Nintendo DS sales hit a million in Europe

Over a million units of the Nintendo DS handheld have been sold in Europe since the console launched, according to the latest figures to be released by Nintendo - with around a quarter of the consoles sold in the UK.

The handheld system sold around 500,000 units in its first three weeks on sale across the continent, and has continued to sell steadily since then, hitting a million units in Europe - and 250,000 in the UK - in just three months.

Worldwide, the DS now has an installed base of well over five million units, which is broadly in line with the targets Nintendo laid down for the console in its financial statements towards the beginning of the year.

Europe was the last territory in which the DS launched, and has also suffered slightly from a dearth of quality software since the arrival of the system - but Nintendo has pledged to bring a wide variety of major titles to Europe before the end of the year, including Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, Advance Wars Dual Strike, Bomberman DS and Castlevania DS.

"The European launch of Nintendo DS has been a massive success," according to Nintendo Europe's senior director of marketing, Jim Merrick, "with sales shattering all previous records in the opening weekend and remaining consistently strong."

"This product reflects Nintendo's dedication to innovation and the advancement of gaming, providing novel and exciting new ways to play games," he continued. "European consumers have adopted Nintendo's sense of fun and innovation to give fantastic support to the Nintendo DS."