Either Nintendo moved up the North American release date of the Onyx (black) and Coral Pink DS Lites from September 13 to today or earlier or the EB Games in Chicago on Webster and Clybourn is selling them before it should, because I bought a black one today.

I had owned a Polar White DS Lite since June. I don't like white, but it was the only color option on the continent at the time and there were too many DS games I "needed" to play as soon as possible, so I ordered one from an Internet retailer.

I questioned whether this was a good decision from the beginning. Surely the DS Lite would be available in a color I liked at some point. And surely I would be angry when that happened.

And was I ever angry when I learned Europe would get a black DS Lite-a color I liked--in addition to the white one at launch.

That anger soon turned into lust. I like black, perhaps a bit too much--people complain that they almost always see me wearing black clothing. (Oddly many of the same people ask me for fashion and design advice.) I "needed" a DS Lite as soon as possible, but I would trade in my white model for a black one as soon as the latter was made available in North America. (I thought about importing a black DS Lite, but decided the high price, lack of support from Nintendo of America and need to purchase a North American/Japanese-style AC adaptor separately made it not worth the trouble.)

So today I walked to the nearest EB Games to trade in my Polar White DS Lite for an Onyx one.

I am satisfied. My new shiny black DS Lite looks classy. Even with the more easily seen fingerprints and lint.

And unlike the EB Games in San Francisco on Powell, the employees at the EB Games I went to were a joy with which to to do business. They answered the phone when I called; they answered my questions immediately and politely; they even more or less discouraged me from buying the extended warranty as they asked me if I wanted it--probably because I brought my white DS Lite in its original packaging, including the second stylus, all instruction manuals and plastic bags.

If this EB Games weren't a four mile walk from my home (and another four mile walk from the store back home), I would shop there regularly.

Oh, and if you decide to sell your GameCube to EB Games, don't forget a GameCube controller. They won't take it without one.