Japan's Nintendo Co. on Friday was optimistic over the take-off of its newest DS handheld console despite the popularity of its existing consoles and the global economy entering into a recession.
The DSi with a built-in camera and enhanced audio capabilities will hit shelves in Japan on Saturday, with the company expecting to sell a total of 300,000 units in the first two weeks, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said.
"The booking status of the DSi is not bad and I don't think it will take off slowly ... We are not selling a product based on a design change," he said, although he declined to disclose sales and production targets.
The new console will have a similar design to the DS Lite, but will be slimmer and have a slightly larger 3.25-inch screen. It will sell for 18,900 yen (178 dollars).
It can be used as a photo album and enables users to change the facial expressions of the people in the pictures or draw flowers or other graphics around their favourite pet.
The launch comes ahead of the crucial holiday season and amid fears the global financial crisis is tipping Japan into a recession, which already shows more sluggish sales of its consoles compared to the US and Europe.
The DSi will be launched overseas as early as next spring, Iwata said, and the company plans to diversify the colour variation, which currently sells in white and black.
Nintendo's net profits rose 9.4 percent to 144.8 billion yen (1.5 billion dollars) in the six months to September. Operating profit jumped 34 percent to 252.2 billion yen as revenue increased by 20 percent to 836.9 billion yen.
Nintendo bucked the trend Friday as its share price rose 1.95 percent to 31,300 yen, even though Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei index plummeted by more than five percent.
Source : http://afp.google.com/
