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Regular DS will be phased out (?)

T

Thomper

Member
On RevolutionReport, it's said that Reggie said on GameHead that the regular DS would be phased out during summer. Is that true, is it permanent, and what will this mean for the price and releasedate of the Lite? 120 dollars for the Lite is a possibility, even though they'll still sell loads at 150.

I'm European, so no SpikeTV for me; anyone that can confirm this?
 
The haven't announced a US price yet, but I doubt it will be more expensive then the current price. The DS isn't the run away hit here that it is in Japan. As for replacing the old DS, I'm sure that will happen eventually. They got rid of the first GBA model after bringing out the GBA SP.
 
john2kx said:
You put a question mark in the topic like you weren't expecting this to happen.
Click to expand...
No, I'm putting a question mark in the topic like I don't know if Reggie really said that; I just read it on RevolutionReport. I'm Dutch, we don't have SpikeTV over here. :lol
 
It's so obvious this is what they will do.... Yet the DS normal will stay on shelves as long as possible, not to fill niches or anything like that, but to clear out Nintendo's inventory.
 
I don't see why they won't co-exist. They can keep the standard DS at a lower price point, and net more sales. They don't care which DS you're playing, they just want you to have one so you'll buy more software. Also, the GBA train needs to stop in NA, so it'd make sense to keep the clunky one at 99 dollars and the new one at 130 for the holiday season. They win on both ends.
 
Thomper said:
No, I'm putting a question mark in the topic like I don't know if Reggie really said that; I just read it on RevolutionReport. I'm Dutch, we don't have SpikeTV over here. :lol
Click to expand...

and you should be happy we don't
 
i really really hope there is price drop of the original DS in May.

if so, im getting one for my little brother on his birthday.
 
I think the best thing they could do is price the DSLite at $130 and lower the price of the original DS to $90 - $100, but discontinue production. i don't need to justify why this is true.
 
Senretsu said:
put it this way, can you walk into a store and buy a normal GBA (non SP)?

That might answer your question.
Click to expand...

I can and according to those weekly hardware sales numbers, so can about 200 Japanese people.
 
Jive Turkey said:
I'm pretty sure those were just the unsold units.
Click to expand...

Check out the Japanese sales charts.

SP was released in February or March, and there were still GBAs on shelves in November and December. I think I remember Nintendo making a statement sometime around the SP launch, about how it was an alternative and not a replacement. They co-existed for a good length of time.
 
parathod said:
I think the best thing they could do is price the DSLite at $130 and lower the price of the original DS to $90 - $100, but discontinue production. i don't need to justify why this is true.
Click to expand...
While I agree I can really see the DSL being a relaunching of the DS, $150 US then drops to $130 in November after the DS is gone.
 
AdmiralViscen said:
I think I remember Nintendo making a statement sometime around the SP launch, about how it was an alternative and not a replacement. They co-existed for a good length of time.
Click to expand...

It can't be labelled as just an alternative if it is superior in every conceivable way, as the SP was, and the DSL will be. Now Micro, that's an alternative. Why the hell anyone would buy a micro is beyond me, the latest SP's have the same high quality LCD screen it does, except much bigger and easier to see. Meh.
 
EOGamer said:
It can't be labelled as just an alternative if it is superior in every conceivable way, as the SP was, and the DSL will be. Now Micro, that's an alternative. Why the hell anyone would buy a micro is beyond me, the latest SP's have the same high quality LCD screen it does, except much bigger and easier to see. Meh.
Click to expand...

Your feelings on the Micro are very interesting. But the GBA was the cheaper alternative to the SP, for a time (continues to be, in Japan).
 
suaveric said:
The haven't announced a US price yet, but I doubt it will be more expensive then the current price. The DS isn't the run away hit here that it is in Japan. As for replacing the old DS, I'm sure that will happen eventually. They got rid of the first GBA model after bringing out the GBA SP.
Click to expand...

But it is still a hit. They'll put it out at $150 more than likely. They wouldn't release it for the same price of the current one if it has upgraded features.

$130 would rock of course, but it won't happen unless they lower the price of the original.
 
Yea. I don't know if it's still being shipped out, though. The shelves were pretty stocked right up to Christmas.

Does anyone know if they're still manufacturing/shipping it? For America, anyway?
 
Dr. Jade said:
maybe this isnt the right place to ask this ... but where the hell did the GBA Micro go? Is it still being sold?
Click to expand...
the Micro was said to be limited by Reggie at E3 I think... At least that is what I remember about it
 
Dr. Jade said:
maybe this isnt the right place to ask this ... but where the hell did the GBA Micro go? Is it still being sold?
Click to expand...
Nintendo has only shipped 470K of them to North America (1.82 million worldwide) as of December 31st.
 
phased2.gif
 
I was kind of hoping that the original DS would hang around a while as a cheaper alternative to the DSL, just like the GBA did to the SP. Nintendo should really try to get make the DS available to people that can't or won't pay more than $99.99.
 
Reggie in the same GameHead interview said the Lite is something he thinks Nintendo could charge a "small premium" on.

$149.99 sounds about right.
 
Trurl said:
I was kind of hoping that the original DS would hang around a while as a cheaper alternative to the DSL, just like the GBA did to the SP. Nintendo should really try to get make the DS available to people that can't or won't pay more than $99.99.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, step into the new millenium already.

The old DS is fugly.
 
I do think it will come out at $150 in the US, only ebcause the battery kicks so much ass. October, itll go down to $130, and the old DS will be gone.
 
Thomper said:
On RevolutionReport, it's said that Reggie said on GameHead that the regular DS would be phased out during summer. Is that true, is it permanent, and what will this mean for the price and releasedate of the Lite? 120 dollars for the Lite is a possibility, even though they'll still sell loads at 150.

I'm European, so no SpikeTV for me; anyone that can confirm this?
Click to expand...

Yes, he did say something to that effect.

Geoff asked him if they would still sell the old model of the DS, to which he replied that they have enough units to last until the August to September timeframe.

So, yes, they will be phasing out the old model. To be honest, it can't come soon enough. The original looks like a toy, while the DSLite looks like a gadget. Better for their image.
 
I really wish they could phase it out as soon as possible. I've got a dead pixel and some weird speaker issues on my DS that I want cleared up, but part of me really wants to hold out until I can more or less say "You've got a superior product out there that I want to purchase, and your current product crapped out on me." And then I'll make a sob story and attempt to get myself a Lite.

Warranty runs out in October, so I can hold out for awhile. But, either way, I'm assuming they'd keep some on hand for warranty purposes. Damn.
 
EOGamer said:
Why the hell anyone would buy a micro is beyond me, the latest SP's have the same high quality LCD screen it does, except much bigger and easier to see.
Click to expand...
The compact screen makes the GBA graphics shine even more. Thats why I play all of my GBA games on it, anyway.
 
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