Nintendo Australia has just announced that it will be the official gaming console supplier for the 2008 Australian Open. In line with this, Nintendo will be featuring tennis competitions for Wii Sports and the DS game Sight Training. Winners will get tickets to the Men's Final and even play against Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis.

Details on Nintendo's sponsorship can be found in the full article.

If Nintendo's recent figures are accurate, it appears that the guys in Australia just love the DS. The company has recently sent out word that the region's DS sales have now hit the 700,000 mark. We once again stress that these figures are for the territory of Australia alone. In line with this good news, Nintendo also let loose with release dates for choice DS and Wii games heading for the Land Down Under. Top picks include Phantom Hourglass for the DS, and Metroid Prime 3 for the Wii:

• DS:
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (October 11)
• DK Jungle Climber (November 1)
• Naruto Ninja Council (European version, November 15)
• Mario Party DS (December 6)
• Master of Illusion (mid-December)
• Wii:
• Big Brain Academy (November 8)
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption: (November 8)
• Pokemon Battle Revolution (November 22)
• Super Mario Galaxy (November 29)
• Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (December 13)
• Zack and Wiki; Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (mid-December)
  

Nintendo's Director of Sales and Marketing  Rose Lappin had this to say Australia's upcoming crop of title for the Wii and DS systems:

This promises to be one of the most exciting times for the video game industry, I cannot remember a time when there were so many quality titles released that delivered to everyone

We'll let the readers know if anything new comes up regarding this matter. Until then, enjoy glossing over your pickings for the upcoming months.

Two great bits of news here for our Australian buddies. It seems the DS has hit yet another mark in its quest for glory across the entire world, as official numbers point to half a million units sold in Australia. In addition, Telstra has teamed up with the console maker to produce more than 1,000 additional WiFi hotspots for DS gamers to use in their gaming grind.

First up, the numbers. According to IGN, there are now officially more over 500,000 DS units sold in Australia within the past two years. By comparison, IGN notes, the Xbox 360 sold 157,000 units in its first year. Whether that's a testament to the Nintendo handheld's power to compel shoppers or a sign that the Xbox 360 costs more than a handheld is up to you, but those are definitely numbers that look nice and round for Nintendo stockholders.

On the other side of the news, Nintendo and Telstra have teamed up to add additional WiFi hotspots across Australia, to the tune of over 1,000 added zones. More importantly, the said zones are completely free for DS use. Said Rose Lappin, Nintendo of Australia's Director of Sales and Marketing,

This agreement with Telstra will bring countless people together to play games in a single, simultaneous wireless community.... Beginning with free access at participating destinations, we have removed one of the major barriers that have kept people from going online to play games.

Nintendo sure had a good year last 2006. With their stocks report soaring high, it sure is an indication that it is back on track and will be here to stay to give us more gaming treats.

Even in Australia, their products are making waves, especially last holidays, when the DS Lite outsold all other handheld and console offerings for the month of December. In fact, over-all, it became the highest selling games console of 2006. The newly-launched Wii, meanwhile, has officially succeeded in pulling off the biggest launch yet, with a record-breaking 50,000 units sold in just three weeks after launch.

Says Nintendo Australia's Director of Sales and Marketing, Rose Lappin,

We promised innovation and creative thinking. We promised to bring gaming to the masses and make interactive entertainment relevant to a broader audience. We promised we would disrupt the industry. I think we have delivered on these promises.

The titles that proved to be the big hits are Brain Training: How Old is your Brain, Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros. and the new Pokemon titles, to name but a few.

Who says pink are just for girls? Even the Japanese fell in love with it - a pink DS Lite, that is. After conquering the U.S. shores, Nintendo has confirmed that the beloved pink DS Lite will again try to charm Australians, November 2 this year. Yep, it will be available for the SRP of $199.95. Nintendogs fans will also be delighted to know that the pink DS will be bundled with a new Nintendog game called Nintendogs Dalmatian and Friends.

According to Rose Lappin, Director of Sales and Marketing, "A Pink Nintendo DS and a new Dalmatian version of Nintendogs is a powerful combination in the lead-up to Christmas". Hmmm, let's see if our spotted friends debuting in a pink DS will do wonders for Nintendo in the Australian market.

Buy: [Nintendogs Labrador Retriever and Friends]
Buy: [Nintendogs Daschund and Friends]
Buy: [Nintendogs Chihuahua and Friends]
Buy: [Nintendogs Dalmatian and Friends]

The Aussies must all be having a grand time down under because the officials from Nintendo Australia have confirmed that the black DS Lite will be available in the region next month, September 21st to be exact.

The launching of the black DS Lite in Australia will be ideal for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team as the game is scheduled for its Australian release just a week after (September 28). The Australians get a head start on the game while Europeans would have to wait till November 10th to get their hands on the yellow guy.

Rose Lappin, director of sales and marketing said "We are very pleased to introduce Black to the range. I think the color lends well to the overall design and offers a sharp elegance to the unit. Until now, consumers have really embraced the clean sophistication of the Polar White look - now they have an option."

Nintendo claims that their DS continues to be the highest selling handheld gaming console in Australia, beating GBA and Sony's PSP. Both the white and pink DS Lite have reportedly sold over 300,000 units since its launch back in June. Officials from Nintendo Australia announced that the black DS Lite will be sold for AU$199.95 ($153 U.S. bucks).