DS Lite Enjoys Low-Key UK Launch

The launch of the DS Lite in Europe last Friday was seen to have a notable, if not overwhelming, effect on the recent UK software charts, and new data reveals that hardware sales have been relatively subdued. According to data from UK sales chart compiler Chart-Track, the newly redesigned console sold 35,000 units in its opening weekend, 40 percent below the opening of the original Nintendo DS in the UK. Weekend sales offered several hurdles for Nintendo UK, though, including a vital England World Cup soccer match during good weather, and the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on the PlayStation 2. Perhaps most importantly, though, the DS Lite did not launch alongside any new software, with New Super Mario Bros. not due for release until June 30th. Interestingly, Chart-Track indicates that the launch of the new hardware had no effect on either the PSP (whose sales were noticeably up on the previous week, in part due to the launch of LocoRoco) or the original Nintendo DS hardware. Indeed, sales of the pink version of the hardware bundled with Nintendogs: Dachshund & Friends made up half of the original Nintendo DS’s sales, presumably being targeted particularly to a female audience. Nintendo UK will therefore be pleased to find that the Nintendo of Japan website is already advertising a “Noble Pink” coloured DS Lite console. Sales of the existing two white and black versions of the console were split almost exactly equally in the UK.