Nintendo's DS Lite handheld games console may launch in Europe much sooner that the Wednesday, August 16 ship date circulating on a number of websites. The rumoured debut is "way off", according to a UK retail source cited by GamesIndustry.biz.

The mid-August deadline - along with an €130 price point, the same as the current DS - comes from German retailers. Nintendo has said the DS Lite will ship in Japan on March 2, but there's no official word on the redesigned handheld's launch in Europe. According to Nintendo US marketing chief Reggie Fils-Aime, the original DS will be phased out between August and September.

That would suggest there's something in the August 16 date, but Nintendo has said nothing about dropping the original DS in Japan around the time of the DS Lite's launch, so it's likely the phase out will occur some months after the DS Lite arrives. ®