Coloured DS Lites delayed
Japanese must wait a week.
Nintendo fans hoping to pick up a blue or navy DS Lite from Japan will have to wait a while longer following unspecified production problems.
The slim-line DS Lite was due to launch in Japan on March 2nd in three colours: Crystal White, Ice Blue and Enamel Navy. The company has now stated that the units will only be available in white, anticipating a little over a week's delay for the two coloured versions.
Reports suggest that retailers have ceased accepting pre-orders for the new device as demand outstrips potential supply, particularly given Nintendo's strategy of almost entirely diminishing stocks of the current DS before introducing the revised Lite edition.
No official date has been issued for the launch of the new unit in the US, though current speculation places the machine on shelves in the region at the beginning of May to coincide with the launch of New Super Mario Bros.
The UK launch has also yet to be officially confirmed, though the unit is due to hit these shores at some point during the summer.
The latest production issues fly in the face of recent comments from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who stated recently that the launch would be supported by shipments of 500,000 in the first two weeks and up to one million for the whole of March.
Current demand for the DS remains exceptionally high, some reports suggesting that the trade-in value for an original DS with box and instructions is resulting in approximately Yen 14,000 in store credit - marking an almost complete return on the original purchase price.