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DS sales top 2m in UK News
DS News by Games Industry.biz
Nintendo has declared that it is now the leader in the UK's home console and handheld markets, with the DS now outselling the PSP by a rate of more than 2.5 to 1.
According to Chart Track data, more than 2 million DS units have now been sold in the UK. Sales have continued to boom following the release of the Lite five months ago, and the success of titles such as Brain Training, Animal Crossing and New Super Mario Bros. - all of which have topped the 1 million sales mark in Europe.
"The ability of Nintendo DS to appeal to both gamers and non-gamers alike through an exciting, fun and innovative portfolio of software has been instrumental in its success in the UK," said David Yarnton, general manager of Nintendo UK.
"Nintendo DS will continue to be the main driving force behind the expansion of the video game market this year."
Lisa Morgan, CEO of high street retailer GAME, added, "Nintendo DS has played an increasingly important part of our business in 2006.
"Not only is the DS performing really well, but Nintendo are following through on their promise of expanding the gaming audience, which is key to GAME too. This is evident in the broad range of people coming into our stores to purchase both DS hardware and software."
Nintendo is currently gearing up for its next hardware release - the Wii, already a sell-out hit in North America, will launch across Europe on 8th December.
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TriodeBliss
29/11/06 @ 09:55
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Nintendo still hates Europe.
Why aren't they capitalising on the success by releasing some new games? |
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Nothing pisses me off more than the New Super Mario Brothers.
Nintendo are supposed to be the leaders of innovation damnit, yet all they do is package all of Mario's past platforming abilities into a neat package and off you go sells a million easy (i'm not trying to knock it off as a bad thing, but it just pisses me off.). Maybe Sony needs a Mascott to whore to death on every platform they own, seems to be the only way to sell first party software "To the masses". |
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The_Aardvark
29/11/06 @ 10:04
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Yet you still never see anyone playing one on the tube. What's up with that?
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Artemis_Matsas
29/11/06 @ 10:33
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Well, i own both DS and PSP, but i have to say that my PSP sees 100% more play time than my DS.
I'm just weird i guess... |
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On the point about people playing it on the tube, I don't see anyone playing the PSP on the tube either! However on a trip down from Newcastle I saw a quite attractive woman in her mid 20s take a DS out to play. The bloke (about the same age) next to her working on his laptop was pretty surprised too!
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Artemis_Matsas
29/11/06 @ 10:40
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@asphaltcowboy
Thanks, i just had to hear it from someone else you see :-) :-) :-) |
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scummyhawker
29/11/06 @ 10:48
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I've seen people play both whilst on the tube. I've also seen people still playing GameBoy SP. I guess it depends on the length of journey, heading back out east from central London I see it most days, when my face isn't crushed against the glass or into someone's armpit.
Most London dwellers too cool? Please. What part of the North are you from? |
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Thats 2 million happy non-gamer kiddies then! And yes, I have got one that I have hardly used. Nintendogs, Brain Training et al hardly appeal to the more mature audience. And I am afraid while Nintendo's attempts to grow the market by bringing in non-gamers in commendable it seems that all that this is achieving is 'dumbing down' games. Much like our public schools then.
I'm afraid this noble gesture with the Wii and DS - while it will attract non-gamers - will disenfranchise and dissillusion many gamers, the very core of the market that Nintendo is trying to grow. Its kind of ironic then that fanboys are getting such a kick out of the DS hammering the PSP. What use is a console with a 20+ million 'non-gamer' userbase if there are no games for you, as a gamer, to play on this platform? |
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rhinoxious
29/11/06 @ 11:05
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" Well, i own both DS and PSP, but i have to say that my PSP sees 100% more play time than my DS.
I'm just weird i guess..." Makes some sense to me, I think the DS provides a wide range of gameplay experiences, but they often don't last very long. I own about 10 game for my DS and have completed most of them, very unusual for me. While the PSP provides few good (and not very original titles), but GTA:LC and Pro Evo both provide a hell of a lot of hours play, if you're really into those particular licenses. This isn't good news for Sony as most people have only bought a couple of games. |
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"Snake is owned by Konami (or more accurately Hideo Kojima) who could go on other systems if he felt like it, try again."
I think the original poster was suggesting that Snake, the game that comes on Nokia phones, is an example of a game that reaches the masses without needing a mascot, not suggesting that Sony use Snake from MGS as a mascot. |
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"I'm afraid this noble gesture with the Wii and DS - while it will attract non-gamers - will disenfranchise and dissillusion many gamers, the very core of the market that Nintendo is trying to grow. "
A very noble attempt at FUD. I'm personally more concerned at the proliferation of PS2 ports on a system with half the number of analog sticks and double the loading times. |
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I don't own a DS, but I know its games lineup is wonderful...for people who do own the DS. A well deserved sales success then.
As for PSP, true it didn't sell as well as the DS, but how is that a failure? If you start defining No.2 as failure, then everything from XBox to GameCube to Dreamcast to Toyota automobiles is a failure. Plus it is much, much more expensive than DS, so naturally its audience is limited. Not that I want one or anything, though. |
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el_pollo_diablo
29/11/06 @ 11:36
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They seriously better release some new games though, and fast.
Do you realise the sheer weight of games that are never released in Europe? Our DS catalogue is something like 15% of the total in Japan. Even the USandA get a load more. Nintendo. I love you but I hate you. |
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samk
"Snap. I've had a DS for about 15 months now and still have hardly any games for it at all. When people talk about all these many great DS games I'm honestly wondering WTF they're talking about. Import games from the US - you get them quicker and cheaper than waiting for the UK releases. I finished Rocket Slime a while ago, just finished Phoenix Wright 2 and I'm currently playing through Contact and Final Fantasy 3 DS. |
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nickthegun
29/11/06 @ 11:41
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"The ability of Nintendo DS to appeal to both gamers and non-gamers alike through an exciting, fun and innovative portfolio of software has been instrumental in its success in the UK,"
Do non-gamers become gamers when they start playing games?? Is the term non-gamer really applicable to someone interested in a DS? When does a non-gamer become a gamer? And so on...... |
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Kids, core gamers and journos love the DS. That's why it sells, but mostly because kids love it, since core gamers don't account to 2 million in UK and journos buy nothing :)
I am personally still waiting for some really good games to appear on the console. There are a few keepers, and then there's a wiiload of interesting experiments which you ditch after a few hours of tinkering. Requesting more RPG games as well. |
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And I am afraid while Nintendo's attempts to grow the market by bringing in non-gamers in commendable it seems that all that this is achieving is 'dumbing down' games.
That's silly. Yet, if I had a penny for every time I hear this, I would pay someone to write this post while I enjoy cocktails at the pool of my villa in Monaco. If growing the market would mean dumbing down games, how do you explain good TV series or movies or books or PS2 games? The contrary is true! The larger the market as a whole, the larger are its niches. Let's say 1% of the market likes strategy games, then it is better to have a market of 1 mil people, instead of 100 people, because in the former case you have 10000 potential sales vs. 1 potential sale for the small market. So, if Nintendo's strategy works, the industry will grow because the market grows, and there will be viable niches of every kind. Along with the drivel you'll see more interesting games, not less. |
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"with the DS now outselling the PSP by a rate of more than 2.5 to 1"
I'm shocked that figure is only 2.5, I would have expected 3 or maybe even 4. I guess this is UK sales though, think most sales comparisons I've seen have been Japanese. That actually sounds quite positive for the PSP to me, considering the release dates of the devices, the price difference, and the fact the DS has gone through a major revision. This also means the PSP is not far off selling a million units in the UK?
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most recently on 29/11/06 @ 11:51
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Yeah everyone and their dog that i know have a DS.
Speaking of which neither the DS or the PSP is running away with the RPG genre, and no Final Fantasy re-makes don't do it for me (except 3 which is the only FF i havn't got). Heeey just looking at the AoE advert to my left and it looks surprisingly good. |
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chupachups
29/11/06 @ 12:28
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Whatever you think of the DS or PSP, at least this shows that simply including the latest technology doesn't guarantee you a hit console.
So many people in technology forums make fun of hardware that isn't cutting edge as if they were buying devices just to stare at the specifications rather than actually use them. "Thats 2 million happy non-gamer kiddies then!" How are DS users non-gamers? They buy consoles, they buy games for those consoles, both in very large quantities.
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most recently on 29/11/06 @ 12:30
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floppylobster
29/11/06 @ 12:44
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The funny part is listening to PSP fans coming up with the same arguments that Nintendo fans had about the orignal PlayStation. Back then Nintendo/Sega fans were complaining about Sony trying to expand the gaming market and making games accessible for non-gamers; making games too easy, too short and dumbed-down.
The PSP is also trying to bring in 'non-gamers' with Talkman and Lonely Planet guides. It's just not working as well for them as Nintendogs and Brain Training. How does a game about training your brain get labelled 'dumbing down' anyway? |
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kangarootoo
29/11/06 @ 12:49
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@Arnold__
"while it will attract non-gamers - will disenfranchise and dissillusion many gamers" Well boo bloody hoo. Expanding a market does not mean excluding the existing members. It just means adding more people and creating more titles. I can understand that some people would get a stop on because they don't feel they are being cetered for in an elite manner. "Games for the chav sheep" seems to be a typical voice of annoyance on that subject. To them I say grow up and put your dummy back in. I'm all for the production of obscure JRPGs and stuff like GeOW (to take two easy examples), but making additional, more approachable titles alongside stuff like that... how can that be a bad thing. New types of games added to an existing catalogue can only help all gamers by establishing games as a serious media, some people just can't see that. What is a "non-gamer" exactly? We never refer to people as "non-readers" or "non-watchers" when talking about books or films. |
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chupachups
29/11/06 @ 12:57
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If you look at the home console market, Sony is clearly aiming at new gamers too with their heavy promotion of things like SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz (Buzz has a one button controller! How can that be described as appealing to a hardcore audience?).
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