Nintendo DS Launches on Nov. 21 in North America -- At $149.99! - 9/21/2004
New System Comes with Embedded PictoChat Feature, Strong Publishers Support
REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 20, 2004 - From the very start, Nintendo DST broke the
existing rules of video game play. Two screens, not one. Wireless connection
for game play and personal communication for the sheer entertainment of it.
Flexible game control by voice and touch, not just with buttons. Nintendo's
newest innovation, Nintendo DS, will make its worldwide debut in North
American stores on Nov. 21, and then in Japan on Dec. 2. It will sell at an
MSRP of $149.99, making it an immediate mass-market attraction. Nintendo DS
will become the company's first system ever to make its sales debut outside
of Japan.
"Nintendo's mission remains unchanged: expand the game experience," says
Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo Co., Ltd. "Nintendo DS is the road map
to the future of video games, and most clearly demonstrates the type of
innovation that players demand."
Nintendo DS is the dual-screened, hand-held video game system redefining the
idea of interactive entertainment. One screen allows for touch input using a
stylus, while the unit includes both voice recognition and multiplayer
wireless features. The sleek silver-and-black system sports a sharp, angular
design.
Consumers immediately will be able to pick up and play the new system, as it
comes with a free software feature, PictoChat, embedded in the system
hardware. PictoChat allows DS owners to write messages with an on-screen
keyboard or the stylus and send them wirelessly to other DS users nearby.
Users can text chat, draw artistic messages or share secrets, all without
saying a word. And a Nintendo DS in sleep mode will spring to life if it
senses another DS in transmitting range, alerting users to each other's
presence and setting the stage for an impromptu conversation or game
session.
More than 100 companies have signed on to create games for Nintendo DS,
while Nintendo itself is already developing its first 20 titles. Electronic
Arts, the world's largest independent software developer and publisher,
already has announced that its powerhouse franchises of Madden NFL, The
URBZ: Sims in the City, Need for Speed Underground, Tiger Woods and
GoldenEye will support Nintendo DS.
Each time Nintendo creates a hand-held, it introduces new elements of play
and sets a new standard for mobile gaming," says Larry Probst, EA's chairman
and CEO. "The DS is no exception - Nintendo has another big winner with the
DS."
The complete lineup of games planned for the launch of Nintendo DS will be
announced in the near future. In effect, Nintendo DS already boasts a
library of more than 550 games because it is compatible with single-player
modes of games made for the world's best-selling video game system, Game Boy
Advance SP.
Nintendo chose the United States to lead the worldwide launch of Nintendo DS
because of overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic reaction from consumers
and to take advantage of the holiday sales season. After the subsequent
launch in Japan, the system will be available in Europe and Australia in the
first quarter of 2005.
Nintendo DS has a flip-top cover that protects both screens. Two speakers on
the unit's face let users hear virtual surround sound, while its dual
screens open games to a multitude of possibilities. Nintendo DS sits 148.7
millimeters (5.85 inches) wide, 84.7 millimeters (3.33 inches) long and 28.9
millimeters (1.13 inches) tall with the cover closed. The new media format
for games means that Nintendo DS has no moving parts that could be
misaligned if the unit is dropped or jarred.
You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months. If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.