Nintendo DS Lite Unveiled

Nintendo of Japan today on its official website unveiled a new version of their Nintendo DS handheld which has been met with remarkable success in the Land of the Rising Sun and around the world. The new Nintendo DS Lite, being dubbed as a “lighter and brighter” DS by Nintendo, is all but certain to continue the success of the original with its small, compact design when it is released on March 2, 2006 in Japan.

The new DS Lite measures in at 133.0 x 73.9 x 21.5mm (as opposed to the originals size of 148.7 x 84.7 x 28.9mm), a bit less than 2/3rd the size of the original, and will weigh in at about 218g (the original weighed 275g), a little over 20% lighter than the normal DS (2 ounces). The unit is currently set to retail in at about 16800 yen (around $145 USD). For reference, the standard DS currently retails in Japan for about 15000 yen (around $129 USD). Also featured will be 4 adjustable levels of brightness which perhaps will function similarly to the Sony PSP’s settings. It also appears from the screenshot that the microphone has been moved in between the two screens. Also, the power button is not visible which may mean it has been moved to the side of the handheld.

The new unit will also be retaining the original’s ability to play Game Boy Advance media despite the smaller size.

Straight off the press, Nintendo Ltd. has also emailed us confirming the eventual North American and European releases of Nintendo DS Lite stating:

“Nintendo will announce more information about the availability of Nintendo DS Lite in North America and other territories in the future.”

1UP is already reporting that the system will launch in Japan with three different colors available, despite the fact that Nintendo Ltd. is still undecided on including the currently-pictured pearl-white color.

Having already proved itself with quick sell-outs in recent weeks, Nintendo’s dual-screen handheld has already sold more than 14.4 million units worldwide. The Japanese sell-through of the existing Nintendo DS system exceeded 5 million within 14 months, making the handheld the fastest-selling system ever in Japan.

Updated 10:00 AM PST:

Following the recent updates on the newly revealed handheld, Nintendo of America has confirmed the pearl-white color as being one of the three colors available during the Nintendo DS Lite’s Japanese release.

Furthermore, IGN DS has released a report straight from Nintendo that the western markets, [Europe and North America], won’t see the Nintendo DS Lite until after Spring. This means that a simultaneous release with the Japanese launch (March 3rd) is now totally out of the question.

Satoru Iwata also discussed some sales statistics with the Japanese press referring to the existing Nintendo DS, which will continue to be produced and sold despite the re-design announcement. “Taken as a whole with the current version, we’re aiming at total domestic sales of 10,000,000 units not too late in the year” said Iwata. 5.7 million units have been sold in Japan at the end of 2005.

Advanced Media will keep you updated on this breaking story should any further details on the unit come forth, and of course, stay tuned for more media on the Nintendo DS Lite.

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