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Nintendo ships 100 millionth DS, Mario Kart DS tops 10 million

[UPDATE] 83 DS games sell over 1 million, with Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros, Brain Age, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Brain Age 2, and Animal Crossing: Wild World going deca-platinum.

Nintendo's continued dominance of the game-industry landscape was further underlined today. This morning, the Kyoto-based company announced that sometime last week, the 100 millionth unit of its DS portable was shipped out to retailers. Last year, the platform surpassed the 81 million-plus international sales of its predecessor, the Game Boy Advance.

Remember when a dual-screened handheld seemed like a crazy idea?

Remember when a dual-screened handheld seemed like a crazy idea?

Today's figure--which covers shipments in all territories worldwide--includes all three versions of the handheld: The original DS (2004-2006), the DS Lite (2006-current), and the DSi, which launched in Japan last November. The new camera- and browser-enabled version of the device will be available in Europe on April 3 and in North America on April 5.

"Consumers have shown their love for Nintendo DS--100 million times over," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said with typical swagger in a statement. "We are grateful that people of all ages continue to respond to our products, and we will continue to look for ways to please current gamers and create new ones."

Nintendo's gloating didn't stop with DS hardware shipments. The game giant also announced that 83 DS games have shipped more than 1 million units, with seven games topping sales of 10 million worldwide. [UPDATE] Nintendo confirmed to GameSpot those titles are: Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros. Brain Age, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Mario Kart DS, Brain Age 2, and Animal Crossing: Wild World.

176 Comments

  • cixe

    Posted Mar 23, 2009 5:55 am GMT

    PSP is more of a status symbol than a fun gaming system. DS deserves praise for 2 things. Having original gameplay and having fun games.

  • sebetai

    Posted Mar 20, 2009 5:30 pm GMT

    the ds is an amazing system. but my battery is dying. i'm getting 5 hours per charge.

  • powasam_basic

    Posted Mar 20, 2009 1:58 pm GMT

    I have many of the new systems, but since buying my ds in january, it has become my favorite system of this generation. The 360 is great, but i think im suffering from graphics > gameplay fatigue. I just want to play fun games, and the DS is satisfying that 10 fold. I feel like a kid again! I havent gotten this much enjoyment out of a system since the ps1. the ds deserves the praise, congrats Nintendo!

  • Aphallatosis

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 6:56 am GMT

    Love the DS. Best system this gen for me.

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Mar 18, 2009 12:02 pm GMT

    I must admit bobbo888, the psp is short of games in it's liabary, 3rd party anyhow, the ones that count, I mean Call of Duty, Fifa Street, if games like that don't get a psp port, the psp has no hope at all, never mind the possbilty of a mainstream fanbase, and yes I support the Atari Jaguar, why? Cos it was a classic, the psp, not so much, though it used to have some decent games on it, but they just get worse overtime, old school rules!

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 18, 2009 6:16 am GMT

    bobbo888, no reason 2 get upset, 1 day you'll get a real handheld

  • bobbo888

    Posted Mar 18, 2009 5:51 am GMT

    Big boy toy? Wha a loser... The PSP sucks man there are absolutely no games... And you're telling me that of those 100 million people who own DS' that all of them are kids? I'm 20 and I looooove the DS, and obviously 100 million people also love it, compared to the failing PSP...

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 7:48 pm GMT

    Like i said, stop pretending to have something nice, because u dont.

  • Echo_742

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 6:51 pm GMT

    "the ds is 4 little kids. stop pretending that u have a nice handheld,and go get a big boy toy...its called the PSP."
    Heh... call me a little kid if you have to, Im going to go play great games on my DS, you can go play some psp crap and tell yourself your an adult because there is some blood in it

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 12:00 am GMT

    the big boy my ass the ds is the big boy,,, gta ds , ne 1 , duke nukem coming 3 games for duke nukem on ds .

  • dblockgangstar

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 6:52 pm GMT

    Numbers dont lie

  • dblockgangstar

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 6:50 pm GMT

    @xxzak-atakxx Your Idiot!

    Remember how much fun a gam boy was, huh? Are you to grown up to play a DS now **** Not takeing anything away from the PSP

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 5:24 pm GMT

    the ds is 4 little kids. stop pretending that u have a nice handheld,and go get a big boy toy...its called the PSP.

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 10:33 am GMT

    Sony have done nothing to help the industry, they made a few good games on the ps1, but you can get them all on the Xbox and Xbox 360 now, most of the specs for the ps1 were taken from the 3do and improved apon, however no one praises the 3do for helping the industry when the truth is the 3do helped the industry way more than the ps did, and anyhow the industry was created by Atari, not sony.

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 12:18 pm GMT

    more gaming competition is worst, it means less people to play online with and more exclusives with each console

  • hi-buzz

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 10:11 am GMT

    COMMON NINTENDO !!! WHERE IS THAT "NEXT" 2D METROID GAME FOR THE DS UPDATE.......THE GBA HAD 2 GREAT METROID CLASSICS.( ZERO MISSION AND FUSION)...NOW WE NEED ONE FOR THE DS PLEASE !!!!

  • Killingspree303

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 8:06 am GMT

    Nintendo DS is a great handheld console, with a lot of good games on it. Sadly, most of the crap games comes to it too (bad or/and cheap made).

  • CyberJedi

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 12:02 am GMT

    Mcjake

    Hoping Sony will fail and indicates that everyone will be a winner is just stupid.

    Consoles industry is where it is now because of Sony as well. Competition is good for every gamers and i hope it stays that way since it gives us for options.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 10:36 pm GMT

    The DS is unique which must be one reason why it sells so much and the games are full of variety and some are quite unique as well. That must be one reason...

  • mastodonfatguy

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 12:12 pm GMT

    nintendo , id like to work for them one day. i wanna tell my kids HEY I MADE THAT METROID GAME or I HELPED make mario kart VS f zero lol

  • MagicOneUp

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 12:18 am GMT

    The most memorable moment was when first jumped over those koopers in Super Mario Bros. the second was watching Super mario 64 for the first time. although i dont play much of nintendos anymore, it still hold a place for me

  • MagicOneUp

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 12:11 am GMT

    Nintendo is ready for setting it place in history. Something sony would rather love to but it was riding on other people's idea for too long. it cant fool me third time around (ps3)

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 5:56 pm GMT

    Sony should never get the chance to regin again as they don't deserve it, I don't see why I company like Atari, who accuatly deserved domience never got domience, but someone like Sony who don't deserve domience should get it, anyway, alright the Wii is in the lead with 45 million units, but remember the 360 is still ahead of the ps3 with 28 million! In my opinion I don't like the Wii cos it is not powerful enough and don't feel like a next gen console, on the other hand the 360 does, and I can't get my head round the wii controls, I much prefer the 360 controlers as they are nice and chunky and you can get a good grip on it, I'm just relived that sony are in 3rd place.

  • metc123

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 2:23 pm GMT

    Wii Play. . . Then we played again.... Until we made ....
    100M. . .
    NDS, NDS Lite, NDSi

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 10:05 am GMT

    no doubt the ds is good. but i enjoy my ps3 and psp alot better

  • -Celeste-

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 9:32 am GMT

    I think its all about what you like. if you like games you can pick up and play for a while, then put down and do something else, or games that you want to play with friends/family, then you can't beat the Wii and the DS. Sony and X360 games suck when compared on those values.

    However, on the same token, if you're looking for games that are visually appealing and more involved, then the PS3 and X360 trounce the Wii. That said, you're likely in the minority now. The Wii has evolved gaming into a more casual friendly segment and thats why its dominating.

    I own all three systems and all three have thier uses. However, as much as i loved the PS1 and PS2 for all their RPGs, the PS3 just flat out sucks. The Wii is horrible for any game you want to play by yourself and have a serious take at it. For me, the top system atm is the X360 with their wide array of RPGs. Untill someone can take the crown, the current leade in this generation, at least for me, is the X360. It has the best library of games i like. Anyone that argues that the PS3 has better games then the Wii / X360 or the X360 has better, or the Wii has better, just likes those games more. I wish people would quit arguing that X system has a wide variety of "good" games and Y system has only Z good games as if it was fact. What you consider good and bad is an opinion. And dont even try to toss in "reviews" of games into the mix. They are all based on opinions of people who have played games for probably years. They are people that remember the days of the NES,SNES, PS1. Sad to say, those days are gone. We are no longer the majority but rather the minority.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 6:42 am GMT

    @flyingteddy,

    True, it's tough to make a direct comparison between The World Ends With You and Crisis Core. But TWEWY feels really fresh and innovative, while CC is just another brick in the Final Fantasy wall. CC has unbelievable production values, but I'll remember TWEWY's art a lot more vividly because it was so striking, even with the more limited technology.

    I think that's the heart of the success of the DS. Even with a lot of shovelware, the games just seem more fun and interesting than the PSP, which tries too hard to be a portable PS2. Since everyone already owns or owned one of those, it doesn't have the same impact.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 1:32 am GMT

    I cannot deny the success of Nintendo with the Wii and DS. I just wish third parties could join them rather than be sat on the sidelines whilst Nintendo celebrates.

  • shakensparco

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 1:30 am GMT

    Nintendo has been the source of so many memories. From getting my first Gameboy Pocket to flipping out when I got my N64 and when I got Super Smash Brothers. Those were also the days when my dad would play Star Fox with my brothers and I.

    Then we move on to the GBA. That system really wowed me. I remember playing the new Zelda game Oracle of Seasons on it to discover their were some special unlockables on the GBA. And did anyone have Iridion 3D with their GBA like my brother did?

    Then we got the Gamecube. I prefered my Xbox over it, but I was still very fond of Wind Waker and Smash Bros. Melee. That guy at Walmart totally owned me when I was Bowser and he was Jigglypuff.

    And finally, the Wii. I hardly ever play it even though I should. Its has some really good games. But at the same time, I get a little sad playing it alone now that my brothers are off to college who I spent so much time playing Nintendo stuff with before.

    But overall Nintendo has always been king. The struggled a little with the Gamecube but it still has some pretty good games.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 1:30 am GMT

    @gameking5000 - You say that and yet I thoroughly enjoy playing my PS3 and already have a healthy library of games with tons to buy in the near future. Are we talking about the same console? I agree that their success is no where near what it was previously but they most definitely do not need a new console.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:01 pm GMT

    Sony's 'reign' is over. Sony need a new console, a revolutionary console and some better games.

  • ricardo-sene

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 5:04 pm GMT

    No one can deny: Nintendo is winning a lot of money. In the business area, is the best of the "trio", leaving Sony and MS behind.

    About the DS, great system, great machine. great innovation - not only for being a innovation, but to be a innovation that almost everyone like. Have lot's games, great games. Lot's of famous series/companies have one game at least for the DS.

    It's for the hardcore and for the casual gamer. A wonderful machine.. Indeed..

  • Fire_EmblemFan

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 4:16 pm GMT

    YA! Nintendo pwns! keep up the awesome work!

    sorry Sony lol

  • Noah-Phoenix

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 2:46 pm GMT

    Can someone please explain where the hell Nintendo came from? I thought they'd disappeared! This gen was supposed to be a war between Microsoft and Sony! Now they will only ever be vying for 2nd place. The Wii isn't the one trick pony everyone thought it was, and the DS just keeps getting better and better. I do feel sorry for Mr.Gates though, oh no, hang on, could just be jealousy and hatred actually....

  • Jedilink109

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:53 pm GMT

    Well that doesn't make sense. Nintendogs is four different games and Diamond and Pearl are two games. Regardless. Diamond and Pearl and the four Nintendogs games are all very similar to their counterparts so I GUESS you could call them one but there's still more than one of each of those games.

  • mcjakeqcool

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:47 pm GMT

    Yes! Even though I overly support Microsoft, it is good to know that Nintendo are kicking Sony's ass is the console wars, infact if everybody except Sony has sucsess and Sony fails, everyone's a winner.

  • flyingteddy

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:26 pm GMT

    @Rottenwood,

    I'm not sure that Crisis Core and the World Ends with You can be compared but they are both by Square Enix. Certaintly for me i thought FFVII:CC was the best looking game ive ever seen on a handheld.

  • shig

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:17 pm GMT

    Numbers dont lie and the console war is far over. nintendo has stommped Microsoft and Sony into the dirt. Gratz nintendo

  • somejobro

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 1:15 pm GMT

    I play my DS more than anything else. There are probably about 20 games that I want to buy, but can't afford right now. It's a fantastic system with something for anyone willing to look.

    As for the PSP, it has held its own very well and carved out its own niche. It has probably lasted longer than any other handheld that has tried to go up against Nintendo. I probably will never own one, but I give it respect nonetheless.

  • Sig12047

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:56 am GMT

    Outrageous. (and I am part of the MK and original DS figure as well as several of the other 83 million sellers)

  • Dea7htrap-101 posted Mar 12, 2009 11:32 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Dea7htrap-101

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:32 am GMT (hide)

    BLuFAlc0n - You are calling him a fanboy? Listen to your logic. I can name you three things right off of the bat that the PSP has that the DS doesnt, Music, Movies, Internet, Photos. You can get all of those on one stick. No extras, nothing more to buy than the unit and a memory card. And yes, the Wii does have a lot of shovelware = FACT. Look at the average score for games between all the consoles on any non biased site/magazine. IMO the wii has 3 good games, Brawl, Galaxy, and Metroid. Thats it. Mario Kart Wii = same thing that we have had over and over again, Mario party 8? Look at the 8 in the title, there are 8 very similar games of the same name out there between 3 different consoles, Wario Ware= lol. Granted there are some third party developers who have made it past the perfomance issues with their games such as: De Blob, World of Goo, and Deadly Creatures. But the overall synopsis is that the 360 (and to a lesser extent) the PS3 have better games. FACT. Nintendo just didnt put enough effort into really fine tuneing the motion controls in the Wii. If you noticed, especially recently, the wii has been allowing players to play with alternate control schemes because some games are impractical to play with the rough-around-the-edges motion control. You have a 1 up on the 360 and PS3 with the built in WIFI though, Microsoft and Sony are just being stingy, but the better game choices, MUCH better online play, better graphics, and (relatively) better marketplaces make the 360 better than the Wii in my eyes, but that is just my oppinion, and it really doesnt (or shouldnt) matter to you guys.

  • Sendmn23

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:26 am GMT

    .....geez I remember when they called it a gimick.... so much for that Idea huh? I fell in love with my D.s. the first time I played Super Mario Brothers 64 d.s.

  • justin4444

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:22 am GMT

    PSP is just a failure on defeating NDS. Sorry for psp fanboys..

  • Dea7htrap-101

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 11:17 am GMT

    Wow, nice job nintendo, you sure do know how to ship a ton of units out. I think that the DS is getting too much attention though, its overrated in my humble oppinion. The PSP is underrated. The ability to watch movies, surf the internet, view pictures, listen to music, and play games all in one package is pretty awesome of you ask me. Granted, the DS has a larger selection of games, but I think that the PSP makes up for the recent deficit of games with its multi-functionality.

  • Dualmask

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 10:47 am GMT

    I can definitely see why the DS amazes people and continues to sell. I bought two myself, the second as a replacement for my broken first...I couldn't imagine handheld gaming in this day and age without it. However, I actually play my PSP more. I honestly prefer the PSP as a game console to the DS, because like someone else said, they both have strengths. The PSP's strengths appeal to me more than the DS does, but I'm glad I have both.

  • enoslives7

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 10:21 am GMT

    The DS seems to have something for about everyone. I have one just for the Castlevania games. I wish they would concentrate more on adult games like GTA.

  • kevinolsson305

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 8:39 am GMT

    @BLuFAlc0n

    Yeah the wii looks good if you say it from that angle.
    There are also a lot of stuff the wii cant do that the PS3 and 360 can do, one example would be HD. wii doesnt have that.
    (Though there are games that does look good on the wii)

  • swamptick posted Mar 12, 2009 8:06 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    swamptick

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 8:06 am GMT (hide)

    There are allot of kids out there. Kudos to Nintendo for cornering the kid market and non serious gamer market.

  • Blueblaze02

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 7:38 am GMT

    king bobo said:@ khoofia_pika - I wasn't saying that the Wii wasn't a good console, nor was I saying the DS a bad handheld. I actually have a DS, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 and play them all fairly regularly. The point I was making was that a large majority of the people buying the Wii and DS are casual gamers (it is assumed), who I don't believe actually use them on a regular basis. I know that both the DS and Wii do have good libraries (I have more games on Wii than I do on PS3, and more games on DS than I do on PSP), but I think that their libraries are cluttered with a lot of poor quality games. Nintendo do pump out some good games, but I feel that a lot of the good games coming out are coming from developers and publishers not associated with Nintendo (notice I said coming out - not already out).

    I'm gonna point out the assumed part as a lot of people throughout the world have said "When You Assume, You Make An 'Ass' out of 'U' and 'Me'"

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 7:31 am GMT

    Handhelds kept Nintendo going during the lean years. I'm no Pokemon fan, but who knows where the company would be without 'em.

    The DS really is a spectacular system. Terrific new titles, remakes of some legendary classics, and an absolute hotbed of role-playing games, which you never would have expected. (I thought for sure that the PSP would be the RPG monster.) The World Ends With You completely blows away Crisis Core, for example.

    Now we just gotta get the same output for the Wii.

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