DS passes Game Boys lifetime sales

Total lifetime sales of the Nintendo DS have now passed those enjoyed by its predecessor the Game Boy, cementing the twin-screened machine’s place in gaming history.

DS sales now stand at 129m since its launch in 2004. The Game Boy, which was launched in 1989, has sold a total of 118m units.

The news comes as Nintendo prepares to launch its next handheld console and DS successor, the 3DS. The platform holder was forced to announce the mystery machine in March after Japanese journalists obtained details and threatened to leak the information.

It was claimed last month that Nintendo is preparing a shock early launch for the machine this October which, if true, is all the more surprising seeing as so little is still known of the device.

Nintendo has also revealed that lifetime sales of the Wii console now stand at 71m.