December 21^st, 2004 (2:36pm) - The Nintendo DS is proving to be a huge hit in both the US and Japan, with retail sales in North America alone having reached 1 million to date. In Japan, demand for the console is also huge, and sales have already hit 1 million units. To meet demand, Nintendo has increased total shipment figures to the US and Japan and now they will exceed 2.8 million by the end of 2004.

By Thanksgiving weekend in North America, more than 500,000 units had sold through in just one week following the US launch. This led to stocks running out in retail outlets across the country as more than 90% of the units shipped were sold. In Japan, sales of Nintendo DS exceeded half a million systems in just four days after launch.

"The launch of Nintendo DS in the US and Japan has been hugely successful, with it having become a must-have console, and we are looking forward to another successful launch in Europe," said Jim Merrick, Senior Director Europe Marketing.

The Nintendo DS launched in North America on the 21st of November and in Japan on the 2nd of December.