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 andthe global economy entering into a recession.<\/p>\n
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 of300,000 units in the first two weeks, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said. <\/p>\n
"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. <\/p>\n
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 18,900yen.<\/p>\n
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 graphicsaround their favourite pet.<\/p>\n
The launch comes ahead of the crucial holiday season and amid fears the global financial crisis is tipping Japan into a recession, which already showsmore sluggish sales of its consoles compared to the US and Europe.<\/p>\n
The DSi will be launched overseas as early as next spring, Iwata said, and the company plans to diversify the colour variation, which currently sellsin white and black.<\/p>\n
Nintendo’s net profits rose 9.4% to 144.8 billion yen in the six months to September. Operating profit jumped 34% to 252.2 billion yen as revenue increased by 20% to 836.9 billionyen.<\/p>\n
Nintendo bucked the trend Friday as its share price rose 1.95% to 31,300 yen, even though Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei index plummeted by more thanfive percent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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