14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo is sending word that it plans to launch a new version of the DS in the United States. The fresh color offered is set to celebrate the rejuvenation brought on by spring and it's, of course, green. As you can see from the screenshot, it's a rather vibrant green that might be very successful with women. And to make sure that the new DS is a hit, the Japanese company is also saying that it wishes to offer a bundle on release.
When the device arrives on May 3 for the regular price of a Nintendo DS handheld, those interested can get a carrying case set to protect the device and a copy of Personal Trainer: Cooking, one of the videogames that mixes gaming and personal coaching, with 245 recipes from all over the world explained in full detail. So, if you like spring, have some money to spend and are interested in getting better at cooking, this is the bundle for you.
Nintendo doesn't really need such special offers, nor new colors to help sell its handheld. After all, its DS is almost always in second place in the hardware charts released for North America by the NPD Group and it's constantly outselling its closest rival, the PlayStation Portable from Sony. The one threat clearly bothering Nintendo is Apple’s iPhone, which has the ability to play small and innovative games that are offered at quite low prices, thus threatening to take a chunk out of the mobile gaming market that Nintendo is also interested in.
The biggest counter Nintendo has is the fresh DSi, an update to the DS including better hardware and two picture-capable cameras that can be integrated into gaming experiences by developers. Another big development is the creation of the DSi Shop Channel, which can deliver content to the DSi via the Wi-Fi connection.