Fears are mounting that Nintendo will not be able to meet Christmas demand as its Wii and DS games consoles fly off the shelves.

David Yarnton, head of Nintendo UK, said: “What’s caused the supply problem is the uptake from people who are not traditionally gamers. It’s taken us by surprise.”

Strong sales of the machines pushed first-half profits up 130pc to 215bn yen (£920m) pre-tax. Sales more than doubled to 695bn yen, prompting the company to boost its full-year sales forecasts from 16.5m to 17.5m units. It has sold 13.2m Wiis since their launch in November.

Nintendo said it was working to ensure there is a good quantity of stock for Christmas, but added: “The phenomenal demand continues and it is possible that this will outstrip supply.”

The company is said to have opened up gaming to new audiences with easy-to-use motion sensing controllers and accessible games.

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