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DS Lite drops to $100, Mario DS games go red

by: Sean Colleli -
More On: DS Lite
Nintendo has finally dropped the MSRP of the venerable DS Lite down to $99.99. If you ask me it's about time too--with the releases of the DSi, DSi XL and finally the 3DS, the DS Lite has been running at $130 for far too long, just out of reach of the $100 impulse buy territory. To be honest I think $100 is still a little dear; 70 or 80 would make a lot more sense considering the age of the handheld and the number of upgrades we've seen since the DS Lite released five years ago.

That said the DS Lite is one of the best portable consoles in gaming history with a positively epic library. Nintendo realizes this and is re-branding six classic Mario games with red boxes, similar to the one they packed New Super Mario Bros in a couple years back. The DS Lite really is a spectacular handheld and a smart buy for gamers holding off on the 3DS. While the 3DS struggles with typical launch window jitters--poor battery life, mediocre launch lineup, a hefty price tag--the DS Lite is cheap, dependable and flush with awesome games across both the DS and Game Boy Advance libraries.

While you can play DS games on the 3DS, it stretches them out to fit the higher resolution and you can't play GBA games on it either, not to mention the DS Lite's battery life is legendary compared to the paltry five hours or so you get on the 3DS. The 3DS is certainly taking the mantle and I'm excited to see where it goes in the next few years, but for collectors and late-adopters, now is the time to buy a DS Lite. The 3DS hasn't quite ushered in the future yet, so while it's sorting itself out I think I'll pass the time with some Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Super Scribblenauts.

Nintendo DS Lite Suggested Retail Price Drops to $99.99 and Mario Games Go Red

Mario-Red Boxes Will Help Shoppers Identify Select Fan-Favorite Mario Games

NOTE: Multimedia available here

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The portable Nintendo DS™ Lite system is getting a new suggested retail price. Effective June 5, the system will be available at a suggested retail price of just $99.99 in the United States. The Nintendo DS family has become the best-selling video game system in history. More than 48.9 million systems in the Nintendo DS family have sold in the United States alone. Also in June, six Mario™ games for Nintendo DS will receive new red packaging, making it easier than ever for consumers to identify these hit titles in stores.

“From the moment it launched, Nintendo DS Lite hit a sweet spot for consumers in terms of value, experience and fun,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “This new price point will introduce Nintendo DS Lite to even more consumers, and the new red packaging will make it easy for them to find their favorite Mario titles.”

The six Mario games that will begin sporting the new Mario-red packaging in June are New Super Mario Bros.™, Mario Kart™ DS, Super Mario 64™ DS, Mario & Luigi™: Bowser’s Inside Story, Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Mini-Land Mayhem! and Mario Party™ DS. These games represent some of the best-selling fan-favorite Nintendo DS games of all time, and demonstrate the well-known “evergreen” sales trend of Nintendo games. Their total U.S. sales through the end of April 2011 according to the NPD Group are as follows:

New Super Mario Bros.: more than 9.25 million units
Mario Kart DS: more than 7.40 million units
Super Mario 64 DS: more than 4.34 million units
Mario Party DS: more than 3.27 million units
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story: more than 1.98 million units
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!: more than 1.01 million units

Mario is one of the most beloved video game characters and the top video game franchise of all time. Thirty-one Mario games have topped sales of more than 1 million units since 1995, more than any other franchise. Through the end of March 2011, more than 262 million games in the core Super Mario™ series have sold worldwide.

For more information about Nintendo DS Lite, visit http://www.nintendo.com/ds.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.