Nintendo may beat forecast - Iwata

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has stated that the company could exceed its own earnings target for the current fiscal year following strong sales of DS and Wii.

Back in October, Nintendo raised its shipment forecast for the DS by 3 million units, predicting that 20 million units would be shipped by the end of March.

But speaking to Reuters, Iwata said sales of the handheld could well top this figure. He added that the success of the Wii has had little effect on the DS in terms of cannibalising sales.

The Wii launched in Japan on December 2, with 400,000 units promised for day one and a further 600,000 by the end of the year.

According to Japanese magazine publisher Enterbrain, which conducted a survey of 3500 stores, 372,000 Wii units were sold within two days of launch.

The Wii launched in North America on November 19, and will arrive in Europe this Friday.