Australia loves Nintendo's DS handheld. Last year Aussie gamers snapped up more than half a million units, with the latest figures from Nintendo putting the total install base at over 1.1 million since the console was launched here in June 2006.

Nintendo Australia announced today that it would be bringing two new colour variations of its popular handheld to the Aussie region on June 19. The new colour combinations--black/red (crimson-and-onyx) and blue/black (cobalt-and-onyx)--have been available for some time in North America, but are only now finding their way to Australia. Nintendo did point out that the products, which will join the currently available four colours (polar white, black, ice blue, and pink) will be offered only for a limited time. No time frame was specified. The two new colours will carry a recommended retail price of A$199.95 ($191.20)

Nintendo also used the announcement to highlight the Australian launch date for its two new software products: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness. Both will ship on June 19 this year. These two new games will put players in the action, transforming them into the Pokemon characters they most resemble through an in-game personality test. Exploration of the Pokemon world is key, with the goal being to find out why they have been turned into monsters, and to stop an evil that is spreading throughout the land.