DS Fastest Selling Japanese Console 72
Gamasutra reports that the DS is officially the fastest selling console in Japan. The console has taken just twenty months to sell 10 Million units. From the article: "As noted in the report translated by consumer website GameSpot, the Nintendo DS has been credited with reversing the shrinking Japanese games market, with Nintendo DS software and hardware dominating sales charts for at least the last twelve months. With a population of around 128 million, these latest results show that nearly 8 percent of Japanese consumers now own the console." Update: 08/02 21:20 GMT by Z : Fixed reversed month/unit numbers. Sorry, apparently lisdexic today.
Console? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Console? (Score:2)
(Maybe the order console, and Nintendo family... depending on the Taxonimy you want to use)
Re:Console? (Score:2, Interesting)
-Moses
Re:Console? (Score:2)
It makes them both. But the Nintendo DS and the Virtual Boy are the only Nintendo systems that can't be displayed on a TV and thus can't be tape-recorded, hindering people's ability to tape their play and learn by watching video replays.
Re:Console? (Score:1)
This is just wild speculation, though, so don't take this seriously.
Re:Console? (Score:2)
1. The DS can indeed be displayed on TV screens. Many larger game showrooms have DS kiosks with the output of the DS being sent to a pair of 13" screens mounted above it.
2. This is the strangest criterion for defining a console that I've ever heard of.
3. What is "tape-recorded"? Is it anything like capturing an MPEG stream?
Re:Console? (Score:1)
Where can a member of the public buy one of these?
It's an extension of the criterion that a video game system designed to output to the family TV set is a console. The Super NES with Super Game Boy is a console. The GameCube with Game Boy Player is a con
Re:Console? (Score:4, Informative)
I think what he means is, "what use is this as criteria?" Being able to be played on a TV or off a TV does not drastically change the marketting demographic or style of gameplay. Portability does, but it seems that this is not what we're talking about. There has to be a compelling reason to divide objects into different catagories. Defining a handheld as "something that can never be played on a TV" is meaningless catagorization. It may be true, but it has no real value as a catagorical feature. Defining a handheld in terms of how it is played, and where it can be played, are far more useful features in defining the catagory, as they have a noticable impact on the demographic, style of gameplay, marketting, etc.
There are subtle differences between consoles and handheld consoles, but probably the only large difference is that today's handhelds = yesterday's consoles, in terms of ability, and to a lesser extent, style of gameplay (GameGear is a Master System derivitive, GBA is an SNES derivitive, the DS is basically an N64 with a whole new interface system, the PSP is a PlayStation derivitive), there may be some differences in hardware and programming, but generally, their aim is to achieve the level of power and style of the last generation system.
The DS is the first major handheld (unless you count the Virtual Boy) to take the console genre in a drastically different direction from its TV-based counterpart. Nintendo finally used the fact that it is a self contained, portable, piece of hardware, as a way of prividing functionality that a TV-based console can't do. This is an exception... not the rule.
But for the most part, the only really notable differences between handhelds and TV-based consoles are:
One can make a pretty good arguement that these differences are fairly irrelivant, in terms of gameplay experience, at least to their last-gen TV-based counterparts. So, yeah, I would consider handheld games to be a slight varrient on the TV-based console world. Although, since the DS and PSP are able to handle the same KINDS of graphics as their current TV-based counterparts (if not up to their quality, but at least their style), the generation gap is becoming less and less apparrent. Metroid Prime Hunters is solidly a current generation title, for instance (even if I thought it was terrible in comparison to its GameCube counterparts). GTA: Liberty City Stories is (supposedly) able to replicate the gameplay experience of GTAIII; in fact, it was popular enough to be the first game ever (I believe) to be ported from a handheld to a TV-based console.
Re:Console? (Score:2)
Wasn't Tetris released first on Game Boy, not counting the infringing version by Tengen?
Re:Console? (Score:2)
$300 camcorders (Score:1)
3. Find that the vast majority of them are really fscking shaky and blurry. 4. Check prices and find that fifty dollars for a Game Boy Player accessory and $40 for a VCR is a lot more affordable to the average video game player than $300 for a camcorder.
Re:Console? (Score:1)
Here-a-we go! (Score:2)
Re:Here-a-we go! (Score:2)
Revving up for Wii? (Score:3, Interesting)
The precedents back that up -- but 3rd parties? (Score:2)
The N64 had a GC Color hook-up, and the GC hooks up to the GBA for some titles. They've all been titles developed by Nintendo as far as I know. Never anything essential for a game, either -- always funny little add-ons. (You could play as Tingle in Zelda-Windwaker, and it was more fun than I'd ever have thought.)
If Nintendo could get third-party developers to buy into the idea, that would reflect a critical mass they're reaching on the Wii. Can't imagine that would happen right off, though.
Re:The precedents back that up -- but 3rd parties? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:The precedents back that up -- but 3rd parties? (Score:3, Interesting)
Final Fantasy : Crystal Chronicles had a gba hook-up mode IIRC, although I've never played it.
Rogue Squadron 3 : Rebel Strike also allows for such connectivity, although it was limited; in versus battle, you could use your GBA to issue orders to your squad without your opponent seeing them on the TV. Oooooh.
So, yeah, we may call it a failed attempt, or we can call it a stepping stone for the next generation to truly try and give it
Re:The precedents back that up -- but 3rd parties? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Revving up for Wii? (Score:2, Informative)
Rumors? [ign.com]
A good solid product, fun games. (Score:2)
Re:A good solid product, fun games. (Score:2, Insightful)
Download Station FTW (Score:2)
In contrast, the "Playstation Spots", which are the PSP's approximate equals, are onl
Summary is wrong (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:2)
Straight from the first paragraph of the article...
According to a report from Japanese newspaper Kyoto Simbun, the Nintendo DS has become the fastest console or handheld ever to sell 10 million units in Japan, taking just 20 months to reach the milestone, an extremely impressive feat for the Kyoto-headquartered firm.
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:2)
Might it refer to the DS Lite? Ten months sounds about right for the timescale on which that's been available in Japan, and from what I hear they've been unable to keep them in the shops at all...
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:1)
Well, but. .
"Well boys, this is it, opening time. To the barricades!"
Negras tormentas agitan los aires
nubes oscuras nos impiden ver
Aunque nos espere el dolor y la muerte
contra el enemigo nos llama el deber.
KFG
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:2)
Hope that helps this time...
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:1)
From the article:
So, no, it's a typo. Also, the DS Lite launched in March of this year in Japan, which by my reckoning is only 5 months ago.
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Summary is wrong (Score:1)
Several Corrections. (Score:3, Informative)
The DS debuted in North America in November 2004.
The DS debuted in Japan in December 2004.
The DS Lite debuted in North America in June 2006.
The DS Lite debuted in Japan in March 2006.
The 21 million sold [joystiq.com] Includes all versions (including lite, and multiple colors) from Every region from the earliest launch (USA) until July 24, 2006.
10 million of the 21 million were sold in JAPAN alone. Japan's Population is about 128 million people [google.com] meaning about 8% of the population (of J
bad at math? (Score:1)
Re:bad at math? (Score:2)
Re:bad at math? (Score:2)
Re:bad at math? (Score:2, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS [wikipedia.org]
Re:bad at math? (Score:2)
Zonk says, "The console has taken just ten months to sell 20 Million units."
Re:bad at math? (Score:1)
This bodes well for the Wii (Score:5, Insightful)
This is a great example of innovation and gameplay beating out a focus on horsepower and flashy features.
This, combined with the eventual connectivity between the DS and the Wii is a great thing for the Wii. Thanks to the fact that the DS already has wireless connectivity, there are essentially 20 million possible Wii controllers in the hands of people around the world.
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:1)
Games like Brain Age, Nintendogs, etc... are games that are meant not just for gamers, but those people. Hell my dad is playing videogames again (he use to play them, dropped to just RTS games, then RTS games on PCs, then off gaming completly). With the recent games he's been playing the DS more now. He may not
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:2)
When has it ever been the most powerful console that won the largest market share?
The Atari 2600 technically shouldn't have been able to play any game more complex than Pong, and yet even when more advanced consoles like the Intellivision, Colecovision, and Atari's own 5200 appeared, they still couldn't sell as well as the original VCS.
The Sega Master System and TurboGrafx-16 both had superior graphics to the 8-bit NES (if simila
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:1)
You can also throw in the PS1 being inferior to the N64 in every way, but storage. Or how Every iteration of the GameBoy had a more powerful rival, but beat them all.
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:2)
That applies to handhelds as well. The GameBoy couldn't compare favorably in just about any way to the GameGear except for battery life, yet the GameBoy won hands down. Throughout the GameBoy family's lifespan, it's had to compete with quite a few systems vastly more powerful than the then
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:2)
Re:This bodes well for the Wii (Score:2)
I just wish Nintendo would keep backwards compatibility a bit better. Yes, each generation of handheld can play the games of the previous generation, but each also breaks multiplayer compatibility with the previous.
When you're a casual gamer like me, or
Sales stats (Score:2)
Re:Sales stats (Score:4, Informative)
* DS Lite: 262,453
* PSP: 35,938
* PS2: 22,288
* DS: 6,344
* GBA SP: 2,953
* Xbox 360: 1,472
* Game Boy Micro: 1,410
* Gamecube: 1,076
* GBA: 20
* Xbox: 0
And a link (which in turn links to the original source):
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/28/japanese-hardwa
better link (Score:2)
http://www.revo-europe.com/news.php?nid=9412 [revo-europe.com]
Advance Wars: Dual Strike! (Score:2)
Nintendo DS Lite + Advance Wars: Dual Strike = Digital Crack.
I've been playing that one game for several hours almost every day for a month since I bought it and a DS Lite. It's so good I've barely played New Super Mario Bros., and I've been waiting years for another 2D Mario game.
New Super Mario Bros. is a great game, too, BTW. I had to visit seven stores before I found one that wasn't sold out of copies.
I was a little wary when I first picked up a DS Lite. I bought a GameBoy Advance a few years a
Re:Advance Wars: Dual Strike! (Score:2)
Re:Advance Wars: Dual Strike! (Score:1)
Re:Advance Wars: Dual Strike! (Score:1)
Hopefully AW:DS 2 will have online, and VoIP... This series would be GREAT for online, and given the nature of the game it should be relatively easy to do.
Adjusted ? (Score:2)
To sidetrack a little bit, cases of reported road rage have risen steadily 5% every year, which is cause for alarm if you are to beleive the sources unchecked. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that there are 8%
Re:Adjusted ? (Score:2)
Re:Adjusted ? (Score:2)
I'm a huge Nintendo fanboy - Mario theme is my ringtone, and I don't rush to answer it on a crowded bus - but my hatred for bending of statistics outweighs even Nintendo's giant size.
I'd like for all "Best EVAR!" statistics to change to accurately reflect the market and give us a *fair* sense of what is happening. Let's face it - who really cares that it sold 20 million units? Does t
Re:Adjusted ? (Score:2)
This is units, not sales amounts.
As for inflating populations, Japan's population basically hasn't budged in the last 10 years (less than a 2% increase), and even back to 1980, it's only about an 8% total increase. You're not talking about a major correction here.
I think it's safe to say that the DS, even corrected for population sizes, would very likely easily stay on top.
As for the NES versus the DS? The Famicom only sold 500,00 units in its fir
DS vs Wii (Score:3, Insightful)
The hype for the Wii, silly/stupid name or not, seems bigger than any I've ever seen for a single console. DS didn't really have a huge number of early adopters, it had to prove itself to many before it really started to take off...
Re:DS vs Wii (Score:1)
No it seems bigger than the PS2's buzz was when it came out (I should know, I was working at EB back then, during its launch). One of the key differences is that I'm seeing a lot more "non-gamers" and casual gamers that are already excited about it than there were for the PS2. And just to make it clear, No.. I'm cer
Zonk needs to reread the article,10 mil 20 monthes (Score:1, Redundant)
PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:1)
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:1)
If instead you look at the number of games 89 and above, you'll see that the DS has 5 to the PSP's 2. And those are the games that are getting the most praise between the 2 systems.
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:2)
For instance: Viewtiful Joe, Electroplankton, True Swing Golf (Pretty good game), Pac-Pix, Super Princess Peach, etc..
A lot of the games ranked in the 8.0 range are basically cult classics and hard to come by like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Trauma Center: Under the Knife.
Also look at the high ranked PSP games. They're mostly ports of existing games or stuff like sports games.
A lot of them aren't very good on the go either. Most of
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:2)
Zelda, Children of Mana, FFIII (never released in the US before, and completely re-designed with new graphics) and TONS of others.
The DS might be behind in higly ranked games now, but it won't be for long.
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:1)
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:1)
Re:PSP has hgher rated games than DS (Score:1)