The Nintendo DS maintained its lead over next-generation game offerings on strong demand for handheld software in Japan.
Media Create Co. this week said that the Nintendo DS Lite sold 176,219 units between Dec. 25 and Dec. 31.
The touch-screen handheld outsold all next-gen systems in the same period, including Wii, Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.
In addition, Nintendo DS titles charted six of the top ten selling titles in the week. Top sellers included Square Enix's Dragon Quest Monsters Joker at No. 1, New Super Mario Bros. at No. 5, and Brain Training 2 at No. 6.
Nintendo this week announced that it sold 5.3 million DS n the U.S. in 2006. The company increased its projected worldwide financial performance for the year on healthy sales for Wii and handheld platforms.