Nintendo DS sales top 21 million units

Whether it’s a marketing ploy or a harsh wake-up call to the industry, you can’t deny the success of Nintendo’s DS and its Touch! Generation software. Outrageously popular in Japan, the DS Lite redesign has sparked similar interest here in the U.S. with global sales topping 21 million units in less than two years.

Nintendo points out that Apple sold only one million iPods in its first 19 months. But in their defense it was creating an entirely new market and it was a helluva lot pricier than the DS. Still, that’s some impressive numbers for the handheld — sure to put Sony to shame — and it’s even helped improve Nintendo’s financial outlook.

The new forecast for the fiscal year is up $155 million to $711 million.