DS Lite: Ready, set, import!

It's been quite well established that the concept of waiting is generally frowned upon. In fact, several non-existent studies have shown that waiting for a new gadget (such as the DS Lite) to release can be both physically and mentally harmful to the average gamer, with damage often manifesting in the form of an unhealthy mass of pent-up excitement and joy. Early effects can be seen through a multitude of odd behaviors, including (but not limited to):

• Lovingly staring at artwork, photographs or renders of the item in question, often accompanied by salivatory release.
• Intricate role-playing exercises and elaborate daydreaming. The subject pictures himself using or playing with the item for extended periods of time.
• The unstoppable desire to spend a vast amount of money in order to guarantee the item's arrival at the subject's home.

Wow. That's strikingly similar to paging through a girly magazine... only much more pathetic. Luckily, you can now put a temporary end to your pining for Nintendo's sleek DS redesign and start your importing engines. Several sites are now accepting pre-orders for the DS Lite. In case you haven't been paying attention recently, it's due for a release on March 2 in Japan. Both Lik-Sang and Play-Asia have it for the reasonably affordable price of $169, whereas Yes-Asia says "no" to that trend and instead offers it up for a more hefty $199.99.

With a US release date still up in the air, are you considering pre-ordering the DS Lite right now? And more importantly, does $169 seem like a good price to you?

[Thanks Mandarin!]