Nintendo is after a new kind of customer, and this time the Japanese game giant doesn"t have Pokemon to back it up.
The company"s new DS, an advanced handheld player meant to expand a market Nintendo already dominates with its Game Boy line, is set to go on sale Sunday in the United States and Canada. With a price tag of $149, advanced features such as wireless text messaging and a lineup of games that only includes a few entries by Nintendo stalwarts such as Mario, Nintendo is counting on selling the DS to an audience older and pickier crowd than the pre-teen market that dominates Game Boy sales.
That means ditching the Game Boy name. The new device will be sold simply as the DS (which stands for "dual screen"), as part of a move to establish a new identity, said Schelley Olhava, an analyst for research firm IDC. "They"re working very diligently to change their image from kiddie to hip and cool," Olhava said. "The Game Boy name really signifies warm and cuddly, and that"s not the association they want for this product."