Japanese embrace DSi in spite of its humble features
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 10:40am by Jack
It just doesn’t make sense, does it? The DSi really isn’t all that different from the DS Lite. Cameras?! SD slots? Puh-leaze. My celly does that and backflips without breaking a sweat. And the graphics? Don’t get me started! So Nintendo 64 in their execution.
And yet, it sells.
Actually, I’m blowing smoke up your butts. Of course it makes sense that the DSi sells well. It follows the same strategy Nintendo created with the original DS and later the Wii. That being, create a solid system at an attractive price point with disruptive new features that appeals to the middle, not the extremes. Update this device periodically with new features and solid software, but keep the price point the same. Then, sit back and watch the money pour in; this time to the tune of more than a million DSi units sold since launch. That the Lite continues to sell well and its fatty of cousin sold 6,449,206 in Japan during its brief but disruptive lifetime is, well, the numbers speak for themselves.
The numbers also mean that, thanks to the whole idea of critical mass, when the DS Store gets into gear, you’re going to have a whole new segment of the population experimenting and playing around with downloadable content. Nintendo could once again be responsible for creating a sizable shift in the gaming landscape. You think DLC is big now with WiiWare, Live Arcade and PSN? You have no idea.
And lastly, look for another surge/paradigm shift when Wii MotionPlus hits store shelves in Japan and the U.S. sometime in Q2 2009. Peripherals won’t sell on their own? Look no further than Wii Fit to silence that argument right quick. All it takes is the right software-hardware combination (and price). Combine that with the Wii Sports brand, which is literally still selling Wii consoles three years after it launched, and you have yet another unstoppable force from the rich, rich folks in Kyoto.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:58 am
The other features are just bonus compared to DLC on the DS.
Pretty much the main reason I am getting a DSi.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
please don’t say stuff like “blow smoke up your b#tts,” that’s low taste.
December 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
when will they be out in america????????? because i think i might want one….. but if it is just coming out in japan it probably won’t be here for a few years right???
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
RoyalRook is right. We come here for the class act. Now, where was I? Oh, that’s right, I was playing a spot of scrabble and enjoying a nip of brandy.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
These sale numbers are dissappointing, actually: all this time we though the Japanes had bought DS’s at the rate of 1:1. Instead, we see that, on average, there has been only one DS sold per 5 Japanese citizens (babies included)!
So, not quite “one DS for every J-citizen”, as we were lead to believe…
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
DSi is the DS I always wanted but I got the DS Lite as the DSi wasn’t made yet…anxiously waiting for the DSi come out here in the states.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I’m probably going to get a DSi based on the web browser and matte finish alone. Unless of course the browser is incredibly slow like the first one was. WE SHALL SEE.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Looks like they redesigned/strengthened the hinges as well. Both my wifes and mine now have the dreaded left hinge crack.
December 24th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Simply put, the DSi should not exist.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:14 am
It is more of an upgrade on a previous generation handheld then the latest PSP was.
What upgrade did the latest PSP get over its predecessor? A crappy screen? Skype? And that sold a few.
Personally I cannot wait to get my hands on a DSi and all it’s DLC. Can’t see many programmers using the camera that much game wise though.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:54 am
what do you mean humble features. Its got Wiiware on the DS, that alone is worth the cost of admission. The camera and music player were just icing on the cake.
What do people really want out of new portables, new colors and another 1000 added to its name.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:57 am
It releases in the United States in the summer 2009. I getting one for my birthday in the summer. I can’t wait. My friends will probably be jealous.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I don’t think I’m going to get it. I’m pretty satisfied with my DS Lite
December 25th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Don’t like it? Don’t buy it!
Your existing Lite will continue to function.
It’s that simple.
December 26th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I WANT IT.