rumoured re-designed version is a reality, the 'DS Lite' will arrive in Japan on March 2nd. The handheld will be a more compact version of the Nintendo DS.
The 'DS Lite' measures in at a snug 133mm wide, 73.9mm high and 21.5mm deep. This means that the new system will be almost half the size of the original. It weighs in at a lightweight 215g, the original weighed 275g.
The new design appears to mainly cosmetic, there will be a new brightness feature which allows the user to change between four different levels of brightness. There appears to be no other information as to any other changes, although the power button is not visible anymore and the microphone has moved to the hinge between the two screens.
The 'DS Lite' will retail at 16,800 Yen, which equates to approximately 118 Euro, slightly higher than the existing DS.
The sales figures for Nintedo DS speak for themselves, Nintendo have sold approximately 3.5 million units in Europe, 4 million units in North America and 5 million units in Japan. Last week shares rose in Nintendo by 6.5%, this was said to be due to the hype surrounding the Revolution launch. The sale of the 'DS Lite' will bolster the Japanese firm's coffers nicely.
