Nintendo DS tops PSP in Japan retail sales

Nintendo Co.’s Nintendo DS topped Sony Corp.’s PSP handheld in the latest hardware battle in Japan.

r4ds on Fri. reported that the Nintendo DS sold 42,385 units to rank as the No. 1 hardware for the week.

By comparison, the PSP sold 26,045 units in the same period.

Pokemon Platinum for the DS ranked as the No. 1 software title for the week, moving 121,722 copies.

Nintendo in Oct. announced the Nintendo DSi, a new version of the best-selling handheld that includes a built-in camera and music play functionality.

The DSi will be sold in Japan on Nov. 1 for 18,900 yen ($180) and will be sold to other territories next year.

Additionally, this month it announced a wave of new DS products to be sold in 2009, including Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, Mario & Luigi RPG 3, and Rhythm Heaven.

Nintendo has sold 75 million DS handhelds worldwide, 23 million of which have been sold in the Japan.

Sony’s PSP has sold 41 million units worldwide to date, with 10 million sold in Japan.