New Nintendo DS Lites The Way For Mario

REDMOND, Wash., May 4, 2006 - Millions of people around the world already enjoy playing Nintendo DS, and the system's future looks even brighter. On June 11, Nintendo DS Lite joins Nintendo's video game family when it launches in the Americas. The lighter, brighter version of the hot-selling Nintendo DS is expected to be priced as low as $129.99 at retailers throughout the United States. The inaugural color is an elegant Polar White with a raised DS logo on the cover.

Nintendo DS Lite arrives just in time for players to pop in the latest version of one of the most storied franchises in video game history. New Super Mario Bros.®, launching May 15, updates classic Mushroom Kingdom action with new features and fun.

"DS Lite and New Super Mario Bros. represent a double shot of gaming excellence," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "We've got something for both lovers of beautiful, new gadgets and fans of old-school gaming."

Nintendo DS Lite comes with a variety of distinctive changes that set it apart from the original - and from all other hand-held video game systems:

• It's less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter.
• Its two bright screens can be adjusted to four levels to adapt to different lighting conditions and to extend battery power.
• The microphone sits in the center of the unit, and the LED lights are clearly visible whether the unit is open or closed.
• The stylus is 1 centimeter longer and 1 millimeter thicker than the stylus of the original, and slides into a side storage slot.
• The Start and Select buttons were repositioned for easier access.
• A removable cover keeps the Game Boy® Advance cartridge slot clear from dust and debris when it's not in use.

New Super Mario Bros. is just one of the many Nintendo DS games that look great on Nintendo DS Lite. Players set off on a side-scrolling platform adventure bursting with the style and superb game play that got many people hooked on video games in the first place. The Mushroom Kingdom is populated with friends and foes, both new and old, and tons of power-ups, including mushrooms that make Mario mega- and micro-sized. The Super Mario franchise has sold more than 184 million games worldwide, which makes it one of the top-selling video game franchises of all time.

Ever since its November 2004 launch, the original Nintendo DS has helped to redefine perceptions of what constitutes a video game. Many systems have been sold to people who are discovering video games for the first time. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's wireless gaming service, has seen more than 1 million connections worldwide. Thousands of people every day log on to battle one another in Metroid® Prime Hunters or see who has all their Tetriminos (falling blocks) in a row in Tetris® DS.

Nintendo DS continues to broaden the market for video games. Nintendo DS has software that appeals to older gamers, hard-core gamers and even lapsed gamers. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day went on sale in the United States on April 17 after encountering massive success in Japan. Nintendo will continue that momentum by introducing two upcoming titles that require more brain power than firepower. On June 5, Big Brain Academy arrives to challenge users with a variety of mental tests designed to evaluate various skills. Then on June 26, Sudoku Gridmaster will keep number crunchers busy with more than 400 sudoku puzzles, each one sanctioned by the original creators of sudoku.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2 billion video games and more than 360 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.