Nintendo to phase out the DS Lite?

David Yarnton, managing director of Nintendo UK, doesn’t have our complete confidence at the moment, after he blithely suggested that mobile gaming never happened.

Anyway, trade weekly MCV has been chatting with him again regarding the future of the DS Lite once the DSi is released on April 3rd.

“We’ll let the market decide. We expect some people will upgrade, but we also anticipate that we’ll win over people who were still undecided on DS – the extra features will help convince them,” explains Yarnton.

So, not being one to acknowledge that the device faces any form of competition, it seems Nintendo UK envisages two types of consumer within the gaming market place – those who’ll upgrade their DS Lite, and those whose first handheld console will be the DSi. Hmm.

But is the DSi a replacement for the DS Lite, or a companion product? It’s difficult to image a circumstance where a gamer would feel the need to own – and operate – both, so what if the DS Lite sales continue and it’s the DSi that the market decides to phase out?

“As with everything now, we look at our target market being five to 85, offering different things for different people,” he continues. “The functions of the device really open the platform up to more consumers – it gives the DS format unlimited potential.”

So, if you’re in the five- to 85-year-old age bracket and you do or don’t already own as DS Lite, it seems as though you’d better get saving – Nintendo’s expecting a cheque in the post.