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Nintendo may be the reigning video game hardware sales champ, but you may be surprised to learn it’s also the record-holder for longest rock steady pricing.

That’s about to change, at least in Japan. Nintendo says it plans to slash the price of the DSi by one fifth on June 19, according to Bloomberg, to revive sagging domestic sales.

Expect a DSi price drop from 18,900 yen ($205) to 15,000 yen ($163), or 21 percent, reports Bloomberg, adding that the Japanese DSi LL–equivalent to the U.S. extra-large DSi XL (PCW Rating: 3 out of 5)–should see a price cut of 10 percent, landing at 18,000 yen ($196). Sales of the DS have fallen in Japan since last year, down 1.5 percent to 4 million for the 12 month period ending March 31.

The original Nintendo DS launched in the U.S. back in November 2004 for $150, then dropped to $130 in August 2005. It’s held there since, even after the slimmed down, camera-clad DSi launched at $170 in April 2009.

Analysts expect Nintendo to follow suit in overseas markets, e.g. the U.S., in anticipation of Nintendo’s next generation 3D model, expected in Japan by early next year and elsewhere shortly thereafter. Nintendo’s declining comment on followup international price relief, but DS sales are down in all markets, so the writing’s more or less on the wall. In fact with E3 around the corner, I’m betting Nintendo drops the bomb at its June 18th press show.

The company says it wants to put “a DS in every home.” It’s certainly nearing its goal, with roughly 130 million DS handhelds sold worldwide and 30 million of those in Japan alone. According to a 2003 Japanese Statistics Bureau estimate, the number of households in Japan is around 47 million.

17 million to go? Should be a snap, once the Nintendo 3DS arrives.

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At today’s Nintendo Media Summit, Nintendo announced the release date for the hotly anticipated Team Ninja / Nintendo collaboration Metroid: Other M for the Wii.

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, claims that the game is one that “requires complete immersion,” but while there was no demo of the game to go along with the announcement, the game’s release date, June 27, puts the game on store shelves long before the holiday season, a time that many felt was more likely to receive such a large release.

Here’s a short rundown of what to expect in the game, via a company press release:

“Metroid™: Other M, the incredible new Metroid game developed for Wii through a collaboration by Nintendo and the world-renowned Team Ninja, launches June 27. The game looks at the classic franchise from a new perspective: While much of the game is reminiscent of 2-D side-scrollers, players can switch the perspective into 3-D at any time as they explore the twisting passages of a derelict space station and delve deep into a cinematic, never-before-told story of bounty hunter Samus Aran’s past. This new approach uses a new control scheme in which players use the Wii Remote™ controller held sideways to battle enemies and navigate the expansive, gorgeous environments in classic Metroid fashion, then aim at the screen with the Wii Remote pointer to blast foes in first-person and hunt the world for clues and hidden passages.”

Today’s Nintendo Media Summit was full of announcements, perhaps none so exciting (depending on your viewpoint) than the announcement that Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released on the Wii not this holiday season as many had predicted, but instead this Spring – May 23, to be exact.

To go along with the launch date announcement, Nintendo also released a trailer for the game, which you can check out after this short summary of what to expect within a game, via a company  press release:

“Super Mario Galaxy™ 2, the sequel to the smash-hit galaxy-hopping original game, launches May 23 for the Wii™ console. The game includes the amazing gravity-defying, physics-based exploration from the first game, but is loaded with entirely new galaxies and features to challenge and delight players. On some stages, Mario™ can pair up with his dinosaur buddy Yoshi™ and use his tongue to grab items and spit them back at enemies. Players can also have fun with new items such as a drill that lets our hero tunnel through solid rock.”