The third iteration of the Nintendo DS handheld, the DSi, is flying off shelves in Japan at a rate faster than its predecessors.

Launched on November 1, 2008 in Japan, the DSi has sold 700,000 units since January bringing the total sold to approximately 2 million, claims Japanese magazine, Famitsu.

The Nintendo DS reached a mind-bogglingly impressive milestone this month, with worldwide hardware sales figures reaching the 100 million mark.

That figure is about to grow with the launch of the DSi in the UK on April 3rd and April 5th in North America. The handheld's new features include two cameras, a bigger screen, a DS-specific download service, an SD card slot, and music playback functions.