DS Hits 20m, Eyes Another 17m
No signs of people losing their love of Nintendo's portable.
There was some scepticism when Nintendo originally debuted its DS handheld. Not everyone was sold on a portable built around a touch-screen. And what about the PSP? Sony's competing portable is embarrassingly more powerful. But none of that appears to matter much - the DS is a runaway hit.
Less than two years after the DS debuted in Japan and the US, worldwide sales of the portable have hit 21 million units, according to new numbers from Nintendo. And that's only the beginning.
Sales of the DS have been so good recently that Nintendo is confident that number will nearly double within the next year. The company expect to sell another 17 million DSs by the end of next March.
It's not just in Japan where DS fever is spreading. Nintendo's UK arm recently said that the DS is outselling the PSP here too.
A big part of the success is down to Nintendo's broadening of the type of person it targets. Mario is still there for the long-time fans, but new experiences such as Nintendogs and Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? are helping the portable appeal to non-traditional gamers.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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