DS top platform in UK

Figures released by the UK game-research outlet Chart-Track show that the Nintendo DS is now the 2006 gaming hardware market leader--beating the PlayStation 2, the PlayStation Portable, and even the Xbox 360. A total of 2 million gamers across the country now have a DS system, the figures show.

The company attributes the success of the product to the successful launch of the DS Lite in June, as well as the popularity of the Touch! Generation games such as Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (called Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day in the US).

It seems to be only good news for Nintendo over the last few days. It recently announced that 600,000 Wii units had been sold since launch in the US, and preorders of the console on Amazon UK sold out in minutes. The British launch for the Wii is December 8, and many stores are planning special midnight launch events.

Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton said, "The ability of Nintendo DS to appeal to both gamers and nongamers alike through an exciting, fun, and innovative portfolio of software has been instrumental in its success in the UK."