Nintendo is reportedly likely to launch a new model of its top-selling handheld player, the DS, in overseas markets by next summer.

Nintendo will start selling the DSi, which can take pictures, play music and is slimmer than the current model, in Japan tomorrow for 18,900 yen ($192) in a move to revive slowing domestic sales ahead of the critical holiday season.

Nintendo previously said it planned an overseas DSi launch in 2009.

DS sales in the April-September fiscal first half grew 3% from a year earlier to 13.73 million units worldwide, beating Sony's PlayStation Portable by a 2-to-1 margin.

The DS and Wii console, which has outstripped both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in global sales, have been Nintendo's twin growth engines in recent years.

Nintendo said it has shipped 200,000 units of the DSi for sales this weekend and plans to ship an additional 100,000 units starting November 4. 

Get more at Reuters.