DS reaches milestones in Japan...quickly

[Jonbo298]

December 26, 2005 - The DS has been in the number one spot on the Media Create Japanese sales charts throughout the better part of 2005, beating all other hardware, including the PSP and the PS2. There was no doubt that Nintendo's third pillar was a success across the Pacific, but today Nintendo made it clear: the DS isn't just a success in Japan, its a phenomenon.

At a press conference held today in Tokyo (Japan's real year end break begins later this week), Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that the DS has topped sales of 5,000,000 units in Japan. This figure is for actual sales, and not shipped units.

Iwata states that the DS now holds the record for the fastest system ever to reach five million units sold in Japan. Although we don't have the data to check up on this statement, given that the DS managed to sell nearly half a million units last week alone, we'll take his word for it. By comparison, Nintendo states that Game Boy Advance took 14 months to reach the figure while the PlayStation 2 took 17 months.

The DS has also seen strong sales of software, with Iwata announcing that four games have already crossed the million shipped mark. The surprise adult-oriented hit Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training (Train Your Brain in the US) has shipped 1.38 million units to retail, trailed slightly by the Japanese version of Animal Crossing, Oideyo Doubutsu no Mori, which has shipped 1.27 million units in about a month's time. Both Nintendogs and another adult-oriented game, Yawaraka Atama Juku (Brain Flex in the US), have shipped 1.08 million units.

Nintendo didn't just hold this press conference to boast about sales, though. The company has some big plans for the DS in the near future, including a follow up to Otona no DS Training. Already announced for release on 12/29, Motto Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training will be backed with a big television advertising campaign featuring one of Japan's most well-known (and hottest!) celebrities, Nanako Matsushima. Matsushima appeared at the press conference and revealed that she used to played games quite a bit, citing hours of Game & Watch play back in the days (didn't know you were so old, Nana-chan!).

I didnt know til now just how well the DS is selling in Japan. I knew it was doing well but I never imagined it was doing THAT well

http://ds.ign.com/articles/678/678205p1.html

[Dyne]

And it's still got punches. I'm sure the new Mario Brothers game is going to push a bunch of units.

I just knew it would do well after playing Animal Crossing. And Nintendogs has done well too.

This is all considering Pokemon hasn't hit yet. THAT's when the bomb drops.

[Dark Samurai]

Originally Posted by Dyne

And it's still got punches. I'm sure the new Mario Brothers game is going to push a bunch of units.

Yeah, thats going to have be good... theres a lot to prove in the next one...

[GameMaster]

I've never witnessed a worldwide embrace of any gaming system like the DS has received. The DS has established itself as cultural icon much akin to that of the iPod. You can't talk about the year 2005 without mentioning the DS. It's one of the greatest machines mankind has ever created and is definitely bound to land a spot in the Smithsonian. This is NO surprise to me.

[MuGen]

lol @ GM ... good form, m8.

[DarkMaster]

And this is why Nintendo is making the Revolution, because Japan will eat that sh*t up. If they decided to ignore other countries and only release it in Japan, the Revolution would still be a huge success.

It's no wonder why they decided to create the DS now instead of the next GameBoy. If the DS had failed, the Revolution would almost certainly be a different console altogether. Here's hoping Nintendo can reclaim some of its glory.

[bobcat]

hooray for DS!

[Canyarion]

Nice.

[BlueFire]

I didn't really know the DS was doing that well. I thought it was having heavy competition with the PSP. Surprising.