New DS Lite could be in U.S. in May

Video Business Online reports that Nintendo’s DS Lite could reach the U.S. as early as mid-May. David Cole at DFC Intelligence thought a "late-May release is possible based on Nintendo’s recent hardware launches." Cole said, "They announced the DS Lite and had it out in Japan in about a month. When they did the Game Boy Advance SP it was kind of the same short announce-and-release window. I think the big issue may be shortages. My guess is that they would want to make sure and satisfy demand and get inventory fully rolling [in Japan] before they firm up a launch date over here."

According to the article, since the DS Lite's debut on March 2 in Japan, it "has become the best-selling videogame hardware in Japan. Nintendo had planned to ship 450,000 units, but was able to boost production sufficiently to pump 550,000 units to retailers during that month. Nintendo’s goal is to ship 700,000 units there during April."

The DS Lite is about 40 percent slimmer and 20 percent lighter than the DS, boasts a three-position screen brightness control, and is available in three colors: white, traditional Nintendo dark blue and light blue.