Dear Earth,

We intend to hold you ransom until 100,000,000 DS systems are shipped worldwide. At that time, we will unleash phase two of our diabolical plan to rule you by releasing another version of the same system with new features. Attached, you'll find detailed instructions on how to submit to our whims.

We are the mighty Nintendo. Do not anger us.

Sincerely yours,

Reggie Fils Aime

If you can believe it, Nintendo has just shipped their 100 millionth DS console. They don't know where it went, just that that number of DS have been boxed up, and put up for adoption at your local retailer. For those of you who love useless information, (and in this day and age who doesn't?) I've compiled a short list of other numbers that come from this announcement.

- If you were to line up all the DS created, you'd have a length equal to 41,666,667ft or 12,700km or 7891 miles.

- There are now enough DS to give one to one out of every three people in the United States.

- You could give 50 DS to each person who lived in the United States in the year 1776, and then get burned at the stake.

- If you placed the first DS in Times Square, and placed them one by one in front of another in an eastward direction until you ran out, you would drown when you got 72 DS deep into the Atlantic Ocean.

- You could make a DS bread-crumb trail from Bangkok to Paris.

You can read the full press release below.

________________________________________________________

     Somewhere – perhaps in Chicago, maybe in Paris, possibly in Tokyo – the 100 millionth system in the Nintendo DS™ franchise has been shipped to a distributor or a retailer as of March 6, 2009. The combined total sales of 100 million Nintendo DS systems, Nintendo DS Lite systems and Nintendo DSi™systems represent a significant milestone in the life of this franchise, which is still going strong.

“Consumers have shown their love for Nintendo DS – 100 million times over,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We are grateful that people of all ages continue to respond to our products, and we will continue to look for ways to please current gamers and create new ones.”

Since the original Nintendo DS launched in late 2004, its dual screens, touch screen and voice-recognition capabilities ushered in an era of new experiences not previously possible on portable systems. The successor, Nintendo DS Lite, launched with a slimmer, trimmer look.

The third iteration of the Nintendo DS hardware, Nintendo DSi, launches in the United States three and a half weeks from now on April 5. Nintendo DSi includes two cameras and the ability to record, manipulate and play sound files, and will allow consumers to personalize their very own Nintendo DSi experiences. It will again transform the way people access, experience, create and share portable content.

From the beginning, consumers around the world responded to the novel software options available on Nintendo DS. This is reflected by the fact that as of Dec. 31, 2008, there were 83 DS titles whose global shipment exceeded 1 million. Seven of these titles topped 10 million. Experiences like Nintendogs™ and the Brain Age™ series began a paradigm shift for the industry, as video games grew beyond the traditional audience of young men to include girls, adult men and women – and even seniors. Traditional games like New Super Mario Bros.™ and Mario Kart™ DS keep people coming back for more. Nintendo DS games demonstrate an “evergreen” quality: They frequently remain in the top-selling lists, months – or even years – after their launch. The system continues to expand into new territory with titles such as those in the Personal Trainer™ series.

For more information about Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi, visit www.NintendoDS.com and www.NintendoDSi.com.

Nintendo DS fast facts:

Nintendo DS launch
Nov. 21, 2004, in North America (MSRP $149.99)
Dec. 2, 2004, in Japan
March 11, 2005, in Europe

Nintendo DS Lite launch
March 2, 2006, in Japan
June 11, 2006, in North America (MSRP $129.99)
June 23, 2006, in Europe

Nintendo DSi launch
Nov. 1, 2008, in Japan
April 3, 2009, in Europe
April 5, 2009, in North America (MSRP $169.99)

 

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