DS Lite launches quietly in UK

The Nintendo DS Lite launched in the UK on Friday to a rather muted response, with no major retailers holding midnight opening events. The console, which is available in both black and white in the UK, costs £99.99, although most retailers have been offering discounted bundles with games and accessories.

At GAME's flagship Oxford Street store in London, around 40 people lined up for the 8am opening, although most of them had already paid the £20 deposit to ensure they'd get hold of a console. Despite reports that Nintendo had suffered a theft of a shipment of DS Lites bound for the UK, GAME fulfilled all preorders, and even offered customers the chance to change colours if they so desired.

Those that did make the effort to visit the store early on were rewarded with various gifts that included posters and a Brain Training T-shirt, which, oddly enough, came in a bag that featured an image of the Game Boy Advance SP.

When CNET.co.uk's sister site GameSpot spoke to customers that were buying a DS Lite, most said they had opted for bundles that offered the console and two games for £130, with almost an even split of those opting for the white and black colours. However, the most popular games of the day were Tetris DS and Metroid Prime: Hunters, both of which sold out within half an hour.

Other Oxford Street stores were making much less fuss over the launch. A tiny poster in the window of Currys Digital advertised the new console, while Virgin Megastore's window was too occupied with a big sale to devote any space to the DS Lite. Many customers who opted to buy online from GAME have reported consoles arriving a day early, while both Play.com and Amazon.co.uk had the console in stock at time of publication.

Read our full review of the Nintendo DS Lite.