Nintendo DS Passes 100 Million Mark

The Nintendo DS has officially sold 100,000,000 times. The feat, which Nintendo estimates must have occurred somewhere around March 6 puts the DS in an elite league with just four other systems.

The milestone lands the ubiquitous DS, which features two tiny screens and a handy little stylus with touch screen capabilities, in the same ballpark as previous handheld champion, the Game Boy (including the Game Boy Color). Also in the plus-100 million club are two Sony systems, including the very popular PlayStation 1 and its heir, the PlayStation 2. (Source: gamasutra.com)

That 'other' Nintendo system

For those of us who pay attention to the video game industry, it seems that everyone is always talking about Nintendo's other system, the Wii. Granted, it misses out on huge releases (no Street Fighter IV, no Killzone 2, no Resident Evil 5), but it still maintains huge sales leads over Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's powerful PlayStation 3.

Not so media-friendly is the DS, which -- probably because of its comparably dated graphics -- is often forgotten by hardcore gamers who want the newest, brightest, and most technologically-advanced games available.

However, as the Wii has finely demonstrated, not all gamers need or want the best resolutions or the goriest cut-scenes. Many simply ask for accessible, fun, and colorful games that can keep one busy on the long bus ride home.

Enter the DS, which over the course of four years (launch date: November 2004) has accumulated 83 very fun little games. Most are re-hashes of old Nintendo favorites, including a "New" Super Mario Bros., a re-launched version of Super Mario 64, and updated Mario Kart, and old Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) favorite, Castlevania.

Simple, but new gameplay makes DS a winner

However, the DS isn't just churning out the same old stuff; like the Wii's motion sensitive gameplay, the DS uses touchscreen technology to completely change the experience of those old stand-bys. (Source: tgdaily.com)

In a statement, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime expressed gratitude to the legions of gamers who have purchased the company's tiny handheld. "We are grateful that people of all ages continue to respond to our products," said Fils-Aime, "and we will continue to look for ways to please current gamers and create new ones."

New Nintendo DSi to Ship Next Month

For those of you who haven't yet taken the plunge into Nintendo handheld gaming, it's worth noting than an entirely new version of the DS, the DSi, is set to ship in North America next month. The DSi, unlike its predecessor, will include a tiny 0.3 megapixel camera, music playback functionality, and a slimmer frame. (Source: joystiq.com)