Nintendo has denied that it is planning to phase out its DSi handheld console in anticipation of the release of the Nintendo 3DS over the coming weeks.
Kotaku.com had translated a report from Japan that suggested Nintendo would stop making and selling new units of its DSi handheld, although it would keep manufacturing and marketing the larger-screen DSi XL model alongside the new 3DS.
“We plan to still manufacture and supply DSi consoles in a range of colours in the UK in 2011,” Nintendo said in a statement to the media. “On an on-going basis, continuing supply is based on retail and consumer demand.”
The Nintendo 3DS handheld console will launch in Japan on February 26th and will follow in North America and Europe in March. Nintendo is to ship 1.5 million units of the device to Japan to avoid supply shortages that were experienced with older iterations of the console.
The 3DS will sell for ¥25,000 in Japan.
Result for: north america
Sony has sold 4.1 million Move motion control systems since launch in September.
The company says today that worldwide sales passed 4 million this week thanks to strong holiday demand.
“The milestone was reached in just two months since its release in September for North America, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, and 1 month since the release in October for Japan,” added Sony.
“The number not only shows clear success of the launch of the new motion sensing controller but also indicates positive momentum going in to the holiday season and to the year 2011.”
Move is supported by 25 games.
Over the holiday, Microsoft announced it had sold 2.5 million Kinect motion control systems since launch this month.
Result for: north america
According to research firm Gartner, global tablet sales will hit almost 20 million for this year, buoyed by strong sales of the Apple iPad.
Forecasting into the future, the group says sales will explode to 54.8 million units in 2011 and eventually 208 million units by 2014.
For 2010, North American consumers will purchase 61 percent of the 19.5 million expected tablet sales but by 2013 that number will fall to 43 percent.
Tablets are described as “slate” touch-screen devices running a mobile operating system such as WebOS, iOS, Android or Meego.
Apple has sold an estimated 8.5 million iPads this year.
Gartner also noted that netbooks will be cannibalized as tablets begin selling for under $300 in the next couple of years.
