Nintendo DS tops 10 million in the Americas [update 1]
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 25th 2007 at 5:55PM }
Coinciding with its recent 10 million in Europe milestone, the Nintendo DS has also topped 10 million "in the Americas," according to the latest press release. Playing the numbers game yet again, Nintendo claims to have sold nearly nine DS or DS Lite units every minute.The DS launched earliest in the US, on November 21, 2004, close to 795 days ago. That number converts to approximately 1.145 million minutes, which would give Nintendo sales figures of 10.3 million portable systems -- certainly a lot more precise than previous ventures by Nintendo into the magical world of Arithmetic. Still, who are we to judge Nintendo's math skills when scientists are working to define a new number that explains the DS's sales numbers in Japan (sources tell us they'll likely go with "Nintend-illion").
[Update 1: Title used to refer to Western Hemisphere, which was used to reference the Americas but not any portion of Europe or Africa that subsequently lie in the West. Headline has been changed.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GombastiC @ Jan 25th 2007 6:35PM
Excellent machine. No wonder it sells like hell.
Robert Jung @ Jan 25th 2007 6:36PM
And that sound you hear is the wailing and gnashing of disappointed PSP owners...
--R.J.
TwilightKnight @ Jan 25th 2007 6:39PM
That makes at least 30 million worldwide, with 10 million in europe and Americas and science knows how much in Japan. At least 10 million there since that was announced a way back.
Remember way back in 2004 where pretty much every mainstream gaming site was claiming the failure of the DS and the success of the PSP?
Yeah... good times....
OtakuCODE @ Jan 25th 2007 6:47PM
It would probably do even better if they could keep supply up with demand. I am not sure if I'm just supremely unlucky or what but I've been trying to trade in my DS Phat for a Lite since the beginning of November. Every single time I try (at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times) I get the same thing "None in stock, no idea when we will get more".
Anyone else suspect the DS Lite was harder to find than the Wii and PS3 combined this past Xmas? (for the record, I got a Wii on launch day with no preorder and only an hour in line... they had no DS Lites)
required @ Jan 25th 2007 7:02PM
"baby boom"
ds, pacifiers & diapers
Rubang B @ Jan 25th 2007 7:16PM
Well I can see how they sold 10 million. I bought 4 of 'em. ::blushes::
elmer @ Jan 25th 2007 7:43PM
I'm pretty sure 10 million + 10 million = 20 million.
I'm also pretty sure that the Western Hemisphere isn't made of the American continent alone, just as it isn't made of the European continent alone.
The title may just possibly be off, give or take 10 million
josh @ Jan 25th 2007 8:04PM
The term "western hemisphere", in common usuage, does not include Europe. In it's accurate usuage, it only includes a fraction of Europe... which is why the common usuage changed to exclude that small fraction of Europe and Africa that lie west of the prime meridian. Since the Prime meridian bisects england through london (and several other countries as well), it would be REALLY hard to get a true count of sales in the western hemisphere, because you would have to figure out several countries sales based on what parts were on which side of the meridian... so most usuage of the term just equals "the americas"
PowerTrade1337 @ Jan 25th 2007 8:15PM
The DS has really been an impressive product for Nintendo. This and the Wii are the one-two punch for the industry. They sell both hardware products at a profit and their first party titles dominate the platforms.
With such strong sales already and no end to the DS generation in sight, can the platform sell more than 64 million units worldwide over lifetime? (That's the amount gamers on the simExchange are currently forecasting). http://www.thesimexchange.com/stock.php?id=38
elmer @ Jan 25th 2007 8:27PM
Thanks Josh for Pointing that out. As a Brit let me point a few things out to you:
1) Britain is by far the single largest market in what is widely taken to be the 'European gaming territories' making up about 1/3rd of total sales
2) Portugal, Spain and a significant portion of France lie west of this line, and their combined population and sales must make some considerable dent into the 'Western Hemisphere', not to mention parts of the African continent.
3) As a European living 5 miles West of Greenwich in one of Europe's greatest cities, lines like "so most usuage of the term just equals "the americas"" are quite insulting
4) You're being a bit of a smarmy git.
elmer @ Jan 25th 2007 8:29PM
p.s. Thanks for changing the heading
LongshotX @ Jan 25th 2007 8:51PM
I have a DS Lite, but I'm wondering if I should still keep it. Its not as fun as it was before, I've been using it mostly for an alarm clock and the occasional Metroid Pinball (Hunters sucked). I might be I just need some new games like Portrait of Ruin, FF III, and Phantom Hourglass. Other than that the rest of the games just don't suit my taste and I'm a little disappointed the DS doesn't provide much else other than games. Its still a solid system, I just don't think its all that like I once did.
J @ Jan 25th 2007 8:56PM
That, my friends is called ownage.
Judd @ Jan 25th 2007 9:31PM
To go along with TwilightKnight, does this mean they've sold 10 million in all three major markets(Japan, Europe, North America)? Wow! I can tell you guys for sure who is going to win the war this generation, and it isn't a console.
Rubang B @ Jan 25th 2007 9:39PM
If Sony wants to start selling some PS3s, they better find a way to have some connectivity with the DS.
ZAM!
Risky @ Jan 25th 2007 9:50PM
Maybe if Sony got their stupid act together and brought out some decent Japanese releases to the U.S maybe they wouldn't be doing so bad. Look at all the fun innovative games Nintendo localized; Phoenix Wright, Trauma Center, Rocket Slime... I could go on. Now look at the titles out for the PSP. Suikoden 1 and 2 would have sold like crazy had it come out here as would many of the other games they never bring here.
StMadnes @ Jan 26th 2007 3:42PM
Sorry, but I can’t be seen playing kiddie games! and three or four adult-friendly titles are not enough to get me to buy DS Lite. I take it that it’s mostly used by young people who don’t necessarily play looking for a submersive gaming experience. I guess that’s why the DS can put out a thousand different Marios and watch them all sell like hotcakes! Simple innocent fun is okay. But i can get that on my cell phone.
Portable Ops over Mario Kart any freekin day!!
TwilightKnight @ Jan 25th 2007 10:46PM
If you recall the DS sold over 10 million in Japan in somewhere around 10 months, setting a new speed record. The annoucement that it sold over 10 million in Europe happened a couple days ago. And of course we have this. I don't know... but I think 10 + 10 + 10 = 30...
Ah yes here we go...
http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=7427
DS (including Lite)
Hardware:
18,880,000 / 9,160,000 / 35,610,000
Software:
93,800,000 / 35,900,000 / 154,230,000
Thats april-dec for 2006 on the left, 2005 for the middle, and lifetime sales on the right. I was slightly off, only by 5.6 million. Also the attach rate for the DS is 4.33.
The odd part is how it managed to sell the magical 10 million mark first in Europe then in the Americas. Then again I don't have a lot of trust in the opinions of American gamers. With the whole madden thing selling the most last year still kind of makes me crazy mad every time I think about it...
moofree @ Jan 25th 2007 11:42PM
I can't wait for Wii+DS games so I can put my DS and DS lite to good use.
I just wish they had the gba link port so I could use them on the gamecube.
EdEN @ Jan 25th 2007 11:54PM
The "Americas" refers to North America (Canada, US, Mexico), Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, etc.) and South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, etc.).
U.S. citizens refer to themselves as americans, which is wrong, and because of that the rest of the world has a tendency to refer to U.S. citizens as americans... which is wrong.
A citizen from Venezuela is an "american". A citizen from Mexico is an "american" too.
Reapz @ Jan 26th 2007 12:28AM
For #3, I think that every day.. well almost.
I'd love to know if there is a site that could re-cap a lot of websites that claimed in their "expertise" that the DS would fail miserably alongside the PSP - and then see what the journo's/analysts think now in reflection.
That would be awesome. *Waits for someone to point out that there is a site like this*
Paul Gale @ Jan 26th 2007 1:30AM
First of all Joystiq, cool new look to your Comments section; I like it. Now as for the DS selling 10 million in the Americas, wow, a big congratulations to Nintendo! 10 for Europe, 10 for the Americas, and close to 17 in Japan. That's nearly 37 million DS and DS Lite units sold world wide in just a bit over 2 years; incredible. Here's to hoping that Wii finds similar success.
Paul Gale
1up.com
Grunge @ Jan 26th 2007 2:21AM
@Eden
No, someone from Mexico is a Mexican. Someone from Venezuela is a Venezuelan. Someone from the United States of America is an American. Of course, all of these people are also called Americans, when referring to their continent.
The reason is that there are two demonyms; one refers to nation of origin, and the other refers to continent of origin. What other name would citizens of the U.S.A. go by? Let me first warn you that there isn't really any good other name - people have been trying to do it for hundreds of years. Personally I don't see why Canada and Latin America have to get their panties in a bunch and start spouting off about "cultural aggression".
Joel @ Jan 26th 2007 8:42AM
"I'm a little disappointed the DS doesn't provide much else other than games." ~LongshotX
Why didn't you just buy a PSP if you wanted more than games? It's not like the DS was ever advertised to do more than games.
@elmer
The most commonly accepted usage of the term "Western hemisphere" includes only the Americas and affiliated islands. While you are technically correct, that is what is actually meant in the article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_hemisphere
Joselito @ Jan 26th 2007 11:37AM
OK, interesting how we call us citizens? Here in Honduras, estadounidense Estados Unidos = United States, we also call them gringos (I use this the most)
There's an story, when a friend of mine went to Germany, she introduced herself as an Honduran, from Honduras, Central America. Next time she met the person, he said her that she was liar because there was no state in America with that name... she looked to a US map.
EdEN @ Jan 26th 2007 12:17PM
I agree with Joselito. Here in Mexico we call them Estadounidenses as well, because that's what they really are.
Quick question: when you go out of the U.S. and get back, what do you answer at the border when they ask you for nationality? People from the U.S. have the obligation to say "U.S. Citizen" to the officer because THAT is their nationality.
It's not that "we get our panties in a bunch" is that U.S. Citizens are never educated into KNOWING what the term "american" really means, and it's all because of an incorrect sense of superiority: the U.S. is not America (America is the whole contintent)... and the U.S. is NOT the world.
Matty G. @ Jan 27th 2007 6:59PM
All of you who are saying that "Americans are not educated enough to know that their country is not the only one on the American continent." I'm sorry, but Americans are not that stupid. We know what the continents of North and South America are. There just is nothing else to call us. In spanish, it's estadounidense. Just try to translate that to English. If you say "Uhhhh, it's unitedstater", I say first of all, it sounds bad, and then I say that this has no reference to the actual country. Any country could be named the United States of __________. America is the only part that refers to the country specifically. So just stop your fussing and get over it. It's not because we think we're superior. We just called it first.