Nintendo DS – America’s Top Selling Console

Its taken Japan by storm, outsold all other handhelds here (yes PSP fanboys, the DS has sold more in Australia) and now the DS takes America. Nintendo of America today have issued a press release to this effect.
In a triumph for innovation, the dual-screen Nintendo DS portable became Americas top-selling video game system of any type in June, according to independent sales numbers just released by the NPD Group. The introduction of the new DS Lite version, featuring a smaller profile and more brilliant display, boosted total sales to nearly 600,000 units, almost double that for any other game device, and alone represented more than a third of total industry system purchases for the month.

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Beyond the unique technical coupling of dual screens, a touch screen, a microphone and seamless Wi-Fi play, DS popularity also is being propelled by a unique mix of software that appeals equally to mainstream players and those new to the category. New Super Mario Bros. was the industrys top-selling game for the second month in a row, with purchases of more than 450,000 units, while groundbreaking titles Brain Age(TM): Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day and Big Brain Academy(TM) combined to sell nearly 350,000 units. In addition, the unique Nintendogs(TM) titles combined to sell more than 100,000 units, 10 months after their introduction.

Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi Connection, a wireless gaming network exclusive to Nintendo DS, also now has achieved participation by 1.7 million discreet users worldwide in just eight months, an adoption rate far higher than any other game-play network to date. Theres currently a variety of Wi-Fi games to choose from including Metroid Prime Hunters, Tetris DS, Animal Crossing:
Wild World and Mario Kart DS, with Star Fox Command DS, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis and Clubhouse Games launching in the months ahead. At 1.7 million people strong, if the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection community were a city, it would be the fifth largest in the United States, larger even than Philadelphia, Phoenix or San Diego.

Nintendo DS is the only game system available a year ago that showed growth over the same period, and it did so in overwhelming fashion, with a leap of 426 percent, says George Harrison, Nintendo of Americas senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. What were seeing is realization of our promise that Nintendo will bring gaming to the masses whatever your taste or level of experience, weve got a system and a game for you.

Not bad for the little handheld who could’nt.