ShopTo: Nintendo will meet DSi demand

ShopTo has told Eurogamer that with the DSi, Nintendo has finally managed to make enough day-one stock to meet consumer demand.

The slightly redesigned handheld launches on Friday for GBP 149. ShopTo reckons there will even be stock to spare after the initial stampede.

"The pre-orders for the DSi are going very well considering the current economy," ShopTo's Igor Cipolletta told us. "We've had a good allocation from Nintendo and will be able to have loose units for day-one release.

"I believe that this time Nintendo has managed to predict sell-out units and manufacture the right quantity for day-one."

Cipolletta was unable to offer a comparison between DS Lite and DSi demand as ShopTo was significantly smaller when the former launched in June 2006.

Sources close to Nintendo, however, have told us that demand for the DSi is three times higher than for the DS Lite.

But, added Cipolletta, DSi pre-orders at ShopTo have been "much less" than for the Wii.

Despite demand for the DSi, Nintendo has decided not to hold an official launch event. The platform holder told us this was to position the DSi as an evolution of the hardware and not a replacement.

Nintendo, historically, has struggled to provide enough Wiis to retailers at busy times of year. As a result, the console was the most searched-for item on the whole of eBay over Black Friday. Eventually, 3171 units changed hands, each around USD 100 over the standard RRP.