Nintendo rode sales of its Wii and DS game consoles to a 77% increase in earnings during fiscal 2006. The Tokyo, Japan-based company reported a group net profit of US$1.47 billion, up from US$826 million last year. Sales increased by a jaw-dropping 90% to US$8.13 billion from US$4.27 billion the previous year.

Consumers across the globe snapped up 23 million portable Nintendo DS systems and 123 million DS games last year. And robust sales of the new Wii console also helped the bottom line. According to the company, 5.84 million Wii consoles and 29 million games were sold during the device’s first five months at retail.

For fiscal 2007, Nintendo projects sales to keep a brisk pace and expects 14 million Wii systems and 55 million games to make their way into homes worldwide. The outlook for the DS is equally bright, as Nintendo intends to sell an additional 22 million handhelds and 130 million games.