Nintendo’s dual-screened handheld is set to become the best selling games console of all time by the end of this year, according to industry analysts.

Word of the prediction from the analysts at NPD comes via 1UP, which reports that, in the US at least, sales of the DS are such that the install base of the Nintendo handheld will pass out those of Sony’s PlayStation 2, which remains the most popular console of all time. Indeed, given the near ubiquity of the DS, it’s almost surprising that it hasn’t already managed to grab the title, but that much has been accounted for in the past by the fact that the DS had something of a slow start.

Now though, just as things are beginning to look as though the DS will soon pass out the PS2, things are gearing up for a successor the DS, the glassessless-3D touting 3DS. The big question will be whether or not Nintendo can maintain the kind of interest necessary to shift enough handhelds over the coming months, or whether the rumoured October launch of the device has been taken into account by the analysts at NPD.

Either way, it’s a very good sign for Nintendo, whose company policy has long been never to make a loss on any hardware sold. While other console manufacturers spend a significant portion of a device’s life cycle losing money on every unit, the Nintendo model has ensured that even relative flops earn the company some money (we’re looking at you GameCube).