Nintendo announces a UK tour of their upcoming handheld! Click inside for the dates!

Great news for Nintendo fans as today the Big N has announced a UK-Wide DS promo tour from mid-february until the end of March.

From the 12th of February gamers across the UK will be able to experience the DS first hand at a number of locations, including some of the largest shopping centres in the biggest towns all across the British Isles.

In a bold move most likely to encourage awareness amongst older gamers, Nintendo will also be hosting "Lock-Ins" at various "Topman" stores, which will be by invitation only.

Here's the Press Release and list of dates in full:

01 February 2005 � The Nintendo DS is taking to the road from 04 February in a massive consumer and trade sampling campaign. It will give everyone across the UK the chance to discover what nearly three million gamers in the US and Japan have already discovered � the Nintendo DS is a great new way to play video games.

Kicking off with a national shopping mall tour throughout February, March and into April and taking in amongst the 40 day tour; Bluewater, Brent Cross, The Mall (Cribs Causeway) in the South and The Bullring, Trafford Centre and Meadow Hall in the North. Sampling will also take place at 24 'Lock In' invite only nights at Topman stores nationwide including London, Manchester and Birmingham flagship stores.

Gamers across the country will also be able to get their hands on the Nintendo DS at all 42 of the UK's VUE cinemas between 11 and 12 March, 19 and 20 March and 26 and 27 March in addition to further nationwide sampling activity at Mega Bowl Bowling Alleys, Laser Quest Arenas and All Sports retail stores up to and beyond the launch period. Gamers can find out where and when the tour will arrive at a location near them by logging onto www.touchmehere.co.uk

Games on show will include Nintendo first party titles 'Super Mario 64 DS', 'Wario Ware: Touched!' puzzle game 'Polarium' and 'Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt'. Third party titles include 'Project Rub' from Sega, 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2005' from EA, 'Asphalt Urban GT' from Ubisoft and 'Spiderman 2' from Activision.

Dawn Paine, Head of Marketing, Nintendo UK, said: "All our research has shown that sampling will be key in getting people to understand and really enjoy Nintendo DS � once people get their hands on it they can't put it down."

In addition to this fully comprehensive consumer sampling campaign, Nintendo will also ensure trade and retail get their DS fix courtesy of the 'DS � Dual Squads' with over 25,000 in-store sampling hits between now and the launch for store staff. Retailer GAME will be hosting 15 regional superstore evenings where top loyalty card holders will be invited in-store to try out the DS and its great games.

Andy Yates, Head of Retail Development, Nintendo UK, said: "Whenever you make a quantum leap in technology like Nintendo have done with the DS, people inevitably ask lots of questions, however, getting the console into people's hands immediately changes their perception and opens up their minds to a new way of playing games through touch. For this reason sampling will be pivotal to the success of our trade strategy."

Nintendo is also placing a record number of free standing interactive Nintendo DS pods into trade from 01 February. The new striking and eye-catching design will ensure good in-store standout. Nintendo estimate that over 500,000 people will have played the Nintendo DS by the time of launch.

The Nintendo DS will launch in the UK on 11 March 2005 at the estimated retail price of around �99. Nintendo DS software will launch in the UK on 11 March 2005 at the estimated retail price of around �29 and �19 depending on the title.

The Nintendo DS is the new touch screen, dual-screened handheld video game system that redefines how people play videogames. In addition to the touch screen, the system includes both voice input and multiplayer wireless communication. The sleek silver and black system will be a welcome addition to any game collection.

12 � 13 February: Queensgate Centre Peterborough
13 � 14 February: West Quay Southampton
16 � 20 February: Bluewater Kent
16 � 20 February: The Bullring Birmingham
04 � 06 March: Brent Cross Hendon
05 � 06 March: Meadowhall Sheffield
11 � 13 March: The Oracle Reading
11 � 13 March: St. Stephens Green Dublin
19 � 20 March: The Centre: MK Milton Keynes
19 � 21 March: Trafford Centre Manchester
25 � 27 March: The Mall Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
26 � 27 March: Metro Centre Gateshead
01 � 03 March: Buchanan Galleries Glasgow

Top Man 'Lock In' (6pm � 9pm Invite Only):

22 February: Top Man Coventry
22 February: Top Man Swansea
23 February: Top Man Leicester
23 February: Top Man Plymouth
23 February: Top Man Galway (Eire)
24 February: Top Man York
01 March: Top Man Bangor
01 March: Top Man Cambridge
01 March: Top Man Lancaster
02 March: Top Man Exeter
02 March: Top Man Bradford
02 March: Top Man Reading
03 March: Top Man Derby
08 March: Top Man Aberdeen
08 March: Top Man Huddersfield
08 March: Top Man Bournemouth
09 March: Top Man Guildford
09 March: Top Man Ballymena (N.I)
10 March: Top Man Dundee
10 March: Top Man Brighton
10 March Top Man Southend
London, Birmingham, Manchester flagship store sampling dates tbc � please check with store for details

VUE Cinemas:

11 - 12 March
19 -20 March
26 - 27 March

Birmingham, Cheshire Oaks, Edinburgh, Acton, Basingstoke, Bolton, Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Bristol Longwell Green, Bury, Croydon grants, Dagenham, North Finchley, Finchley Road, Hamilton, Islington, Leeds, Leicester, Livingston, Plymouth, Sheffield, Shepherds Bush, Southport, Staines, Thurrock, Watford, West End, York, Doncaster, Northampton, Portsmouth, Aberdeen, Cambridge, Croydon Purley Way, Fulham, Harrow, Hartlepool, Inverness, Preston, Reading, Scunthorpe, Worcester, Accrington.

GAME Superstore Events:

Cribbs Causeway on Feb 14th
Reading on Feb 15th
Basingstoke on Feb 16th
Bluewater on Feb 17th
Lakeside on Feb 18th
Oxford St on Feb 19th
Milton Keynes on Feb 14th
Bullring on Feb 15th
Nottingham on Feb 16th
Cheshire Oaks on Feb 17th
Stockport on Feb 18th
Gateshead on Feb 19th (am)
Cardiff - 18th February
Plymouth - 18th February
Braehead - 18th February