Nintendo DS Lite dropping to $99 on June 5

By Geoff Duncan May 31, 2011

Nintendo DS Lite — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo of America has announced that, effective June 5, the suggested retail price for the Nintendo DS List handheld gaming system will drop to $99. Although the DS Lite has been long-since been eclipsed on the tech front (frist by the Nintendo DSi and most recently by the Nintendo 3DS, the handheld remains the best-selling video game system ever, with about 49 million sold.

“From the moment it launched, Nintendo DS Lite hit a sweet spot for consumers in terms of value, experience and fun,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, in a statement. “This new price point will introduce Nintendo DS Lite to even more consumers.”

Nintendo is also repackaging six Mario titles for the Nintendo DS to make it easier for new converts to the platform to find the titles. The six games—are New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! and Mario Party DS—represent top-selling titles for the DS, with New Super Mario Bros. along having sold over 9.2 million copies to date.

The Nintendo DS Lite sold so well in its day in part because it supported cartridges from the Game Boy Advance, and while it may not make much sense to buy a handheld gaming system that’s two generations behind the times, the sheer size of the game market for the DS Lite still makes it compelling for casual gamers—especially folks willing to tap into the used game market.

Nintendo DS Lite red game packaging May 2011 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

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