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DS Pre-Orders Stopped as Sales Soar

Posted by Zonk on from the nintendo-must-be-weeping-right-now dept.

GamesIndustry.biz has the story that major retailers Gamestop and EBGames are likely going to stop DS Preorders because they're coming so fast that they won't be able to meet demand when the system launches. From the article: "It appears that six games will be available on day one - Nintendo's Super Mario 64 DS, Sega's Feel The Magic XY/XX, Activision's Spider-Man 2, Ubisoft's Asphalt Urban GT and two from EA - Madden NFL 2005 and The Urbz: Sims in the City." Gamespot also has details on the handheld shortage.

9 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Sony must be shaking in their boots... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The PSP has been riddled with plausible problems since its inception - a high cost to manufacture, attempting to reach out to a market that's not there (not many older people aside from the hardcore gamers play handheld systems), and low battery life. Now, customers have spoken and they want the DS... I don't think there's much room in the marketplace for both systems, maybe Sony should hold off on the PSP till it becomes a bit more plausible and cost-efficient to develop.

    1. Re:Sony must be shaking in their boots... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I play games in the comfort of my own home. Given the choice between a handheld or a console, I'll use a console, because I can get more out of it. Outside my home, I don't play games. When I was younger, I used to, but I wasn't the one driving the car then, so it was a good way to keep me occupied. My point is, kids play portable systems because they can. Adults don't typically have the same opportunities. I'd imagine even people that use public transportation would be too self-conscious to play a game.

      What do you have up your sleeve to support your claim?

    2. Re:Sony must be shaking in their boots... by Kirby-meister · · Score: 2, Insightful
      All I know is that my SP and Tetris cartridge save my sanity on the 7 hour flights I take.

      And I'm in the "18-24" demographic of game players.

    3. Re:Sony must be shaking in their boots... by Babbster · · Score: 2, Insightful
      First off, if profit is the question then Nintendo is the answer in that every one of their consoles has been profitable and, therefore, a success. Despite "losing" to the Playstation, the N64 made a nice chunk of change for the company.

      Second, if you don't think the PSP is heading for problems, you don't know what you're talking about. A game that uses the full capabilities of the system will, by SONY'S OWN ADMISSION, cause the battery life to drop to around two hours (and if Sony is saying two hours, don't be surprised if it's more like 90 minutes in the real world). Battery life has been the bugaboo for portable game consoles forever, and is the most commonly cited reason for the success of the Gameboy despite the fact that it was technically inferior to such handhelds as the Sega Gamegear (I loved it but returned it when, within the first day of not nearly continuous use, I burned through two sets of batteries) and the Atari Lynx.

      I'm a video game fan. I have my PS2, Gamecube and Xbox, along with several Gameboy variants. I'm a gadget freak as well (ReplayTV early adopter, HDTV in the livering room, etc.). Despite all this, I've already written off the PSP until their supposed revision with improved battery life comes out. I'm not going to carry around spare batteries (I wouldn't buy spares at Sony prices in any case) and I'm not going to carry two handhelds at a time just because I know the PSP is going to fail before I get home. Using it at home tethered to AC is just one of those things that annoys me (it's bad enough that wireless controllers still aren't standard in home video game consoles).

      I'm sure the PSP will sell plenty well on the strength of the PS/PS2 and the games that will be coming out for it (Gran Turismo could be a lot of fun on that portable and I love the Hot Shots Golf series). But, amongst people who keep up with these things, Sony's already lost potential buyers of the launch version due to the battery issue alone.

  2. With Nintendo... by poofyhairguy82 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    When it comes to Nintendo, you have to wonder- is this shortage on purpose?

    Some might blow off this question. Why would a company create a shortage when the other option is to sell more product? Simple answer- it creates consumer excitement. The N64 definatly benefited over its lifespan from having an initial shortage, the free advertisement from news outlets interested in parents fighting over a video game machine probably boosted the longterm sales of N64 by a few million systems (and they needed it- that was their weakest console system to date). Nintento knows that it has to survive not only this Christmas, but the next two or three as well with the same hardware. Next year when there isn't a shortage all that free advertising from the shortage will pay off.

    I think that Nintendo is trying to do it in the U.S. at this point (will Japan have a shortage too?). The only reason to avoid the shortage was if they were newcomers in the biz and they needed the numbers from Christmas to pick up developers. But since Nintendo is assumed to always win in that market, they already have developers lined out the door.

    Its a win win situation for them. The only losers are gamers who didn't preorder in time (shame on you!).

    --

    Open Source Sushi

  3. Re:Smart marketing? by PornMaster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What makes you think it's a marketing campaign?

    Every product meets up with delays in getting it to market, particularly technically complex products... if you allow more pre-orders than you can full, then - particularly in litigous societies - aren't you opening yourself up for allegations and possibly lawsuits of misrepresentation or fraud?

    Hell hath no fury like a mother who's pissed off that the toy she already paid for won't be available until after Christmas.

    --
    500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
  4. I Still Don't Get It! by blueZhift · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I like new hardware as much as the next guy, but I still don't see what the killer app of the second screen is/will be! Project Rub sounds interesting in a salacious sort of way, but no way is that title coming to the U.S.! In the short run, it seems that the DS will be a more expensive way to run your SP games. Right now I'd say that the wireless connectivity offers more compelling gameplay possibilities than the second display.

    The only other issue I'll raise is the potential awkwardness of games that use a stylus. How are you supposed to operate the D pad while scribbling with the stylus? Maybe this is a dumb question, but I just don't see it yet. You can put it down on a table top, but it really looks like it was designed to be held with both hands.

    --
    To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
  5. Re:Err.. by scot4875 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Reading a newsticker from games.slashdot.com and not knowing what the DS is is like watching ESPN's scoreboard and not knowing what sport the 'NHL' section is for.

    If you are ignorant of the domain of discourse, it's your job to educate yourself. News tickers are supposed to be short and to the point.

    --Jeremy

    --
    Jesus was a liberal
  6. Re:Err.. by ManxStef · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Funnily enough, I got mine through the main Slashdot RSS feed so there was no indication of any shape or form that it was under "games". Precisely:

    DS Pre-Orders Stopped as Sales Soar -- Zonk -- 6.45pm

    As you can see, that doesn't give you any clue what it's about, and besides, even if it *was* under the games section there's a fair contingency of single-platform gamers (e.g. PC-only) who wouldn't know what a DS is. Visiting the Slashdot "summary" post should then clarify it is, but it doesn't. (Though now one of the mods has appended the word "handheld" at the end, and it's in the Nintendo topic so it's not too hard to grasp.)

    Still, the complaints are somewhat valid, the moderators overly harsh, and the followup posters somewhat arrogant. Typical Slashdot, then :)