Nintendo DSi racks up 30K

Mike Bantick
Monday, 20 April 2009 08:10

Opinion and Analysis

In less than a fortnight the Nintendo DSi has won a lot of hearts and wallets in Australia

There is no denying the Nintendo DS brand.   The little hand-held device has pretty much been a device to wonder at.  A lot of game-play goodness packed into an ever decreasing form.

In just over a week after launch (April 2nd) sales of the new dual camera equipped Nintendo DSi had topped 30,000 units (as at April 12th according to GfK Australia)

Since the original DS went on sale in 2005 over 1.9 million of the little devices have made their way into Australian hands.  100 million units have sold globally.

With this new incarnation Nintendo are hoping to grab the imagination of a more tech-savvy public.  Recent release’s in the Brain Training franchise, not to mention an advertising campaign featuring thoughtful yet gleeful adults toying with their DSi’s has entrenched a new target demographic for the device. 

And it looks to be working, despite a AU$100 premium over the previous –and still for sale – DS Lite.

Nintendo point to the following features as a reason to pick up the new model:

New features include Nintendo DSi Camera – two cameras, 11 different lenses, Nintendo DSi Sound – store, play and manipulate music, SD memory card slot – for additional storage space, and the ability to play your favourite music on your Nintendo DSi. As well as a slimmer unit, increased sound quality, bigger LCD screens and the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Free to download, the Nintendo DSi Browser puts your Nintendo DSi online. Once online, you can visit the Nintendo DSi Shop and shop online for Nintendo DSiWare. The first time you visit the Nintendo DSi Shop, you will automatically receive 1,000 free Nintendo Points (available for a limited time only) which will allow you to download your choice of Nintendo DSiWare.

What can you spend your Nintendo Points on? - Click on to Page 2