Nintendo has released its financial results for the six months ending 30 September 2012, and its figures show that 3DS sales are up 65 percent against the same period last year.

Just over 5 million 3DS consoles were sold worldwide during April – September 2012. During the same period last year, Nintendo sold just over 3 million of its 3D handheld.

The worldwide sales tally for the 3DS now stands at 22.2 million units.

Despite this increase in momentum, Nintendo released a statement explaining that "sales of the Nintendo 3DS hardware and software were weaker in overseas markets than expected." As a result, the company has downgraded its financial forecast for the fiscal year ending April 2013.

Big in Japan

3DS sales remain strong in Japan, and during the six month period in question, Nintendo sold 2.09 million units in the region.

By way of comparison, 1.39 million 3DS consoles were sold in the Americas during that same period. 1.58 million units were sold throughout the rest of the world.

It's worth noting that, of the 5.06 million 3DS consoles shifted worldwide during this period, 2.1 million of them were the more expensive 3DS XL.

Elderly relative

Nintendo's ageing DS, meanwhile, is clearly nearing the end of its lifecycle.

In Japan, Nintendo sold just 10,000 DS consoles during the six months ending 30 September 2012. In the Americas, 790,000 units were sold. 190,000 were sold in the rest of the world.

Slowing sales are to be expected for the ageing hardware, though, and it's worth remembering that the DS is the best-selling console that Nintendo has ever produced.

It's almost eight years since the DS was first launched in the US, and in that time, more than 152 million units of the dual-screen handheld have been sold globally.