How Nintendo sells DS units

by Blake Snow { Jan 19th 2006 at 2:00PM }

The recent issue of Famitsu asks, "Why did the Nintendo DS sell so well?" in Japan. Here are the five reasons according to the Japanese game mag:

Great Promotions - "A famous Japanese actress, Nanako Matsushima, appeared on a recent commercial for More Brain Training, and for once the woman they dragged out to pose with a videogame actually seemed to be really enjoying herself."
Demo stations were plentiful - "In any department store in Japan, there are DS demo stations. Usually the screens are scratched to high hell, and lately, there are a lot of games to choose from."
Appeal to non-gamers - "This is the most obvious reason."
Wi-Fi game download stations - "At any videogame store, there are DS download and play stations."
Great games sold the system - "Nintendo has always prided itself in quality games and DS has been a shining example. The quality of the games has caused developers to think in new ways, or to find inspiration."

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Interesting read, the only reason I thought it sold games, or perhaps is the case in Europe, is because of the games. People here are absolutely in love with Advance Wars and Mario Kart. Every gamer I know has a love for Mario Kart, even if they don't have a DS and most of the non gamers love the simple "games" like Nintendogs.

The DS is the perfect example of a system with a little something on every base. Apart from a killer RPG. FF3 and ASH can't come any sooner!

Jay @ Jan 19th 2006 2:34PM

crap! should read "sold units" not "sold games". ho hum.

Jeff @ Jan 19th 2006 2:37PM

Ummm... I agree with the article (both the original and the paraphrased English version), but the way you're quoting things up there makes it look like Famitsu said those things. The article you're quoting was written by Tim Rogers for the web site you're linking to. You're not quoting the original Famitsu article or even a translation of it - you're quoting a paraphrased summary.

Just so that everybody knows who said or didn't say what. It's Tim Rogers saying all these things, based on his understanding of what Famitsu wrote in Japanese. But Famitsu themselves don't write at all like this, and they certainly don't disparage their own readers in their articles (as Tim Rogers spends an entire paragraph doing here).

Not that he's necessarily wrong in this case. But the source listed for this should really be Tim Rogers interpreting Famitsu, not "the japanese game mag" itself.

JodyAnthony @ Jan 19th 2006 2:43PM

I wish stores here in the states had download play

ReyBrujo @ Jan 19th 2006 3:00PM

Here is Nanako Matsushima advertisment. You need Flash to watch it, though. I couldn't find Utada's one, though.
http://touch-ds.jp/mediagallery/st25.html

monkeypox @ Jan 19th 2006 4:32PM

utada's commercials can be found here and here.

monkeypox @ Jan 19th 2006 4:40PM

well, that didn't work.

http://www.youtube.com/?v=JSZcbPVYn6w

and

http://www.youtube.com/?v=vW77agGNT0s

Hank @ Jan 19th 2006 4:52PM

Appeal to nongamers? Hahaha.

tim rogers @ Jan 23rd 2006 1:32AM

Actually, the article is not a paraphrase. To tell you the truth, I barely even skimmed the Famitsu article it's based on. All I did was take out their five "reasons" out and fill it in with research/understanding/"insight" of my own. Notice most of my article explains the situation in Japan; in Famitsu, which is targeted at Japanese readers, they don't exactly have to tell people what Japan is like.

So. Take that for what you will.

I wrote this article because I saw Famitsu's mention of the situation (the system being popular to the extent of being dead sold out) as an opportunity to inform people who bizarrely refuse to believe that the DS is selling at all, anywhere -- there's a guy right above this coment who says "Ha Ha Ha" at "appeal to non-gamers." Imagining that he's joking would probably be too optimistic.

The DS is real. Administrators of this website are invited to check my IP address and see where I work; that should speak volumes for my objectivity here.

And if I disparaged any readers -- well. You should all be a little more careful from now one around things that disparage you. It's unbecoming.

Oh, there I go disparaging again!