Concerns Raised In UK About Discontinuation of Original DS

Questions concerning the status of Nintendo,s original DS, possibly facing an early retirement, are beginning to surface as the new version of the unit (DS Lite) distances itself in sales from its predecessor. However, Nintendo UK has tried to quell these concerns by stating that the original DS will continue to be produced “as long as there is demand.” But in spite of these reassurances, there is no indication as to what Nintendo considers “demand.”A spokesman for Nintendo UK stated to GameIndustry that, "We’re still committed to the old DS as long as there’s demand. Don’t forget that the Pink and Blue DS units are only available in the old model, which account for a large percentage of our sales to girls. And like Japan we haven’t seen any drop off in sales of the old model in the run-up to the launch of DS Lite."Others in the retail game industry are not as positive. The price difference between the original DS and DS Lite is only about $20 in the UK. With such a negligible spread, most people will opt for the newer version. Don McCabe, a managing director for the large Chips chain store says, "With the old DS they’ll need to do campaigns to keep unit sales up – but it depends what they’ve got left in the [warehouses]. GBP 10 isn’t a great difference and I expect the vast majority to buy Lite."While the phasing out of the original DS may be inevitable, the resulting scarcity of the old DS may actually cause its value to increase as collectors and game fans seek to own the original version and its various special edition releases. So for the meantime, don,t throw away your Nintendogs DS edition just yet.