DS Lite Unlikely To Survive If DSi Succeeds

The $40 price difference between the DS Lite and the DSi may be a moot question if the DSi succeeds the way Nintendo would like. While remaining noncommittal, Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton today said that if DSi sales prove strong enough, the DS Lite will probably go the way of the original Nintendo DS, which also sold alongside its successor for a while.

"We'll let the market decide," he said. "We expect some people will upgrade, but we also anticipate that we'll win over people who were still undecided on DS -- the extra features will help convince them. There's an extra incentive."

While the form factor difference between the first two iterations of the DS was obvious, the DS Lite and the DSi don't seem as different to the eye; but the DSi is Nintendo's first stab at embracing some of the multimedia uses that enterprising homebrew aficionados have been enjoying for a while, as well as adding new hardware features such as its twin cameras. With music and downloadable games arriving on the DSi, Nintendo has pulled an ironic move, at least regarding its competition: the PSP, which was launched as a portable multimedia system, has fared overwhelmingly poorly in that regard (so poorly that its physical medium had to be abandoned, although there's more to that story); now the DS, which gained its success by focusing purely on games and making them fun, has done so well that multimedia features are practically being begged for.

That scenario has to tickle some of the veeps at Nintendo.

Nintendo likely to axe DS Lite if DSi thrives [Electronista]