Original, ds, nintendo, only in japan, crazy, ds lites, insane, japan, us

Japan Still Re-importing US DS Lites. (Yes, STILL.)

US%20DSLite%282%29.jpg

A while back, Japan's DS craze red lined, and it got so bad that American DSes were re-imported from America to satisfy the demand. Things quieted off, or so we thought. But even recently, consumers still line-up for DS Lites, and stores, it seems, are too! Writes Kotakuite Scott from Nagasaki:

I was just shopping at my local Yuuing (it's like Tsutaya, books, DVDs, CDs, and games) where they haven't had DS Lites for months now. When they do expect a shipment, maybe once a month or so, they place up posters to let customers know when the sales go down. But, when I went in tonight, they had about 8 units on the shelves. A closer look revealed they are not Japanese versions, but the US and Asia versions (okay, it wasn't a closer look, the big American flags were a give away).
I snapped two photos with my miserable cell phone camera of the poster in the store. You might not be able to read the small text but the general gist is there: American and Asian DS Lites, 19,800 yen (3000 more than the Japanese version), and they cannot be sold back used like most other gaming hardware and software at this store.

Tip for Nintendo, Co. Ltd., how about saving more Lites for the domestic market? Just a thought... Brian Ashcraft

6:40 AM on Mon Feb 12 2007
By Brian Ashcraft
350 views
20 comments

Comments

Big_Jock at 06:51 AM on 02/12/07
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This is crazy and sweet!
Jesse in Japan at 06:59 AM on 02/12/07
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They're all manufactured in China anyway.
bugbread at 07:24 AM on 02/12/07
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The video game store near my house is taking orders for new DS Lites, with signs indicating that if you place an order, you'll get your DS Lite in 2 or 3 months.
kiseki at 07:53 AM on 02/12/07
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Considering DS Lites are now selling out in many parts of the US (certainly in my area), it's probably better for them NOT to divert it back to Japan since their lead in the US is not nearly as big as it is in Japan and it's better for them to strike it while they still can.
Furu at 07:54 AM on 02/12/07
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Maybe there short in bigger cities. Closer to my home they have DS Lites readily available. In three different colours.
Matt B at 08:31 AM on 02/12/07
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all of the colors of the DS are in stock at my local retailers (WM, BB, CC, GS, EB) and the bigger retailers have at least a dozen in each color. shoot, I just walked into walmart saturday and bought a black one...
CrimemasterGogo at 08:43 AM on 02/12/07
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Woah the Ds demand is suprising.
keleidogamer at 08:55 AM on 02/12/07
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Where I live they have been sold out for what seems like months... Every shop in town!
Astrofox at 08:59 AM on 02/12/07
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Wow, the DS is amazing... no-one, including myself, could have forseen this success...

With it becoming the unofficial home of RPGs I'm going to have to buy one.
Karttikeya at 10:25 AM on 02/12/07
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I don't get it. I got a DSL and 20+ games. But it's not worth playing at all with consoles around.
Karttikeya at 10:26 AM on 02/12/07
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Oh, and I wouldn't call it the unoffical home of RPG's. PC's still get a majority of the Western RPG's, and PlayStation consoles still get a majority of the Turn-based/JRPG's.
char at 11:36 AM on 02/12/07
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So is nintendo just doing poor forecasting, have poor manufacturing abilities, or trying to maintain hype for the machine by limiting supplies?

In any of the scenario's, it's bullshit, and the consumer is bearing the brunt of it.
Vexorg at 11:51 AM on 02/12/07
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Around here, you can find DS Lites, but it does take some searching to find a place that has them in stock. As for supply, they're selling 150,000 of the things a week in Japan, so I'd hardly call it "limiting supply".
internetnerd at 12:08 PM on 02/12/07
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Sweet, does anyone know where I can place an order to import one of these back to the US?
Mansteak at 12:23 PM on 02/12/07
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char hasn't been paying attention to the sales numbers for the DS. If Nintendo ramped up production to meet demand like that, they're going to have an extra processing plant after global DS Saturation reaches a 1:1 ratio. (Or, in Japan, a 2:1 DS/person ratio.) Nintendo doesn't need to hype this thing by limiting production.

As for having poor forecasting or production abilities, at what point do you stop expanding production? They're already pumping millions out monthly - would jillions be preferable? That sounds like a bad idea, from a company standpoint.
h8GWB at 01:31 PM on 02/12/07
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Stupid Nintendo, for failing to meet demand for their systems.
They should take a clue from Sony and ruin their products, so they can supply enough of them.

So I guess "It Prints Money" GIF is getting tired, huh?
Wernstar at 04:22 PM on 02/12/07
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Wait, so there are DS lites in the U.S? I haven't seen any since a few weeks before Xmas- in the stores in my area at least.
PrestoMovie at 05:55 PM on 02/12/07
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I live in orange county in california, and they've been sold out everywhere for a while now. i had a black one and exchanged it for a white one last sunday at my circuit city, andi think they just got more this sunday.

i was a walmart the other day, and they had 11 ds lites.

they were all pink.
PrestoMovie at 05:57 PM on 02/12/07
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" how about saving more Lites for the domestic market? Just a thought... "

those were my thoughts for the 360 lanuch last year.

but i guess the ds is still very popular in most places.
Furu at 09:23 AM on 02/13/07
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"Maybe there short in bigger cities. Closer to my home they have DS Lites readily available. In three different colours."

I forgot to mention here in Japan and I live near Osaka.