DS "refresh" possible, says Sebastian
The Lazard Capital analyst suggests that Nintendo could launch a refreshed DS if sales momentum slows
In a note to investors responding to Nintendo financial reporting, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian suggested that Nintendo could launch a refresh of the DS if sales does not continue.
Nintendo said that it expected to ship 28 million DS handhelds in the 2009 fiscal year - down 2 million from the units shipped in fiscal year 2008.
Sebastian said that the decline forecast by Nintendo is in line with Lazard's expectations. He expects US sales of 6.4 million units in calendar year 2008.
While Nintendo plans to accelerate DS sales momentum by introducing new software and services, Sebastian said that the company could launch a refresh of its handheld platform if sales momentum does not continue.
Last week, Bloomberg in Japan reported that Famitsu publisher Hirokazu Hamamura said that Nintendo would possibly reveal a re-worked DS handheld at the upcoming E3 Media & Business Summit.
Nintendo promptly denied the rumours, and Enterbrain later disavowed Hamamura's alleged statements.