Rumors spread that the DS Lite might be being phased out. Nintendo announced that the handheld will continue to be offered on the US market at a discounted price of $99.99. The $30 price drop is effective as of June 5, the day before the pre-E3 press conferences get under way.

Six best-selling Mario games are getting new red packaging.

"This new price point will introduce Nintendo DS Lite to even more consumers" said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

The news comes as Nintendo announces new sales milestones in the United States. To date, the DS family has sold more than 48.9 million units, making it--according to Nintendo--the best-selling system in US history. The Kyoto, Japan-based game giant, announced new American sales figures for its top six (6) DS Mario games, as of the end of April 2011:

New Super Mario Bros.: over 9.25 million
Mario Kart DS: over 7.40 million
Super Mario 64 DS: over 4.34 million
Mario Party DS: over 3.27 million
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: over 1.98 million
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!: over 1.01 million