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European DS Launch and Titles Announced

Posted by Zonk on from the two-screening-it-in-the-old-country dept.

GamesIndustry.biz has the news that the Nintendo DS has been slated for a March 11th launch in Europe. The launch will carry 15 different titles, and the handheld will be bundled with the Metroid Prime: Hunters demo, as it was in the states. Australian gamers have something to be happy about as well. From the article: "The £99 price point is around the expected mark. Interestingly, Australian fans will pay the equivalent of around £90 for theirs, and although exchange rate fluctuations are believed to be behind that slightly more flattering figure, they can hardly be blamed for the unusual sight of Nintendo hardware making it onto store shelves down under before it does so here; Aussie gamers will be able to pick up a DS from 24th February onward."

21 comments

  1. They'll have 15 Titles? by pnice · · Score: 2, Interesting

    At first I was bummed because it doesn't seem like we have many titles out in the US yet...but after looking at release dates we should have closer to 20/21 by that time. I'm glad some software is starting to hit the shelves

    --
    My Xbox Live Gamer Card
    1. Re:They'll have 15 Titles? by SithMage · · Score: 1

      Most of the games for the DS we have in america are dull and not interesting. Wario Ware is a good game though. They are sure to release many interesting and fun games or else they will flop due to the PSP with seems to be much better and cost less.

      --
      Smart is a state of mind. I'm a genius.
    2. Re:They'll have 15 Titles? by Zenikase · · Score: 0

      All we've gotten so far is yet another port of an old Mario platformer and yet another port of Wario Ware with added DS-focused minigames. And it's already been over two months!

      Man, it used to be that when a company released a new system, at least one killer app at launch was mandatory or else it was doomed to failure. How sad it is now.

    3. Re:They'll have 15 Titles? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is true, but only for systems like the N-Gage where there would only be 5 or 6 game at launch (like the DS). You have to realize that there are thousands of games for the gameboy advance which can be used by the DS hardware. This is the only reason why the DS hasn't flopped like the N-Gage.

      Be that as it may... I'm starting to get anxious for more DS games myself.

  2. Again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    With the screwing of europe.

    1. Re:Again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Please suggest fixes. I dare you.

      Europe is very fickle (not unimportant, just hard to sell stuff to). In order to launch properly in Europe, you have to prepare your product for multiple languages (at least five) and localize (sanitizing cultural references) against many, many cultures. For full-size consoles, you also have to consider and work around the different TV color standards starting all the way at the bottom (console design, tested power supply and outlet differences, and cable type for hardware - the rest of the world doesn't use European-format SCART, for example; and game screen formatting and framerate for software). And then, there's the packaging and advertising....

      Spending that amount of time and money before launching a new product anywhere is stupid. You may feel slighted and marginalized as a European, but to tell the truth, it is easier for companies to release in Japan and North America first, and it makes monetary sense. The Japanese tend to make games that suit their own culture perfectly, so that's not even an issue when launching in their own country. For English-speaking North America, there are entire industires built around localizing for U.S. and Canadian tastes, and the American-produced games industry is also huge. Both the U.S. and Japan use the NTSC color standard @ 60 Hz, and both Japanese and American A/V equipment tends to use the same cable interfaces, with only the occasional difference. Power differences are minimal between the two regions (Japan uses 100 V, U.S. uses 110 V - equipment suited for one region is generally considered safe to use in the other), and the plugs are identical.

      Really, these two regions are huge markets on their own. In order to serve Europe and Australia (considered to be one market), there is so much additional work to be done that you Europeans never really seem to consider before whining. And that's just to create one "market" that rivals either Japan or English-speaking North America. You're not being screwed. You're being as served as well as is possible, considering the varied cultural consistency of the population in your region. And to top it off, here's some news that you might not like: Whenever products are not released in Europe at all, it's because the branch offices that are operated in your own region do not think they would be profitable there. Think about that the next time you whine to the Japanese and the Americans. They get it first because it helps minimize shortages and other growing pains.

      (Yes, I realize that the color standard differences have nothing to do with the DS, but surely you've become jaded at least partially because of that issue in the past. What the DS does have to be careful about in Europe is the power differences, the cultural appropriateness and localization of its launch titles, etc.)

    2. Re:Again... by hinki · · Score: 1

      Um I bought the DS from the US. There is no power problem.
      I just plug in my Gameboy SP adapter to charge it.

      Games? I've noticed that most games that come to Australia have been localized in the US (just changed to support PAL). There are a few games that we get from Europe (not as much).

      Call me a whiner, but I don't see why we can't get it at least within a month of Japan/US, especially when most games are already localized to US standards (hmmm a misnomer there...)

      For a portable, these should be minor issues (for a console, I understand, there's more to do). The DS already supports multiple languages!

      --
      As science struggles on to try to explain.
      Oxytoxins flowing ever in to my brain.
    3. Re:Again... by rmccann · · Score: 1

      It's a shame. Here in Ireland we have the second highest percentage of PlayStatiosn after Japan. We likes our games!

    4. Re:Again... by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      For the sake of Australia/New Zealand. Trust me, they get screwed far more often and in far worse ways than do Europe when it comes to games. They get Europe's leftovers just as Europe gets ours.

      And I have no idea where South/Latin America comes into all this...

    5. Re:Again... by SetupWeasel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      This is probably why you guys are getting the DS earlier than Europe. This is the first time the US has gotten a Nintendo console launch before Japan. The only reason I believe they didn't release it down under at the same time is that they didn't want to spread the units too thin, and they wanted to have a few more titles ready for you. Usually the US doesn't get a new console until a half-year after a Japanese launch, so I think they are trying very hard to please everyone this time.

      The DS does have multiple languages in the firmware, but each game still has to be translated into about 5 languages before it can be launched in Europe. The DS won't do that for them.

    6. Re:Again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      This all sounds nice, but it's really utter, utter rubbish from start to finish.

      First of all, the language issue. This may seem hard for you to believe, but a huge proportion of European games do not get any kind of additional translation work. Moreover, this is not seen as a bad thing. I've spoken to numerous French and German gamers who are annoyed when they are given a release specific to their own language and will import a version from the UK. The reason for this is quite simple... most translations of games into French and German are pretty hideous. The translations of the text are bad enough, but translated voice-overs are even worse. A significant proportion of "Western" anime fans prefer to watch anime in the original Japanese, with subtitles, even though they don't understand Japanese. The main reason for this is that Japan's active culture of radio-drama and other voice-only entertainment means that Japan has a pool of talented voice actors to draw upon, who can convey subtleties that your average American voice actor, who's probably never done anything more taxing than a bit of shouting for Saturday morning cartoons, can't even come close to. The vast majority of European-language voice actors, at least, of those who are used in games, tend to be worse than the English-language voice actors by a similar degree. Moreover, the vast majority of Europeans speak English to a level that renders sub-titling unnecessary.

      Hell, one perfectly reasonable solution is to bring out an English-language only release across Europe at the same time as the US release, then come out with a region-specific version at a later date, giving customers the option. This has been happening for some titles in the PC market for years.

      Cultural preferences is also a bunk argument. Games suited for the "Japanese" culture sell perfectly well in Europe... hell, Disgaea sold far more copies in Europe than in the States, last time I checked. At least, they sell perfectly well when they actually get released.

      The technical arguments have been dealt with perfectly well by other responses, so I'll leave those alone.

      If supply and shortages are an issue, let's see the US volunteer to miss out on a few early releases.

      Basically, what your ill-tempered moan really boils down to is the fact that you are clearly a hideous Nintendo fanboy and will defend their decisions to the last breath. Nintendo could announce that their next console would be crafted from the skulls of orphaned babies and that all profits would be donated to the RIAA and you would still makes posts explaining why this was the right thing to do. Nintendo is the only one of the major console companies who still habitually shafts Europe. Most US PS2 titles make it over here in a reasonably timely manner these days. With the exception of the KOTOR games (which do seem to get held up a while), most X-Box games are either simultaneous world-wide release or so close to it that it doesn't really matter. Meanwhile, the UK is still waiting for Zelda: Four Swords, is getting screwed on the DS release date and pricing and has little-to-no hope of seeing a lot of the non-A-list Cube titles. The only real reason for this is that Nintendo have lost any semblance of clue they once possessed and are seemingly determined to drive their business into the ground. The revised profit forecasts issues yesterday are only the first taste of what's to come.

    7. Re:Again... by Jedyte · · Score: 1

      When a game is localised it usually gets translated into French, German and Spanish. Well, Europe has more than 4 countries (counting the English version). There has been exactly one game that has been translated in my mother tongue, but I don't mind playing the English version. Actually that's how I learned English when I was young.

      Furthermore, I absolutely hate removal of cultural references because we may not understand them. How are supposed to learn and understand other cultures if everything gets converted into your own?

      The only result of all this is that we have next to no RPG's and other genres viewed as "different" on our consoles here.

    8. Re:Again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "This all sounds nice, but it's really utter, utter rubbish from start to finish."

      Well, the great and amazing "you" said it, so it must be true.

      "First of all, the language issue."

      Stop right there. As a long-time member of a very old anime fansubbing group (we're talking going back to the days of using Amigas to sync subs of laserdiscs recorded to SVHS), I don't need clarification of the state of piss-poor subbed and dubbed translations at the professional level. And I am well aware of the horrible state of both English and non-English translated voice acting compared to original Japanese. I have first-hand experience with the financial reasons of this as well, which is hardly something I'd expect you to have. These are things we agree on, not points of contention. I did not even mention this!

      But your whole point distills to the claim that Europeans would like to have half-assed translations sooner than quality products released later. Excuse me for dissenting with that opinion. Witness:

      "Hell, one perfectly reasonable solution is to bring out an English-language only release across Europe at the same time as the US release, then come out with a region-specific version at a later date, giving customers the option. This has been happening for some titles in the PC market for years."

      That costs money, friend. And like I mentioned in my previous post, it is money that your local region's office would be fronting. Whine to them.

      "Cultural preferences is also a bunk argument. Games suited for the "Japanese" culture sell perfectly well in Europe... hell, Disgaea sold far more copies in Europe than in the States, last time I checked. At least, they sell perfectly well when they actually get released."

      You and I both believe that to be the case with our own preferences. But do the corpos know that? Again, you introduce a poit of contention where there is none. My post was a statement of fact, that the corpos will knowingly localize games in order to sell better in whatever regions to which they are marketing. At the very least, they take into consideration the decision to do this before yaying or naying it.

      "The technical arguments have been dealt with perfectly well by other responses, so I'll leave those alone."

      No. I pointed out technical reasons that were not addressed by a single response to my post. They're obvious, aren't they? I mean, they should be to you. My postscript that of course the DS doesn't have to deal with color standard issues should make that a little more evident.

      "If supply and shortages are an issue, let's see the US volunteer to miss out on a few early releases."

      We've had our share of that, albeit never voluntarily (quit playing fast and loose with important words). Remember a little country named Japan?

      Besides, I already pointed out why it makes sense to localize to the one region that Sony (for one) refers to as NTSC-U/C. The language is the same, with very similar spellings and pronunications, and the cultures are near identical. Packaging can be produced once in one language. Sales and pricing are child's play to track. (I find myself repeating myself thanks to your selective reading style.)

      "Basically, what your ill-tempered moan really boils down to is the fact that you are clearly a hideous Nintendo fanboy and will defend their decisions to the last breath."

      Whoa whoa whoa, who said anything about Nintendo? I own all of the consoles and enjoy playing Nintendo games, but this isn't just a Nintendo thing here. How much bias was required for you to read that into my statement, I wonder?

      "Nintendo could announce that their next console would be crafted from the skulls of orphaned babies and that all profits would be donated to the RIAA and you would still makes posts explaining why this was the right thing to do. Nintendo is the only one of the major console companies who still habitually shafts Europe. Most US PS2 titles make it over here in a r

  3. Different Prices by christopherfinke · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Maybe I'm just ignorant, but why do they charge different prices in different countries? They cost the same to make, and shipping can't be that much, right?

    1. Re:Different Prices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You'll sell a lot more at $99.99 than you would at $109.27.

    2. Re:Different Prices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Basically, different economies can support different prices. The same pricing policy might not work in different countries: in some places a high price will make people assume your product is a rip-off, in others a lower price might cause people to assume your product is poor quality. So you tailor your pricing and advertising for the local market in whatever country you're selling in.

      As it happens, the received wisdom is that prices should be a lot higher in the UK (and Australia) than in the USA - typically companies seem to convert the US dollar price 1:1 to GBP, then multiply by two to get Aussie dollars. That seems to be the psychological ideal at which people don't realise how badly they're being ripped off. ^^

      The above is limited and inaccurate information. Take an economics course if you want the real scoop.

    3. Re:Different Prices by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Informative

      VAT is one reason. Without VAT a DS would cost only 129.30 Euro here in Germany, where we have a relatively low VAT of 16%, 25% is said to be the average and would leave the price at 119.99 Euros, which equals 156 USD at the moment. Since I don't think they want to vary prices throughout the EU (except for the UK maybe) they pick one that gives them at least the same profits at all VATs.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  4. Tariffs? Distance? Asian Economy by Kentsusai · · Score: 2, Informative

    There may be tariffs which make the Euro one more expensive than the Aussie one.

    In addition, Europe is much further away from Japan than Australia is.

    Another thing you should keep in mind is that Australia's economy is a part of Asia. Hence, if Japan's Yen is stable, the Australian dollar is generally stable.

    1. Re:Tariffs? Distance? Asian Economy by AntipodeanJim · · Score: 1

      My guess would be something to do with the taxes, after all its only a £9 difference on a £90-odd price tag.
      GST/VAT in Australia is 10%, but in the EU it is between 15 and 25% (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT)

  5. 24th of February? by Erik+K.+Veland · · Score: 1

    I've saw the DS and many of its games on the shelves when I was out purchasing games for my PS2 and GameCube yesterday.

    --
    "I tend to think of OS X as Linux with QA and Taste", James Gosling, creator of Java
  6. Nintendo 'VIP' peeps.... by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 1

    Can get a UK DS now, with Mario64, WarioWare and Metroid Demos and a T-shirt, for 1000 stars and £129.99.

    I knew there was a reason for signing up for this VIP thing, I'm gonna try and flog a DS on eBay. L@@K RARE IN HAND!

    --
    10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
    20 GOTO 10