It took only four years and five months for Nintendo DS to sell 100 million units and complete its transformation from a simple device to a video game icon.

According to the Japanese company the 100milionth device was shipped on March 6 and Nintendo noted that the 100 million figure includes the sales of original Nintendo D, of DS Lite (the improved version) and of DSi, the latest addition in the DS line-up.

Nintendo DSi has already debuted in Japan, but it would not make it on the US and European markets until next month.

Nintendo DSi, which is the third version of the handheld system, comes with several upgrades that are likely to make it even more appealing than its predecessors.

The new elements are two cameras capable of detecting facial features and players’ movements, options for sound and picture editing, built-in SD card slot, downloadable Nintendo DSiWare software for customization (hundreds of games will be available for download).

 The new DSi is thinner than the Nintendo DS Lite by 12 percent, and it comes with two larger screens, of 3.25’’, the console maker said. Nintendo of America said additional features of the DSi will be revealed upon launch. It has been confirmed that Nintendo DSi will cost $169.99 in the United States.

In Europe, the DSi will be launched on April 3, while in US it will arrive two days later.

Also, in the press release about the 100 million milestone, Nintendo released some interesting figures about the games available on Nintendo DS.

There were 83 DS titles whose global shipment exceeded 1 million and seven of these titles topped 10 million, the company noted. It comes as no surprise, since we are talking about titles like Nintendogs or BrainAge, which are already known as cult games amongst gaming fans.