Nintendo on Ending DS Lite

Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton on Friday said that the company is likely to phase out the DS Lite if the DSi succeeds. While not committing to any plans, the official noted to MSV that enough buyers opting for the newer model's dual cameras and media features may lead Nintendo to cancel the DS Lite in time as it did with the original DS, which was initially sold side-by-side with the Lite. Yarnton expects to see both existing owners and newcomers taking an interest.

"We’ll let the market decide," he said. "We expect some people will upgrade, but we also anticipate that we’ll win over people who were still undecided on DS -- the extra features will help convince them. There’s an extra incentive."

The new system is Nintendo's first real handheld to have significantly more features than gameplay and will support both music and photography as well as downloadable games. Yarnton saw this extension as potentially affecting sales but letting the company sell the DSi to people who wouldn't otherwise own a portable game system.

It's not known if Nintendo would immediately drop the price of the DSi if the DS Lite was pulled from stores, though the $40 price difference makes these cuts more likely.

By Electronista Staff