Nintendo amps up distribution of its new double screen system

The company is boosting Nintendo DS shipments to meet holiday demand.
REDMOND, Wash. -- Nintendo announced it will increase total shipments of Nintendo DS to North America by 40 percent, to 1.4 million systems before the end of the year.
Because of the system's popularity, many retail stores across the country are reporting shortages, and the initial batch of 500,000 units all but sold out a week after Nintendo DS launched on Nov. 21.
To date, North American retail sales have reached 700,000. In addition, sales of Nintendo DS in Japan exceeded half a million systems just four days after launch on Dec. 2, meaning more than 1.2 million Nintendo DS systems have sold worldwide.
"Nintendo is doing everything it can to make Nintendo DS attainable for the holidays," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "The enthusiastic response from shoppers has made Nintendo DS 'must-have' -- and we're determined to make it 'will have.'"
New ways to play
With its touch screen, wireless communication and voice recognition abilities, the dual-screened Nintendo DS offers video game fans new ways to play. Each unit, available at an estimated $149.99, comes with an embedded communication program called PictoChat, as well as a demo version of Metroid Prime Hunters that features both single- and multiplayer action.
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games and more than 336 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario and Donkey Kong and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid, Zelda and Pokemon.
A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based here, serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.