AfterDawn: News

Nintendo launches black Wii, red DSi in Japan

Nintendo has launched a black colored Wii console in Japan today, marking the first time the console has been available officially in a different colorway then the standard white.

The console is available alongside a matching Wii remote, nunchuck and a Classic Controller Pro.



All the new hardware is priced the same as the current white colorway, and will go on sale on August 1st.

The company has also launched a special red DSi handheld, which will go on sale on July 11th at the same price as the current colored models. In Japan, those colors are white, black, pink, lime green and metallic blue.

New colorways have proven time and time again in Japan to boost sales, and Nintendo and Sony often use the technique when sales drop.



Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 5 Jun 2009 1:14

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• 30 comments

• blueboy09

  So how come is it that they (that is Japan) get those colors? You would think b/c of the recession and all that they would do what they could here to boost sales. I'm scratching my head on this one. . .- BLUEBOY

  5.6.2009 04:07 #1

• SProdigy

  I want that controller!

  5.6.2009 07:56 #2

• chubbyInc

  Work on the games! Although black is nice I think all us white console owners would like some better games and more quality games to choose from.
  
  Guess Nintendo needs to be careful about advertising, don't wanna make the mistake Sony did for the PSP.

  5.6.2009 10:19 #3

• pierrrre

  Slow news day....

  5.6.2009 14:31 #4

• emugamer

  Originally posted by pierrrre: Slow news day....Nice wood flooring in the pic though. Do Japanese typically lay their TV on their floors?

  5.6.2009 15:19 #5

• Morreale

  looks like a Playstation controller...

  5.6.2009 15:52 #6

• core2kid

  I really like that picture.

  5.6.2009 18:04 #7

• varnull

  Yeah.. that's a pretty traditional Japanese floor.. not a fingermark on it either, or a footprint.. nothing to spoil that untouched gleam.. *drools*
  
  Remember kids.. In a Japanese house it is required to remove your shoes to look after the beautiful flooring..

  5.6.2009 18:11 #8

• dragnandy

  Originally posted by Morreale: looks like a Playstation controller...and years ago people said it the other way (ps controller looked like the nintendo controller).
  
  honestly though, the black wii looks awesome! makes me want to trade mine for it right now.

  5.6.2009 18:40 #9

• Morreale

  Maybe the very first PS controller when it didn't have the analogs, but now its different.

  5.6.2009 20:48 #10

• cart0181

  Quote:Originally posted by Morreale: looks like a Playstation controller...and years ago people said it the other way (ps controller looked like the nintendo controller).
  
  honestly though, the black wii looks awesome! makes me want to trade mine for it right now.Okay, which Nintendo controller does it look like? The N64? It doesn't look anything like that, it had 3 "prongs." To me it just looks like the Playstation Dual Shock.

  5.6.2009 23:20 #11

• Morreale

  Quote:Quote:Originally posted by Morreale: looks like a Playstation controller...and years ago people said it the other way (ps controller looked like the nintendo controller).
  
  honestly though, the black wii looks awesome! makes me want to trade mine for it right now.Okay, which Nintendo controller does it look like? The N64? It doesn't look anything like that, it had 3 "prongs." To me it just looks like the Playstation Dual Shock.I think he's referring to the SNES controller.

  5.6.2009 23:27 #12

• KillerBug

  Nintendo needs to go to a doctor...black wii is a sign of serious infection.

  6.6.2009 04:57 #13

• blueroad

  this is in no way whatsoever compensation for the 72 mins of my life i wasted watching their press conference..well..36 hehe..who could remain awake throughout the whole boring thing -_-'

  6.6.2009 04:59 #14

• SgtDavis

  I want one. Although I will say this: shiny black objects are damn hard to keep clean. My PS3 has prints all over it and I never touch the thing. They should sell the black Wii with a complementary microfiber towel to polish it up with.

  6.6.2009 11:44 #15

• Jemborg

  I want a wood veneer console like the old days!!!

  6.6.2009 16:29 #16

• iamgq

  It looks great, but still a boring console. I sold my Wii last month.

  7.6.2009 23:16 #17

• core2kid

  I wonder why the majority of the consoles this generation are white by default:
  Xbox 360
  Wii
  DS Lite

  8.6.2009 00:01 #18

• Morreale

  This generation is all about not matching your black TVs, PS3 being the exception. PS3 always seems to be the exception...
  
  Nothing matches my glossy black Sharp Aquos with a lil' chrome strip on the speakers better then my glossy black PS3 with a lil' chrome strip on it's front lol

  8.6.2009 00:28 #19

• KillerBug

  Originally posted by Morreale: This generation is all about not matching your black TVs, PS3 being the exception. PS3 always seems to be the exception...
  
  Nothing matches my glossy black Sharp Aquos with a lil' chrome strip on the speakers better then my glossy black PS3 with a lil' chrome strip on it's front lolYeah...back in the days of yore the dreamcast was black and the playstion whas white...

  8.6.2009 03:29 #20

• emugamer

  black consoles ftw. Got my black HDTV in my black entertainment center with my PS3 and other black electronics. Just one black wall with red and blue LED's here and there.

  8.6.2009 06:15 #21

• core2kid

  Originally posted by Morreale: This generation is all about not matching your black TVs, PS3 being the exception. PS3 always seems to be the exception...
  
  Nothing matches my glossy black Sharp Aquos with a lil' chrome strip on the speakers better then my glossy black PS3 with a lil' chrome strip on it's front lol
  Same thing with the Black Bravia XBR with glass trip at the bottom and silver speakers. 360 looks so bad by it.

  8.6.2009 06:28 #22

• Shinraboy

  Oh who cares. The appeal was the fact that it was white. Still I saw tat DSi in red it is GORGEOUS. I'd import it but hey...everyone will get it I just know it

  8.6.2009 19:28 #23

• SoulGLOW

  Originally posted by core2kid: I wonder why the majority of the consoles this generation are white by default:
  Xbox 360
  Wii
  DS LiteBlame Apple. Didnt they start this white thing. --snicker-- At least Nintendo had some class and made it glossy unlike the XBox which just looks cheap in all its incarnations. As soon as my warranty expires I'm doing something special to my case.

  10.6.2009 04:48 #24

• Shinraboy

  Really? I don't know white is gorgeous. Black is very....typical. The rules of design when it comes to your entertainment system have always been black black black boring. The times of sleek black electronics have to come to an end or slow down.
  
  For example.
  
  Black LCD Tv.
  
  White Playstation 3
  
  XBOX 360 in Black (witrh glossy green led lites)
  
  And a White wii
  Thats just me. Still that Red DSi is real nice

  10.6.2009 13:25 #25

• Morreale

  Quote:Blame Apple. Didnt they start this white thing. --snicker-- At least Nintendo had some class and made it glossy unlike the XBox which just looks cheap in all its incarnations. As soon as my warranty expires I'm doing something special to my case.Yea I think Apple started it and now ruined it with their ugly grey computers with black frames and glossy screens... Long live my white Core 2 Duo iMac!

  10.6.2009 15:43 #26

• core2kid

  Quote:Originally posted by core2kid: I wonder why the majority of the consoles this generation are white by default:
  Xbox 360
  Wii
  DS LiteBlame Apple. Didnt they start this white thing. --snicker-- At least Nintendo had some class and made it glossy unlike the XBox which just looks cheap in all its incarnations. As soon as my warranty expires I'm doing something special to my case.
  Heat your warranty sticker off. I didn't care about warranty, I did the xclamp mod and AS5 along with a air duct expansion when it was still working. 06 console still working here.

  10.6.2009 20:34 #27

• core2kid

  Originally posted by Shinraboy: Really? I don't know white is gorgeous. Black is very....typical. The rules of design when it comes to your entertainment system have always been black black black boring. The times of sleek black electronics have to come to an end or slow down.
  
  For example.
  
  Black LCD Tv.
  
  White Playstation 3
  
  XBOX 360 in Black (witrh glossy green led lites)
  I guess I wouldn't mind for a glossy white or black components in my entertainment center. What ruins my entertainment center right now is my Halo Xbox, Gamecube with pokemon skin, and Mass Effect 360 but the worst is the silver DVR/Cable box. If that was black then the rest would match well.
  
  And a White wii
  Thats just me. Still that Red DSi is real nice

  10.6.2009 20:36 #28

• psp lover 101 (unverified)

  Guess Nintendo needs to be careful about advertising, don't wanna make the mistake Sony did for the PSP.
  
  shut the fuck up the psp go kick the shit out of wii and dsi

  22.4.2010 21:44 #29

• pap lover 101 (unverified)

  dsi and wii are both bad ass systems ,but when it comes face to face with the pap and pa3 it doesn't stand a chance.

  22.4.2010 21:50 #30