Nintendo has announced that it will sell an adapter for its DS handheld console to play music and video to enable it to match the features on Sony's PSP.

The move, some commentators feel is to ensure the new console launched in Japan last week doesn't gain the upper ground over Nintendo's offering.

The DS, which by itself is strictly a game device, will be able to play video in the MPEG-4 format and songs in the MP3 format by inserting a memory card into the adaptor, which is plugged into a slot in the machine.

The adaptor will also work with the DS predecessor, the Game Boy Advance SP.

The unit will cost 5,000 Yen (roughly £25) and bring the pricing of the DS in line with the PSP when it launches in the UK.

Nintendo has estimated that it will sell 500,000 units of its handheld console by the end of the year.

>> Nintendo - Official website of Nintendo