It's funny that in Japan the Nintendo DS is now in it's second iteration, and it's selling much much better than the original model. Alot of this is in part due to the unique design of the new model, but is it the only factor? Absolutely not.

If the DS Lite launched in North America tomorrow, would it sell out as it did in Japan? Perhaps, but doubtful. Why? The DS is selling slightly better than the PSP in America right? Perhaps, but it's not outpacing the PSP the way it is in Japan. Why? Do Japanese gamers only love Nintendo? Hardly. The PS2 is far more of a success in Japan than Gamecube. Well then, what gives? The real reason that the DS is sold out in Japan is mostly due to a piece of software that isn't even in America yet.

In Japan it's called "Brain Training for Adults". It could be considered as big of a killer app in regards to how Tetris was a killer app for the original Gameboy. It uses all of the DS's unique functions in unique ways. Most importantly of all, it has got the attention of people who usually wouldn't play video games. It's also spawned  a sequel and an entire sub-genre of similar games and imitations on the DS all off which sell really well. People of all ages and lifestyles are playing it in Japan now.

When it's released under the name "Brain Age" in America, will it gain similar success? Hard to say. It depends on how much North Americans are interested in improving themselves, something which I think is much much more prominent in Japanese culture. It also greatly depends on how Nintendo markets it. If they market it to the gaming culture, it may not achieve the same success.

It will be interesting to see what happens when "Brain Age" is released in North America. I hope it achieves the same level of success it has in Japan. Only time will tell.