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DS Claims EU Dominance

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the winning-the-war dept.

Gamasutra reports that, at least in the EU, the Nintendo DS has the portable war pretty much locked up for the time being. 200,000 units of the DS Lite were sold in the ten days after its launch. From the article: "According to Nintendo of Europe, the Nintendo DS has now secured the lead in the handheld market in Europe, with sales of the format exceeding 5 million. No sales figures from Sony are available to compare directly, with only a "shipped" figure of almost 6 million for all territories bar North America and Japan." Interestingly, 136,500 units were sold in the United States in just the first two days after the handheld console's launch.

16 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm... by another_fanboy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Didn't Sony claimed the PSP would destroy the DS? I wonder if this is a sign of their upcoming ill fate...

    1. Re:Hmm... by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nintendo is to the gaming world what Apple is to the computer world. Always seen as the "underdog" even though they're profitable, have excellent products, and really innovate.

    2. Re:Hmm... by Macthorpe · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well my brother has a cousin who's dad knows this guy who lives with a girl who goes out with another girl who occasionally goes into a games shop to a drink from the machine, and SHE said that SONY IS BUYING NINTENDO!?!??!!?

      In other words, no.

      --
      "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." - Tolkien
    3. Re:Hmm... by oahazmatt · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I wouldn't say it's so much of a sign of an ill fate for Sony so much as it appears to be poor planning.

      Firstly, there is a difference in the two portable units, which is emphasized in the advertising campaigns. The Nintendo DS is a portable gaming system, whereas Sony has been marketing the PSP as a portable multi-media system in hopes of capturing a wider demographic.

      Secondly, there is the content available for either device. Nintendo has many titles available for the DS, most of them exclusive to the device if not just the brand. Sony has a number of titles available for the PSP, but not so many original concepts or exclusive to the PSP alone. For instance, "Liberty City Stories" has just been released for the PS2. For those who may have been contemplating purchasing a PSP simply to play the exclusive PSP version of Grand Theft Auto now have more options, including to having to purchase a PSP to play the game.

      Thirdly, there is a certain out-of-the-box quality that should be expected from a portable device. Every PSP owner I have encountered has taken the time to show me the capabilities of the device. Not once was the focus of the PSP it's own line of games, but other games it could play. PSP owners would show me the vast library of NES and MAME titles they had installed. However, when I asked if that was available out of the box, I was informed that it took some work to get the resulted library.
      Not that I would think it would not take work, but if the existing game library (import titles or no) is not the focus for the device owner, there is a good chance that the device will not succeed.

      I see the PSP hanging around for a bit, yet. There is still a chance for a comeback. It is an interesting machine, I have no doubt about that. It simply needs a steady line of original titles that are something more than what has already been seen on the device.

      --
      Those who believe the Internet is private,
      find their privates are on the Internet.
    4. Re:Hmm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Working the electronics counter at Wal-Mart doesn't give you the inside scoop on news like that.

    5. Re:Hmm... by MemoryDragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You bring it to the point, the only really interesting thing on the PSP is homebrew stuff and Sony tries to prevent these things to happen by enforcing firmware updates for newer games. So every psp owner has to face the fact, either homebrew or commercial games, now many of those buyers simply stick with homebrew, which means a sure loss for sony, because it cannot sell newer games to this demographic. Only two things have prevented those people to switch to the DS which is way friendlier with homebrew (as of now only a plugin module on the top and an sd adapter on the bottom is needed), those two missing things are a snes emulator which works well and a mame port. Once this is done, you can say goodbye to the PSP as preferred homebrew choice. Sony with its own stupidity of shooting itself into the foot will take care of the rest.

  2. DS Rul3z by Pablo+El+Vagabundo · · Score: 5, Funny


    I have to say I'm impressed with the DS. It is the first portable console I have ever gotten and I am playing metroid constantly.

    I've always had a bit of a nintendo bias, but these days I'm nearly becoming a fanboy. Something has really changed at the company. They seem to be making all the right moves.

    They must all be playing brain training all the time. Their brains are way younger than those Sony execs...

    Pablo

  3. That's what happens when you actually have games by Orange+Goblin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    PSP looks nice and all, but they missed out the "gaming" part...

  4. UK by BenjyD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The DS even seems to be winning in the UK (source), where Nintendo has never done as well as on mainland Europe. It's been interesting watching the size of the DS section in shops grow, mostly at the expense of UMDs.

    1. Re:UK by Dasaan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I noticed this myself just this weekend when I went to buy Brain Training for my DS. I've also noticed that a few shops are starting to move their DS section towards the front of the shop where originally they were trying to pimp the PSP.

      --
      XP is basicly 98 with a lot more extra features to hunt down and disable. --Dram
  5. Bo knows gaming by spyrochaete · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have to say that I'm impressed in general with video game consumers. The most successful products are the consoles that treat their customers right. PS2 creamed the other consoles of its generation due to great games, an outstanding gamepad, an out-of-the-box DVD movie player, a low price, and backward compatibility. Even though the PS2 has the crappiest hardware of the 3 consoles it's still far and away the best seller.

    It's especially fascinating to see Nintendo out-Sony Sony! The DS has great games with tiny load times, innovative display and control schemes, a low price, and backward compatibility. It's the big seller by an enormous margin even though the graphics pale in comparison to the very pretty PSP, which has loads of (severely locked-down) additional features, but I think people are much more comfortable carrying a clamshell portable game system than a scratch-prone beauty queen.

    There are so many markets where the biggest names get the biggest sales, regardless of quality (fear not, I won't start my iPod rant). However, in the gaming world I feel fairly safe going with the crowd.

    Big kudos to Nintendo for the DS. They've earned all the fanfare.

    1. Re:Bo knows gaming by vga_init · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I would like to add to your comment that I have noticed the gaming industry is one of the most heavily-scrutinized industries by its consumers. This is a good thing.

      To give you an idea of what I'm talk about, think about the automotive industry for a moment. It's a huge industry, and it's got a wide group of consumers, each of whom have their own understandings about the machine and those who make and sell them. Most people know very little about the real functionality and merit of the vehicles themselves, but usually make their purchasing decisions based on price (some people want shiny, expensive, things) and product loyalty. Honestly, how many people do you know are familiar not only with autos themselves, but understand the dynamics of the industry as a whole (including politics, alignment, strategies, past products, current products, future products) and can speculate the significance of each morsel? It amazes me to sit and watch a bunch of people my age (youngsters--20 and under) sit and analyze the video game industry. Some people are on a first name basis with numerous individuals in the industry, from business men to engineers!

      I've seen people do this to sports and music, and I guess it's natural with video games because it is also a great form of entertainment and treasured pastime. It's too bad people can't be this concerned about politics. :)

  6. Region-free=good by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In other regionally-divided platforms, the European gamers often seem to get a raw deal, waiting ridiculous amounts of time for their version of things to be released. I think the fact that DS is region-free really helped cement them a top position in a market that's tired of waiting for stuff to find its way over there.

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:Region-free=good by nutshell42 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      I think the fact that DS is region-free really helped cement them a top position in a market that's tired of waiting for stuff to find its way over there.

      The only real competitor of the DS is the PSP which is region-free, too (well, for games, but the DS is no movie player). So I really don't see how that would make a difference; I doubt many people replace their PS2/GCN/Xbox with a handheld because it's region-free.

      The first real test to your theory will be the next-gen consoles because the PS3 is region-free (well, for games...) while the 360 isn't; iirc the Wii will be region-free, too, but I'm not sure.

      --
      Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
  7. Re:Kill Whitey by iainl · · Score: 3, Interesting

    On the other hand, my white PSP doesn't show nearly as many marks as my brother's black one. His black DS Lite is a fingerprint magnet, too. So you may well be just fine, and indeed better off with a while Lite.

    --
    "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
  8. Re:DS in US by Transplant · · Score: 4, Interesting
    ...usually its 5 minutes here and there but thats whats great about the DS, for those without hours of time to dedicate to gaming there is plenty to offer.
    The one DS feature which I rarely see mentioned (but lends itself to the "5 minute" gaming crowd like you or me) is the automatic pause and low-power mode that occurs when you close the clamshell. It makes it so much easier to get through an otherwise epic game when you know you can just close the clamshell and come back to it 24 hours later without worrying about the battery being drained.