"The new price and the arrival of a mega hit like Nintendogs give Nintendo DS a one-two punch that will thrill consumers," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "Consumers know Nintendo offers the best in the hand-held video game industry, and this news should make them very happy."
Nintendo DS has outsold all other hand-held and console video game systems in Japan for four months straight. Nintendogs recently went on sale in Japan, sparking a nationwide craze, as owners began raising, training and falling in love with their lifelike puppies; more than 700,000 copies of Nintendogs have sold since its debut. Weekly Famitsu, Japan's leading video game magazine, gives Nintendogs an extraordinary overall perfect score of 40.
Nintendogs is a puppy simulator made exclusively for Nintendo DS that lets owners name, train and play with a realistic puppy. The pups respond to their owners' voices with the built-in microphone, and react to praise and positive reinforcement via the Nintendo DS' touch screen. The sophisticated artificial intelligence simulates a real dog in every way. Nintendogs players pick from 18 breeds, then owners feed their pups, buy them new toys and take them for walks as they bond.
In addition to Nintendogs, Nintendo DS has a strong lineup of games arriving before the end of the year. These include Advance Wars®: Dual Strike on Aug. 22, Trace Memory on Sept. 26, Metroid® Prime Pinball on Oct. 24 and Mario & Luigi 2 in Q4. The new price for Nintendo DS also gives consumers another excuse to buy a Nintendo DS to be ready for the upcoming Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, the wireless gaming service to launch later this year with a Mario Kart® racing game and an Animal Crossing® community-building game.