Nintendo has quietly announced that it has shipped over 5 million Nintendo DS handheld console since its launch in Japan last year.

The figure which was actually reached in mid-march just after the UK launch shows that the Japanese company is on schedule to meets its own deadline of 5 - 6 million units by the end of its fiscal year which ends in March 2006

In comparison Sony's sales of its PSP have still to catch up, although in an never ending story of fact twisting, Sony has yet to launch in Europe, something which Nintendo currently hold the fastest-selling console record for with the DS.

Reports suggest that Sony has so far only shipped 2.5 million PSP to date missing its own forecast by 500,000 units. However there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Sony, a whopping 2.46 million of that was in Q1 2005 alone and with a territory launch still to come it still believes that it has the ability to ship 12 million units between now and March next year.

>> Nintendo - Official website of Nintendo