Major shipment of black DS Lites missing
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Jun 14th 2006 at 1:55PM }
According to PlayGadgets.com, a large shipment of black DS Lites bound for Europe, along with a stockpile of DS games, has gone missing in Hong Kong. The estimated value of the merchandise, which was sealed in a cargo container, is 18,000,000 Hong Kong dollars (roughly $2.3 million).Some reports suggest that black DS Lites have recently entered Hong Kong's 'black' market, prompting police to suspect that the missing cargo container has indeed been stolen. Police are offering a 1,000,000 HKD (almost $129,000) reward for information about the lost goods.
[Thanks, Sean]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lightguy @ Jun 14th 2006 2:00PM
This better not affect the Black DS lite I had preordered.
Ko?n Untouchables @ Jun 14th 2006 2:01PM
that's what you get NINTENDO! you deserve it.
Eric @ Jun 14th 2006 2:05PM
Yes, I'm really sure Nintendo deserved to have a cargo container of their products stolen. Damn Satan worshipers...you do know Nintendo is also the cause of World War II?
(end sarcasm)
That really sucks not for Nintendo, but for the people that were hoping to receive their new DS Lites that were residing in that crate.
dsub @ Jun 14th 2006 2:05PM
bring those black DS lites stateside...
I really want to buy one, and I want a black one.
Gshocker @ Jun 14th 2006 2:10PM
Wow.. hate to be those people who are now not going to be getting their units. How can something that big go missing?
Clarity @ Jun 14th 2006 2:11PM
Geez, the things are selling so well that there's a black market in them?
Burgundy @ Jun 14th 2006 2:12PM
That's the law of supply and demand for ya. Nintendo should have realized that the ratio was way, way out of whack here on this one, considering the extremely high demand for the DS Lite in the first place, and the notion of releasing black exclusively in Europe would tip the scales to the point where those pesky criminals would feel the need to get involved.
Josh @ Jun 14th 2006 2:14PM
Whats your problem with nintendo? Wait....Innovation...copied......by....sony.... you get the point, note:
SNES>>>>>> Controller shape Taken for PS1
N64>>>>>>> Control Stick Taken for Dualshock
Wii>>>>>>> Motion Sensing Taken into "Dualshake" (WTF?!)
Nintendo is Great, and no im not a fanboy, microsoft is great too,but sonys fatcats can't make their own ideas so they copy nintendo
JimmyHACK @ Jun 14th 2006 2:14PM
black markets need websites so i can order one for cheap :)
epobirs @ Jun 14th 2006 2:17PM
One of those rare occasions when the hardware is a bigger target for theft than the software.
This happened during the SNES launch. Normally, thieves would go after shipments of games because the value by weight and volume was so much higher than for the console packages, and the games aren't serial numbered. But entire trailer rigs of SNES consoles went missing because the machine itself was such a hot item that Xmas.
Josh @ Jun 14th 2006 2:17PM
To #7:
Note: Ebay
Paul P. @ Jun 14th 2006 2:20PM
Ah well, I'm sure they had insurance, so Nintendo shouldn't suffer too greatly. Hopefully the criminals will be tracked down and punished.
jabbertrack @ Jun 14th 2006 2:33PM
Well Nintendo has all the serial numbers and probably MAC addresses... I think it would be fun to ban them all from NiWiFi~
.ed @ Jun 14th 2006 2:35PM
Something like this is definately insured. So it's more of a headache... also it is never hard to recover or track this type of theft.
Chances are it was the first or last cargo tank to be loaded to the wrong ship and people over reacted because it happened in Hong Kong.
This too shall pass.
Jay @ Jun 14th 2006 2:50PM
jabbertrack - excellent. bloody excellent!
Black Nintendo DS. The holy grail of video games systems. course it's going to be a target for the underground. alas. I live in a non-gamer part of the UK so chances are I'll get my Black DS on launch day and laugh at everyone else in the world, ever.
ZildjianKX @ Jun 14th 2006 2:59PM
I think I found one of the guys:
http://img.pconline.com.cn/images/bbs4/20066/9/1149852699874.jpg
LMAO
Marc @ Jun 14th 2006 3:22PM
ZildjianKX,
That pic should say "If you ever want your precious Black lite, I want $17,000 worth of New Super Mario Bros. by tonight!"
But honestly, I didn't think that a shipment of Nintendo stuff would be worth so much (2.3 million)!
Anyway, I'm gonna patrol Ebay and see if I can find those no good criminals. Then I'll take all of the Black DS lites as evidence.......that's right...evidence.
Marc @ Jun 14th 2006 3:26PM
"Geez, the things are selling so well that there's a black market in them?"
Didn't you hear about the dreaded DS lite shortage that was in japan? Of course there's a black market in Nintendo stuff. (oddly, nothing for Sony)
Jdoki @ Jun 14th 2006 3:27PM
Similar thing happened at a company I worked for a few years ago. Apparently a gang of thieves were masquerading as lorry drivers, forging documents so that the containers were loaded directly from the ships and on to their waiting lorries.
One of our containers got stolen.
Never saw the container again but we had a laugh about how gutted the criminals would have been opening up the container... you see, they had been targeting containers full of vodka, but the one they stole from us containined nothing but crappy spare parts for discontinued printers and copiers!
fashionfauxpas @ Jun 14th 2006 3:39PM
isnt it ironic that the "Black" DS Lite would end up in the "Black" Market?
the big loser would be the European customers as most of them will now have to wait till Nintendo manufactures some more units. Nintendo will recover through insurance but the customers will have to wait.
wouldnt it be something if someone from Sony had done this? hide the DS lites so the customers would purchase the PSP instead? i know its far fetched, but stranger things have happened.
Marc @ Jun 14th 2006 3:56PM
"but stranger things have happened."
Like what?
wizkid @ Jun 14th 2006 3:57PM
That goddamned crane operator missed the mark again! They are headed for the World Cup in GDR where they will be handed out as consolation prizes to the poor bastards who had tickets but couldn't get seats! lol
Tamo @ Jun 14th 2006 4:16PM
Well if it lost in Hong Kong then most likely the gangsters got the cargo. Hong Kong is pretty much run my the mafia, most stores have to pay protection money, and the police won't do anything to them unless the crimes they commit are extreme. Hell, my firend personally knows a member and he would offer to kill someone for my firend if that someone wronged him. So most likely the mob has them and we'll see them again off of ebay.
Oh and Marc who said, "Didn't you hear about the dreaded DS lite shortage that was in japan? Of course there's a black market in Nintendo stuff. (oddly, nothing for Sony)" there is a black market for sony stuff. The sony black market stuff is coincidentally in Hong Kong as well. If I wanted I could have gotten a PSP for $50.
dragn017 @ Jun 14th 2006 4:16PM
#7, i think that website would be ebay.com ;p
Marc @ Jun 14th 2006 4:21PM
Tamo,
The NDSL is probably worth more.
Night Elve @ Jun 14th 2006 4:45PM
". that's what you get NINTENDO! you deserve it."
Im a Sony Fanboy, but no one deserve this, i hope they recover the shipment.
Shit frigging mafia or vandalism or whatever this kind of things should never happen.
Gonzo @ Jun 14th 2006 5:26PM
You'll never find me!
Hahahahahahahahahaha!
ebay here I come!
m @ Jun 14th 2006 6:24PM
#20 - "Like what?"
Ever read Fark? No explanation is needed.
Anyway, agree with most here. 'tis a shame.
The ZeroCorpse @ Jun 14th 2006 6:48PM
Eh. Sucks to be a European Nintendo fan.
I like my white DS Lite just fine.
Nick C @ Jun 14th 2006 7:23PM
That's ashame...DS Lites getting "Shanghaied"! Ehhhh?!
Dave @ Jun 14th 2006 7:24PM
I was going to point out that it may be a group of racists that stole it, but then I thought better of it... oops
John @ Jun 14th 2006 8:18PM
Will Euro DS Lites work here in North America? I want to import a black one, but I'm worried about the whole 110/220 isuue. Will I be able to just buy an American/Japanese ac adapter to charge it?
Eric @ Jun 14th 2006 9:14PM
The only thing different between the UK DSLite and the US DSLite is the power adapter that comes with it, being 220v vs. 110v. You can just buy a US adapter or a usb charger and be fine with your imported UK DSLite.
Ken Seang @ Jun 14th 2006 10:37PM
I say sony is behind this, lol. But I wouldn't be surprise to go to China and see black nintendo ds lite on sale at your their local shop.
savio @ Jun 15th 2006 5:03AM
what would hapen to sony if the ship that has all the PS3's on it sank?
and i come from hong kong, i wouldnt be surprised to find ds lites in shops before they are officially released.
about this black market, many shops that sells pirated stuff have been pretty much cracked down by the local authorities. and last year when i went back, i found it pretty hard to find pirate DVD's games etc etc
martin @ Jun 15th 2006 7:59AM
I wonder if a case of White DS Lites would end up on the White Market?
Rob @ Jun 15th 2006 8:49AM
Marc - That's only about 17,000 DSLites or less than 1% of what they want to produce in a month.