Could Pokemon Be the Reason Behind DS' Success?

Statistics say that in the Americas, 9 Nintendo DSs are being sold every minute since its launch. The DS can stand for "Dual Screen," and Developers' System, from Nintendo's belief that the system gives game creators brand new tools which will lead to more innovative games for the world's players.

They couldn't have done better, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime says: "More than 5 million people joined the ranks as Nintendo DS owners in America last year alone. And right now, they're all saying the same thing: 'Give me more!'"

10 million DSs have been sold in the Americas since its debut in 2004 and the demand is still there. It isn't that surprising at all if you think about it for a minute as the machine took handheld entertainment systems to a higher level.

The lower display of the Nintendo DS is overlaid with a touch-sensitive screen, designed to accept input from the included stylus, or a curved plastic thumb tab attached to the optional wrist strap. The touch screen allows players to interact with in-game elements more directly than by pressing buttons; for example, the stylus is used in Trauma Center: Under the Knife as a scalpel to make an incision in a diseased patient, in Pokémon Ranger to capture Pokémon, and as a writing tool in the included chatting software, PictoChat.

It is only obvious that games like Pokemon Ranger are important factors in making a name for a gaming system. The role-playing game which is designed in a format radically different than that of traditional Pokémon RPGs shows exactly how powerful a title can be when the demand is well understood. The player uses an object called the Capture Styler to capture Pokémon by using the stylus to circle the Pokémon a pre-determined number of times while also avoiding the Pokémon's attacks.

Now, does anyone wonder why DS is still a huge hit? I didn't think so.