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European DS Launch and Titles Announced
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."
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.