As most of us are aware, the Nintendo DS (NDS) and its successor Nintendo DS Lite was a hit amongst many people. When it was first introduced, Nintendo had hit the bulls-eye again, following the success of its GameBoy franchise, less the GameBoy Micro, which “did not meet [Nintendo’s] expectations”.
The NDS had two screens, with one being a touch screen, and was sold with the promotions revolving around the concept of its touch screen.This product was able to reboot the handheld game console category back to the Introduction stage of the Product Life Cycle with its idea of having a touch screen, which gives the value of users being able to better interact with games. Then, the product category moved onto the Growth stage as more game companies, adapted the technology and expanded their game selection, which also marked the beginning of where Nintendo and other companies started to discontinue support for previous game consoles. This lead to consumers adopting the new technology, since if they wished to continue playing the games they like, they had to change consoles. As well, the product category was able to cater to different consumer preferences, for those who prefer action or those who prefer relaxation. Next, came the Maturity stage again, as the late majority started to adopt this technology and increased competition from other firms, such as PlayStation, for the market share and prices fell. Just before the Decline stage arrives, Nintendo again tries to reboot the category with the added benefit of having a camera and an extra large screen.
