Nintendo confirms June 23rd European DS lite launch
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ May 22nd 2006 at 6:00AM }
Where there were rumors there are now facts: the DS lite will be launching in Europe on the 23rd of June for £99.99/149.99 EUR. As a way of compensating people for the extra two week wait over the North American launch, the European DS lite will be available in black at launch. However, I'm sure the majority of potential European DS lite customers would forego this novelty in exchange for some price equality: Europeans will pay the equivalent of $191 for the DS lite whilst Britons will pay $187. Compare that to how much Americans will be paying on the 11th of June: $129.[Thanks, Andrew Wong]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Conrad Quilty-Harper @ May 22nd 2006 5:56AM
And before someone says "but you haven't accounted for UK VAT and duty!" -- vat and duty (17.5% + 10%) only amounts to $35 + the $129 American retail price. Does Nintendo pocket the remaining $23 difference?
Yshaana @ May 22nd 2006 6:07AM
What the hell ? 149 euros ? It's more expensive than the original DS, while in the US and Japan it's the other way round...
Thanks Ninty, I was gonna purchase one at launch... I really don't understand this market, European wages are lower than in the US, Rents are higher, yet we pay 15-20% more than in the US... Stop being so god damn greedy.
Razib Ahmed @ May 22nd 2006 6:17AM
"Nintendo confirms June 23rd European DS lite launch"
Nintendo has not taken a very smart decision. This time, Europeans are spending money crazily on audio visual gadgets to enjoy world cup better. In UK alone people are going to spend 1 billion (http://asianbiz.blogspot.com/2006/05/world-cup-football-makes-boom-in-tv.html). So, 23rd June does not look like a good time as everyone will be obsessed with watching world cup football. 23 July would have been better.
Amir @ May 22nd 2006 6:17AM
Eh. It's region-free, so if I happen to be in the States or ask a relative to bring one over, it's a done deal. I know not everyone can do that, but Lik-Sang is usually good about this thing, with PSPs way cheaper to import from Japan (which is Region 2 for films anyway) than to buy in the UK.
Dallas @ May 22nd 2006 6:19AM
But....c'mon.....BLACK!
jay @ May 22nd 2006 6:36AM
BLACK. Sweet lord. I was planning on importing a black GB Micro, but that can go stuff itself. BLACK DS LITE. thank you NoE.
I will most certainly be picking one up. Day i finish uni for the summer too. wonderfully timed.
Simon @ May 22nd 2006 6:36AM
SCORE! I expected it to be far more expensive than this, and the addition of black is just an added bonus. Count me in, just as soon as I can get a job >_<
Sockatume @ May 22nd 2006 6:39AM
I bought my first DS in a duty free shop in Gatwick airport. 15% discount compared to RRP. Doing the same on the Lite would bring it down to 85.
I may have to ensure my travel plans for the summer coincide with Lite release day...
daniel @ May 22nd 2006 6:40AM
this is only 10 more than the regular ds and we get black if only i actuially had 100 to spend on one
Paul Cosgrove @ May 22nd 2006 7:02AM
On the one hand, the brighter screen, longer stylus and smaller size are very attractive, even for 99.99; that's cheaper than I'd have expected and there'll almost certainly be bundles.
On the other hand, the DS Lite won't fit in my limited-edition Biohazard DS slipcase. :"(
Ianc02 @ May 22nd 2006 7:06AM
Black DS........watch as these go for stupid money on eBay. CQH you have no idea why things are the price they are in the uk have you?
oblongmouth @ May 22nd 2006 7:23AM
this really 'ucks me off.
I have been waiting (and waiting) for this announcement, then they slap on a hefty premium for the simple fact that I'm British.
I'm not sure I can justify the price, when its expected that teh wiiiiii is going to cost again in a few (for Japan) months.
wii.emu @ May 22nd 2006 7:25AM
So it will come in black - joy - but why does it cost more for EU - pain
jay @ May 22nd 2006 7:26AM
Is the Black DS Lite coming out in the US? What colours will be launched there?
SLy @ May 22nd 2006 7:32AM
Also Conrad.. You can't start adding VAT and duty to the US "RETAIL PRICE", so it should me much much lower than that. It's just our luck.
Mo Salam @ May 22nd 2006 7:33AM
The Black DS is worth the rip of britian. lol.
Matjaz @ May 22nd 2006 7:55AM
Finally. In Europe, we got everything the last. But a black DS ... Nintendo finally paid us off :D
GamerG @ May 22nd 2006 8:00AM
At last! A DS I want!!
Really wanted one as I cant get on with the PSP but the DS is as ugly as sin!! Now I too can have portable gaming!!
JonSedar @ May 22nd 2006 8:04AM
YEAH!
Black DS lite is exactly what I was hoping for!
/wets pants with sheer excitement
Josh @ May 22nd 2006 8:06AM
jay, in the US, we are just getting Polar White.
David @ May 22nd 2006 8:14AM
It's a good thing Nintendo doesn't take pages out of Apple's book and charge an extra $200 for the black color.
Louis @ May 22nd 2006 8:22AM
Black! Black! The colour of death! The endless wardrobe of despair! What's for dinner, mother? Ink Stew?! Lock me in the basement and feed me pins!
Resisting the urge to import appears to have paid off! It's certainly a step in the right direction for NoE.
Matt @ May 22nd 2006 8:34AM
Has anyone actually seen a black version "in the flesh"? I'm going to wait and see how the black and white nodels look side by side...
GamerG @ May 22nd 2006 8:35AM
A lesson in economics
YOU CANT COMPARE PRICES IN ONE COUNTRY WITH THOSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD
For instance in the major European states France, Britain and Germany average Salaries are HIGHER than in the US, as a result of this things COST MORE because everyone has to get paid more, shop staff, execs etc.
This is in part due to large inflation in these countries in the past.
In addition the US is one large market, with one language and no internal border controls where as in Europe everone speaks different langages and all the countries have thier own market forces, their own TV stations and papers for ads, taxation is not uniform, each country requires its own warehouse maybe and products require their own customisation to fit that market, maybe they even different power adapters etc
The list goes on we could go on all day.
So in short you can't compare prices fairly by simply taking the price and mutipling it my the exchange rate.
Yours
Me x
zorniki @ May 22nd 2006 8:54AM
191$ for a European DSL... Im glad I imported the navy DSL from Japan. It cost me just as much! :-)
smeg @ May 22nd 2006 8:59AM
what about Mario Kart red :)) i broke my DS just 4-5 days ago, it still works but it is a little biti trashed :), so this is good timeing i can wait a month to get it
dolom @ May 22nd 2006 9:38AM
...funny enough (or not), the Italian site mentions the Europrean price for DSL to be 159 EUR (yep that's a five...)! Now I'd really like to understand where these 10 additional EUR come from...
White Rose Duelist @ May 22nd 2006 9:38AM
People in the US pay tax as well, so most Americans won't get it for $129. With the average sales tax around 6%, the real cost of a DS Lite is more like $138. I presume the rest of the difference is the fascination with pricing everything at 0.01 standard monetary unit less than a nice round number.
ALH @ May 22nd 2006 9:41AM
are we still getting the navy? as nice as black is, my heart has gone out to that sexy sexy navy :(
scoot @ May 22nd 2006 9:43AM
#22: What you say may have some truth for service based industries, but not for manufactured goods where a company's staffing levels are minimal. The truth here is that Nintendo and SOny are price gourging the european market, clearly the Japs think they can take europeans for a ride.
DHondt @ May 22nd 2006 9:58AM
BTW, Finland will be getting their hands on these on the 22nd since 23rd is a national Holiday. Eat that!
GamerG @ May 22nd 2006 10:03AM
#26, Pricing is set by the market, the DS lite will sell like hotcakes i'm sure in the UK at 99 so why should they charge 69?
People are used to paying more for things in the UK so why should Nintendo be the one to buck the trend?
Nintendo would probably sell more yes but they will have conducted market research that maximises their profitability and who can blame them?
Paul P. @ May 22nd 2006 10:06AM
I think you're paying the brunt of whatever they had to pay to make a different charger for Europe. And maybe your tariffs are higher or something.
Basically, I'm saying there has to be some reason why pretty much all electronics cost more over there.
Paul Cosgrove @ May 22nd 2006 10:08AM
I'm so sick of people complaining that the UK gets ripped off on these things. As GamerG mentioned above, there's any number of reasons that European prices are higher than the US, and pretty much all of them are completely outside Nintendo's control.
If you want one at the US price, import it.
Semi @ May 22nd 2006 10:42AM
i think europe/uk has high price because products have to go through tight european controls/testing/approval.
or
i think europe/uk has high price because europe sucks
or
i think europe/uk has high price because europe has to protects its own manufacturing when things are produced outside europe.
dvddesign @ May 22nd 2006 11:03AM
Seeing as how it costs $138 after taxes, the $142 I paid for mine in Japanese retail seems "do-able" in comparison.
I'll have my Navy later this week, and finally be able to start playing SMB. OH! Super Mario, how I've missed you...
theiloth @ May 22nd 2006 11:14AM
#32
i think your an idiot without a clue about marketing or business or Europe.
I live in the UK and on hearing the price 99, i was surprised at the inexpensiveness. Frankly most people here are prepared to pay higher prices for consumer electronics (look at the sucess of the psp in Europe, i remember it costed something like 250 up until recently, same goes for the 360), pricing the DS Lite lower might worry some consumers who could see it as cheap.
Keeping the price higher also leaves lots of space for price cuts later in the console's life cycle anyway so it seems like a good move for Nintendo. Anyway added costs are meaningless for a black DS lite and earlier launch than NA.
GamerG @ May 22nd 2006 11:33AM
At the end of the day the question is
Is 99 too expensive?
That does not even get me a 1 gig nano!
Paul Cosgrove @ May 22nd 2006 12:16PM
Re: theiloth
Who are you referring to, me?
I'm in the UK too, and I was also quite surprised at how cheap it was (I thought it'd be 130 or so).
My point was that there are any number of reasons for the machine being "more expensive", and that people should stop complaining about it because it's not going to change, ever.
Also, the UK launch is 2 weeks *after* the US, not before.
voice of reason @ May 22nd 2006 12:33PM
finally a black one...
ive been holding out from buying a ds at all just to get the black ds lite.
black to match the Wii
flakes8 @ May 22nd 2006 12:39PM
How much hype can one system get??? All it is is a reissue of something already out there. I know the screen is brighter but come on its Nintendo taking your paper route money for something that you already own. I am not impressed as of yet, maybe once I play it my mind will change, but for now it's all hype...oohh it's a different color, wait till next week when they come out with the first run, limited edition, once in a lifetime, better get it now before their gone, all your friends will have one....system...whew On that not have a great day :-)
dredub @ May 22nd 2006 12:42PM
Please correct me if I am wrong.
DSL costs 99 which is roughly $187. $187 is roughly 144% of what Americans pay.
The PS3 cost is 425 which is roughly $800. $800 is roughly 133% of what Americans pay.
So is Sony actually giving the UK a better overall break on the markup than Nintendo is?
Either way the UK gets the short end of the stick
Eric @ May 22nd 2006 1:40PM
Am I going to have to worry about power conversion if I import a European DS Lite to the US? I don't even know where I'd get a power converter for that shit.
Doug the Aquacell Guy @ May 22nd 2006 1:56PM
I'll wait for the black DS Lite to hit American shores. Like one of the above comments says, to match the black Wii...and just because it looks so much cooler =)
Greg2k @ May 22nd 2006 2:03PM
This news would be so-so if it weren't for the black version. Black is just going to make this fly off the shelves.
Exit Media @ May 22nd 2006 2:13PM
is teh black coming to US? That looks right.
Mad @ May 22nd 2006 3:12PM
I find it amazing that they produce black last, the same thing happened with the gamecube. Why do game companies think we all want either purple, white or silver? At least 50% of all TV owners out there must still have black TV's.
If Microsoft had produced the 360 in black first, I don't think shelves would be stacked full of them as they are now in the UK. I want MS to produce a black faceplate, not Silver, not Blue or Dashboard.. IDIOTS!!
Brent @ May 22nd 2006 4:02PM
Dammit I really wanted the black one. I wonder how long I have to wait until it comes out in the US.
Why did'nt nintendo release both colours at launch and
make it easier for consumers.
Eric @ May 22nd 2006 4:37PM
@ #44
The Gamecube launched in purple and black, slick. They just used the purple console exclusively in ads for quite a while.
Companies use color changes to spur sales. When the DS Lite sales start to drop off in the US and Japan, they'll launch a black unit.
element4life3 @ May 22nd 2006 4:50PM
I think it is great they have black, but it isn't worth it to pay that much more, plus the money it would take to import it.
Also, I bet the black shows fingerprints way easier than white.
I was always planning on getting a white one anyways, so this announcement doesnt effect me at all!