DS Lite dropping to $99 on June 5

Nintendo announced today that the DS Lite system will drop to $99.99 MSRP, starting on June 5. In addition, Nintendo is introducing new red packaging for six popular Mario titles on the DS. The six games with shiny new boxes are: New Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart DS, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Party DS, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem.

The repackaging might seem like discount line, but the announcement doesn't make any mention of lowered prices for the highlighted titles. Instead, the red packaging is strictly cosmetic and will make the games easier to find, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

"From the moment it launched, Nintendo DS Lite hit a sweet spot for consumers in terms of value, experience, and fun," said Fils-Aime. "This new price point will introduce Nintendo DS Lite to even more consumers, and the new red packaging will make it easy for them to find their favorite Mario titles."

Nintendo also took the opportunity to brag about a few sales numbers. The DS "family" has sold 48.9 million units in total. More than 262 million games in the core Super Mario series have been sold, and each of the listed games sold at least 1 million units to date. The highest is New Super Mario Bros with 9.25 million units, followed by Mario Kart DS with 7.4 million, Super Mario 64 DS with 4.34 million, Mario Party DS at 3.27 million, and Bowser's Inside Story at 1.98 million. The most recent release, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, barely made the cut at 1.01 million units sold.