Nintendo said on Wednesday it would launch its “brain-training” software, a megahit in Japan, in the United States and Europe in hopes of winning customers who do not like video games but worry about aging.
The software is billed as checking the ages of players’ brains by quizzing them on maths, reading and other simple tasks. Players keep scores of their performance and check how their brains have improved.
“We hope people who have not played games will take an interest, regardless of their gender or age,” a Nintendo spokesperson said.
The Japanese company will release an English-language version called Brain Age on April 17 in the United States for use on its double-screen, handheld Nintendo DS console, she said.
The European launch will be in June, with versions in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish available, she said.
Nintendo has sold 3,9-million sets in Japan, which have come in two editions since May last year, according to the company.
Brain Age has let Nintendo tap a vital new source of customers in Japan, whose population began to shrink last year.
The Japanese toy industry has seen a series of mergers as it struggles to readapt to a rapidly graying society.
Toymakers Bandai and Tomy have made a market by selling dolls that “sleep” next to the elderly and offer caring words. – AFP