Hot off the heels of announcing the DSi LL, Nintendo has rubbed its vast profits in our faces by announcing that the DS as an overall product has shifted 113 million units worldwide since its launch five years ago. Thanks to consistent hardware revisions and the fact that the public swallow anything with a "DS" label on it, Nintendo has managed an impressive figure with the little system that once looked like a joke compared to the PSP. Talk about turning the tables.
Over 638 million DS games have been sold, which is even more impressive when you consider how the R4 cart brought piracy to the system on a ludicrously huge scale. However, Nintendo's financials were released today, showing large drops in revenue and profit. This is obviously where the DSi LL comes in, perhaps a desperate attempt on Nintendo's part to re-ignite the handheld's momentum.
What do you think? Is the DSi LL a transparent scam to turn Nintendo's ship around, and if that's the case, will it work? As much as I'd like to think that Nintendo's "let's release a new system less than a year after the other one" dick move gets them burned, I just know that the DSi LL is going to inspire yet another ludicrous spate of sales from people eager to get bummed by Nintendo's giant profit shaft.
Not I, dear friend. I got burned with the DSi, and it's not happening again.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
9:20 AM on 10.29.2009
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Not to be difficult here, but are there any of my articles you read, other than Bayonetta ones and ones that dislike something?
Won't be an "early adopter" of this either though.
Many popular consumer products have moved to yearly refresh cycles. There's a new version of the iPod / iPhone every year with slightly different features. We're on the fourth iteration of the PSP.
I don't think that Nintendo will go so far as yearly updates with this product, but we saw a lot of refreshes with the Gameboy & GBA, and the DS Lite followed soon after the DS Phat. There may be a couple more DS's in them before they launch the next thing.
They were probably testing the waters with the DSi to see if DSiware and the camera were attractive features, and now they've refined the product. DS Lite was a pretty similar cycle.
It'll launch with a fresh wave of hype. It may capture some people who were reluctant to jump to the DSi initially, and a few who never got a DS to begin with.
It's my favorite gaming system of the oughts.
@mkshiranui
Jim writes alot more articles than that but there usually ones that get hardly any attenion. The only ones anyone notices are the ones where he's either being sarcastic or whining.
Oh Noes! Jim expressed his opinion on something! Heaven forbid that people comment upon news! I would much prefer that news be dead pan, and two lines, just the facts, that's why I read Dtoid!
Raskulls, Demon's Souls, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Venetica, Fist of the North Star Musou, Left 4 Dead 2. These are just a handful of games I give regular, consistent, positive, practically excited coverage of. You are simply not paying attention, and that's not my fault in the least. Don't blame me because you like to compartmentalize what you read.
"Also, what makes him think he can pass judgement on a system, a company, and the general public all at once? It's a little condescending. No one is that intelligent, no matter how much experience they have."
What makes you think you can pass judgment on ME? I'm paid to share my opinion. If I don't share my opinion, I'm not doing my job. Please propose how I can do my job without doing my job and I'll gladly do it.
I'm not sold on the DSi until it has a virtual console. Or until some good pirates figure out how to make it run emulators of old consoles.
As for the DSi XXXXL; never jumped on the DSi ship; wouldn't mind me some 4-inch screens
Is this a "dick move" by Nintendo? I think not, and probably neither does Jim, but it sounds cool, so he threw it in there.
This thing is pretty much just a supersized DSi, not a 'better' DSi. It has obviously been designed for a market other than us (and by us i mean the people who are likely to be reading a videogame blog.)
Do we want portables that are not particularly portable? No.
Do we need thicker stylii for our arthritic hands? Maybe, but probably not just yet
Do we need nice chunky graphics so we can read that "BLUE" correctly only to have the damn thing say we said yellow? Not really, no
If you got a DS lite, well done, you have a gaming classic and should be proud.
If you got a DSi, well done, that thing has a lot of promise, and may yet deliver on it.
If you think you got the shaft because Nintendo decided to make a people mover to complement the sports cars it already makes, you are not looking at it right.
If I like something, I say it. If I don't like something, I say it. Would you like me to instead make up my opinions?
He's the main reason I keep visiting this site. Even though i'll have probably already read the news elsewhere I like Jims no bullshit take on them rather than the repeated press releases or neutral stance of other sites & writers.
If you dont like it dont read it or just ignore it. Stop getting all bitchy about it.
Keep up the excellent work Jim! Dont listen to these whiners.
Actually, it's gotten me a lot of things fast. Like a car, and a new home, and a great job. Maybe you just weren't as good at it? :-)
"I have no problem with your opinions. I just don't like the way you phrase them."
Fair enough, but I write for the people that *do* like me. I have no incentive to stop, because a lot of people like my work, for which I am grateful. Besides which, I can't change how I talk. I yam what I yam, after all.
I seriously wonder how its going to effect the graphics... more jaggies or less?
Maybe your comment is the most prudent and wise that I've read in this section.
I admit that I feel pissed when I heard the rumor, but after thinking the things I say "nobody is forcing me to buy the model, is my choice after all, why I have to feel betrayed". I won't buy this model, because I don't need it, I'm happy with my current DS, but I have to admit that XL has some charming and some feaures that many people will found appealing and want to adquire it. But this will be their choice.
You basically are making up your own opinions. You put such a ridiculous negative spin on things that just don't need it. It's like you're the Fox News of video game bloggers. No one is saying don't give us your opinion, but don't skew the facts to make up bullshit that's simply not there to begin with.
But when we think about it more in depth I think we can all agree that the REAL reason your so upset is because Jim no longer wears a monocle. I mean, seriously.
Where do these companies get off thinking they can keep updating their product lines to get more money!
All the new handhelds are nothing but "all new and revamped" versions of themselves, and that is why I have stuck with my DS Lite and my PSP 2000, and have no intention of buying any other "remake" of a handheld that was just fine as it was. The only thing that I would buy would be a real "next" handheld, so for instance, PSP would have two analog sticks and maybe a touch screen, and smaller UMDs, not just digital, although the PSN store would still be used, and for DS one screen, same control layout and better graphics.
Anybody with me?
I also don't understand the difference between the PSP 2-3000, I'm probably just going to go look it up on the internet but I thought I'd let people know about my ignorance before that....