Iwata reassures shareholders on DS stock situation

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has reassured the firm's shareholders that it will not experience production difficulties with the immensely successful DS Lite handheld due to the impending launch of the Wii home console.

Addressing a shareholder meeting in Japan last week, Iwata explained that the Wii is being manufactured using entirely separate production facilities to the DS Lite, so ramping up the supply of the home system won't affect DS supplies.

It may seem slightly self-evident that this would be the case, but it's not surprising that Iwata wants to reassure shareholders and retailers alike of this situation; after all, the DS has witnessed ongoing short supply in Japan ever since Christmas, with over 100,000 units of the console being sold there every week.

Indeed, publisher Square Enix last week also moved to reassure its shareholders that it has worked with Nintendo to ensure a sufficient supply of DS hardware for the launch of its remake of Final Fantasy III on the platform in mid-August, revealing just how concerned the industry in the Far East is that the DS might be far too popular for Nintendo to keep up with.