Nintendo's games boost forecast

The Nintendo DS has been highly successful in Japan

Japanese games giant Nintendo has upped it profit forecast for the fiscal year to March 2007, boosted by strong sales of its handheld game machines.

Net profits for Nintendo group are predicted to hit the 100bn yen mark ($847m; £449m), up from 83bn yen.

The firm has successfully expanded its handheld game market, by developing games for older players and women.

The revised profits also factor in expected sales of the firm's game console, Wii, on sale from November.

Rival product

Nintendo, which has priced its Wii console below that of its competitors, is hoping to steal market share from rivals Microsoft and Sony.

The Wii - pronounced "wee" - is to cost 25,000 yen in Japan and $250 in the US. The firm plans to sell six million units to the year ending March 2007.

The Wii product is the follow-on from Nintendo's Gamecube, which lost market share to Sony's Playstation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox.

Of Nintendo's games, Brain Training for Adults, aimed at older players has been particularly popular.

The video games industry is worth some $30bn (£16bn).