Mario kicks ass in Japan!

The House that Mario built (Nintendo…) is reporting fantastic sales of their newest portable handheld system, the Nintendo DS. In all three major markets (Japan, UK, and the US), it is outselling it's closest competitor, the Sony PSP. Of particular note, the DS went on to sell 5 million units in Japan alone, in less than 13 months. It makes the DS the fastest selling console (handheld or stationary) ever. The Playstation 2 reached this mark in 17 months and Nintendo's own Game Boy Advanced took 14 months.

The DS is Nintendo's first major product aimed at expanding the gaming market to non-traditional populations, such as women and older adults. It aims to achieve this with the uniqueness of the games played on the DS. The system boasts an impressive array of features that make it stand out from other handhelds. The most obvious is the dual screen format. The bottom screen doubles in function as a touchscreen. The system includes a built-in microphone, stereo speakers, and built in wireless internet support, enabling users to connect to Nintendo's fresh Nintendo Wi-Fi service. It also boasts some simple PDA-like abilities, such as a calendar (viewing-only) and built-in chat program called Pictochat. Although this program isn't usable over the WiFi service, it allows for quick chatting with any DS users in range (much more useable in Japan than in the U.S., I would imagine). Games such as the newly released Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing: Wild World have helped sell systems, along with the introduction of the Wifi service. Oh, and that puppy game…Nintendogs. The DS has done well to penetrate new markets and should this be a precursor of things to come, things are looking up for Nintendo and its upcoming Revolution.

Personal take? Huzzah! I happen to own one of these and it's mad fun. You may be initially perplexed by the two screens, but take my word for it that they work and function well. Mario Kart DS online is like nothing else…there's nothing like knocking another racer off the track and snickering in silence at the poor soul's misfortune. It really is a good game system that tries to do something different, as opposed to tossing in flashier graphics for the same games. Hence, my decision not to purchase a PSP. Yes, the games look better, but you've essentially played them on console systems. It has other features, like playing UMD movies, playing mp3s, and a web browser, but given the battery life of the system, cost of the games and cost of additional UMD flicks…it's not worth it in my opinion. If you want a solid game system that'll be fun on the road, train, plane, home, car, etc…I highly recommend the DS. If you're interested, I can recommend a few games for it too. Bottom line, gaming innovation and fun at a great price ($129.99 retail as opposed to $249.99 for the PSP).

Viva la Revolution!!