If there’s one thing you can always count on Nintendo to do, it’s whatever you least expect. After all, what other developer would release an exercise game with a Pilates ring as a controller, sell a build-it-yourself cardboard toy, or drop an important update on its next console on the night of a presidential election? But before all that, Nintendo made maybe its boldest move, releasing a handheld console unlike anything else on the market, and its success set the stage for the company as we know it today.
The Nintendo DS launched in Japan on December 2, 2004, and even its release date is an anomaly. A Japanese company, Nintendo had typically released its consoles domestically first, then later brought them overseas. The company changed that for the DS, releasing the handheld a full 10 days earlier in North America than in Japan. By putting the DS up for sale before Black Friday in the U.S., Nintendo ensured that sales would be as high as possible for the launch. It was right about that, but more importantly, releasing the DS outside of Japan first showed that the company was pushing an expansion of its audience, and that push paid off.
