Target Confirms 1000 Free DSi Points

Hope the Europeans also have the free 1000 DSi Points with the DSi...

Thinking what to buy with all that ponts.

I just heard about the free points at Gamestop today. So before anybody asks, yes, they're doing this, too. This announcement makes it sound universal (not by store), but I'd rather confirm it from within Gamestop anyway.

Also, the site it says to visit doesn't seem to exist. At least, I couldn't get there. I wanted to see the full details, too. Anybody else having trouble with this?

The site might not be online until around launch time. And the way this sounds, it's a universal free 1000 DSi Points. It didn't mention anything about the specific store and the website URL doesn't contain "Target" anywhere in it.

Ah, that would make sense, I guess.
Like I said, it does definitely SOUND universal. But since I work at Gamestop, I have a bad habit of dumbing things down to make sure they're understood, and to avoid possible (if unlikely) dumb questions.

Anyway, it's a pretty sweet deal. DSi release +DSiWare + way too many awesome DS games releasing lately = who needs home consoles anymore?

This is great news and I can't wait to see wait to see what DSiWare will launch with.

I'm plaining on getting a lot of Dsi ware maybe I can do reviews for you

Considering how many games we've seen going for 200 or 300 points, this is actually a pretty generous offer.

sweet!
I just need to figure out what to get!

YAY! FREE STUFF!!!!

The first thing I'll download is the launch title that gets a 9/10.

Well thats great news, to bad they didn't do that for the Wii. I'll probably download Dr. Mario and The Wario Ware game. But that won't be until I get a DSi around Christmas, I don't feel like buying one.

Can't wait, preordered my DSi on friday night.

You probably get the 1000 points no matter where you buy your DSi. I hope for all my WW friends that this isn't region-specific.

Hmmm does it depend on when u buy it, cause I dunno if I wanna buy it right away. I might wait till summer or something.

Is it required to pre-order the system in order to do this, or will it just come with the system regularly?

Nothing was mentioned about pre-ordering so I would assume it's open to all that purchase a DSi system.

Remember in Japan when buying the classic controller you got free Wii points? Nintendo should have done something like this for the rest of the regions. When giving points free, people want to use them. That would mean more Wii's going online and experiencing the Wii Shop. Which in the end means more potential users.
They should give the 1000 free points always, so every DSi user experiences the online shop.

EDIT: We have the Star2Points exchange in our Club, although it isn't as direct as giving you free points, you do get points when you register ~20 Nintendo games.

Sounds like a great idea, allowing people to get a couple of free games when buying a DSi will greatly increase nintendo's attachment rate per console sold.

Once you have downloaded content it means your more likely to stick to the console. I could never sell or trade my Wii or 360 as I've got way too many cool downloaded games that I couldn't and wouldn't sell on.

The first thing I'll download is the launch title that gets a 9/10.
If there is one, that is

I think this is great though, and if they advertised the points alongside the DSi, some people may begin to forgive the high price point. One of the best things about this though, is that it will certainly increase awareness of the DSi shop and how simple it is to use, especially since Nintendo didn't try anything like this with the Wii's shop channel (thus ensuring that awareness of the channel wasn't half as high as Nintendo would have hoped).

I'll b getting WarioWare and probaly the Calculator, because it's officialy the msot awesome maths-related hoo-ha since Sho Minimoto.

@Wiiloveit: There will be, there always is.

As for the pirce, Gamestop is having a special; trade in your DSLite and get the DSi 70% off. Not a bad deal, upgrade your DS for only 40 bucks.

@Bahamut ZERO: Okay then, care to name a 9/10 worthy DSiWare launch game? The only game I can think of with a chance of this achievement is Pop Plus, but even then, that may not be released until after launch.

@Wiiloveit: My intuition says there will be. I cant name any, but there will be. Just wait

@Bahamut ZERO: Nah - YOU just wait.

How long will this offer last? It might influence how soon I get mine (wanted to wait for a monthly -10% offer at COSMOS)

@Bensei: my guess is that it will last for a good few months, or maybe around a year, especially with all the demand Nintendo are going to be having for the console.

I don't know. When games cost $2-5, I think you have to score that differently. If these are going to be scored at DSiWare-World or whatever the WWW crew plans to do, I think the first batch of apps is going to be very tough to score since there won't be much of a comparison for what to expect from these apps. I don't think a 9/10 for DSi will be as fun as a 9/10 for WW since they are just meant to be cheap, pick up and play minutes wasters. Maybe one of those ArtStyle games will get this coveted score... not sure if any of those are coming out at launch.

I don't see why DSIware games have to fall into the 'minute waster' catagory just due to being downloadable, look at Lost Winds on Wiiware it's a fantastic game and although short held me captivated more that many full price retail offerings.

I'm sure there will be a fair share of time wasters and rubbish on DSi ware but we should hope for more substantial releases as file size has never been a measure of greatness in gaming in my eyes at least.

I thought it was already confirmed that until march 2010, everyone who goes to the dsi shop would get 1000 free points.

@Wiiloveit: Let us both wait. Agreed

I have this bad feeling that most of the DSiware games that are going to be released are not going to be that good. Compared to WiiWare, which had LostWinds, Final Fantasy, and Defend Your Castle (not to mention virtual counsle) on it's release date, I can only name Mighty Flip Chimps as a game that people will want to get (and when I see that game, I think Away: Shuffle Dungeon, which only got 6.1 from IGN.)

I'm not saying that this is a good deal, but I'm saying that this might be an advertisement ploy to try and get everyone warmed up to the idea of DSIware, when none of this was needed to attract WiiWare. Hopefully, I'm wrong and this is a huge success, but don't be surprised if you're holding onto these free 1000 points for some time, waiting for a game you want to appear.

As I was writing this, I had an epithiany. Is there going to be Virtual Counsle on the DSIware? That would quadruple my interest in DSIware, and if there is, I would take back everything bad I said about DSIware.

@Crazed: You have to remember, some of these cost $2.

@Crazed:
"Is there going to be Virtual Counsle on the DSIware? That would quadruple my interest in DSIware"

I've heard it rumored, but you have to admit that this would be a pretty easy rumor to start. As much as I've been keeping my eyes peeled, I haven't come across any confirmation (or even "official suggestion") that we'll get one.

But I don't know...I hope they don't close the door on it completely; whatever it would take to put one together, it's got to be worth it. I'd go ape for the chance to play the old portable Zelda titles again...

I'd love to see classic GB, GBC, and GBA games made available on some type of Virtual Console for the DSi. Now whether or not that will happen is still a mystery. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

@27 (Gig)
I don't think the software must fall into the minutes-waster category, but Nintendo has recently addressed other developers encouraging more "apps" rather than games. This development plus the announced titles so far indicates that this is the direction DSiWare will likely take. Maybe I'll be wrong. I hope not though; I don't feel like ponying up for a DSi.

Um i do not really know what happened, but it really freaked me out.
I clicked on the manners game news from news section or what ever, and then something went wrong, and there was a clicking noise that kept on happening and i couldnt exit or anything. So i did control alt delete, but then the site some how went to redtube.com and i was freaking out and i deleted it. :l
So i do not really know what went wrong, and i do not know how it went to that site.

Sweet. If Aussies get the free points as well, I reckon I'll be getting a DSi after all. = P

@Bahamut ZERO post #20: Sorry to have to tell you, but you seem to have misread a sign at Gamestop and/or been lied to by an employee thereof. The deal to which you refer is 70 DOLLARS off the DSi, NOT 70 percent. Still not a bad deal since the regular DS Lite trade-in credit is $45.

I, too am hoping for some sort of handheld VC announcement. It'd most likely include not only Gameboy, but also Game Gear games. Knowing Nintendo, they'd probably try to get Neo Geo Pocket and/or Pocket Color games on there, too.
Sadly, I'm not very convinced it'll happen. Seems like there should've been something about it already if they were going to do it. Nintendo doesn't seem all that interested in the Wii's VC anymore, so why start another for DSi? Sad, but likely true.

I just got a coupon from going to the platinum Club Nintendo member pre-launch DSi demo thing. It's happening at lots of Gamestops around the US next sunday too. The coupon gives you $100 in credit toward a DSi when you trade in a fully functional DS Lite, so a $70 DSi, with $10 in Nintendo points. Not bad, but the coupon must be redeemed within 2 days of launch, and only at the Gamestop on 33rd and Broadway in NYC. I'm not going to be able to use it that soon, so anyone who wants it, PM me or something

@ adam,

Fair enough, i missed that announcement.

I gues if apple can print money that way it'll work for nintendo too.

@Terranigma: I'm very busy at the moment with a lot of things, and I'll do another one when I have some more spare time, because I had a lot of interest in the last one before I ended up locked out of my house

@joeshabadoo: We've got a similar offer, allowing us to get a DSi for half price, here in the UK, but your offer is way better. Then again, we're getting used to ending up with the worse deals here now.

@Stuffgamer: Aw. But still, not a bad deal.

@Terranigma: even though there isn't too much going on there now, there will be some new competition details launching soon, alongside a prize of a certain little touch screen handheld device.

Looks like Target pulled the 1000 free points info out of the product description. A mad email from Nintendo perhaps?

@46. ReZon
i was thinking the same thing when i saw that on gonintendo

@joeshabadoo: You went to one of those events? Can you please head over to http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2009/03/rejoice_the_dsi_gets_a_virtual_console_after_all and clear up the debate? If you tell us what you heard about the situation there, it might help some of the skeptics to believe the news. Thanks!

I didn't ask about a DSi VC, and they didn't mention anything. That's all I can say. So anyone in NYC want that $100 trade-in credit coupon card?

That's disappointing. It sounds like different Nintendo reps were leaking different info, if any at all. I wonder if they were SUPPOSED to tell people about it at those events at all...

Nintendo confirms free 1000 Points for DSi.

http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=17844

The offer will be good for 6 months after the DSi's release.

Thanks for that update ReZon. Now I know the time frame for the DSi to prove itself.