Having sold half a million units of its dual-screen handheld in December, Nintendo cemented DS’ position as the top selling console of 2006. The platform holder also states that DS and Wii accounted for over half of all European video game hardware sales in December. Across Europe, DS sold 1.7 million units in December, the highest month for sales since the console’s launch in March 2005.

Meanwhile on the home console front, Wii is said to have sold 200,000 in the UK and 700,000 across Europe. Wii software performed equally as well, with more than half a million copies of Zelda: Twilight Princess sold in Europe, an attach rate of over 70 per cent. Wii Play also fared well, with 320,000 units shifted (an attach rate of 45 per cent), indicating the widespread use of the Wii as a multiplayer console.

“We have enjoyed one of the most successful Christmas holidays ever, with both Nintendo DS and Wii selling at staggering rates,” said Nintendo Europe marketing director Laurent Fischer.

“The success of our products this Christmas clearly shows that Nintendo’s drive to make gaming accessible to everyone has attracted people of all ages and abilities to the industry. We are facing such high demand for both platforms that unfortunately we are facing stock shortages, however we are doing everything possible to combat this by attempting to deliver both consoles and games to retailers on a daily basis.”