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Nintendo DS Sales Set to Hit Six-Million Worldwide as Much-Anticipated New Titles Launch this Spring

(Press Release)

The hottest new portable gaming system launches more than a dozen new games
featuring DS’ unique dual-screen, touch-screen gameplay

VANCOUVER, B.C., March 21, 2005 – More than a dozen new Nintendo DS™ games – from Ubisoft’s Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith to Electronic Art’s Need for Speed™ Underground 2 – are slated to launch in the coming weeks, giving Nintendo DS owners a chance to expand their library of action, adventure, sports, fantasy, role-playing and puzzle games.

The new titles take advantage of DS’ unique gameplay, including DS’ dual screens, touch screen, voice recognition and wireless capabilities.

“With titles such as Rayman DS from Ubisoft joining existing DS titles like Nintendo’s WarioWare Touched! and Sega’s Feel the Magic, gamers are going to be able to fully experience the innovative gameplay DS has to offer,” says Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s general manager. “As momentum for DS continues to grow, we expect it to be in the hands of about six-million gamers worldwide by the end of March, further cementing Nintendo’s position as the global leader in portable gaming.”

Key upcoming Nintendo DS software launches include:
· Rayman DS (Ubisoft – March 28, 2005) - Nintendo DS puts a new spin on the popular Rayman® series as players monitor their progress, track their collected Lums, and keep an eye on Rayman's health using the DS touch screen, so they don’t have to leave the action for even a second.

· Polarium (Nintendo – April 18, 2005) – Already rumoured to be more addictive than Tetris, Polarium challenges you to create horizontal rows of the same color by using the stylus and touch screen to strategically invert blocks on the screen.

· Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Ubisoft – May 5, 2005) – Based on the third Star Wars movie, Revenge of the Sith on DS promises a unique Jedi experience. With multiple character control, devastating force power and never-before seen places, Revenge of the Sith takes advantage of DS technology in ways that will amaze gamers.

· Need For Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts – May 23, 2005) – DS’ touch screen and stylus allow players to customize their cars like never before. Customize a car by drawing on it with the DS’ stylus, or create and edit vinyl designs for your souped-up vehicle, making it the coolest ride on the road. Players can also manage their gas tanks and control their boost power.

DS’ new spring titles join best-sellers such as Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 DS and WarioWare Touched!, as well as Sega’s Feel the Magic, Namco’s Ridge Racer DS, Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 2005 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and Ubisoft’s Asphalt Urban GT, which are already available for the portable gaming system.

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Gamers also got a peak into future DS titles at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco in early March, where Nintendo President Satoru Iwata previewed key summer and fall game launches. Iwata unveiled the first Nintendo DS game to feature wireless networked gaming via the Internet. Nintendo’s legendary game Animal Crossing will launch for DS in the fall, allowing gamers to compete globally via a home or office Wi-Fi connection or Wi-Fi hot spot such as a café, hotel or airport lounge. Animal Crossing is expected to be the first of many Wi-Fi-enabled titles on Nintendo DS.

Gamers have already been enjoying the wireless multiplayer capabilities of Nintendo DS, which allows them to battle head-to-head wirelessly within 30 feet of each other. This multiplayer wireless capability has spawned a worldwide DS community phenomenon in which players log on to www.dsfinder.com to find local gaming spots. For instance, players are invited to the Quilles G Plus Rose-Bowl in Montreal on Saturday afternoons as one of the local malls, restaurants and bars where DS competitions are popping up. As many multiplayer DS titles, such as Super Mario 64, offer multiplayer download capabilities, only one game cartridge is needed for a group of players to compete head-to-head.

Nintendo will announce more information about Nintendo DS software titles and its free Nintendo DS Wi-Fi connection service at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles in early May.

As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of Canada Ltd., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a leader and innovator in the $1 billion video game industry in Canada. Nintendo of Canada markets hardware and software for Game Boy® Advance, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo GameCube™. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games and more than 170 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario™ and Donkey Kong® and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. Nintendo is dedicated to the long-term development of the interactive entertainment industry, devoting its resources towards maximizing the latest technology to create the most innovative, interactive entertainment products in the world.