Sony PSP outsells Nintendo DS 2-to-1 in Japan in April

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game gear outsold Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) DS portable player more than 2-to-1 in Japan in April, game magazine publisher Enterbrain said.

But in the console market, Nintendo sold five times as many Wii machines as Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) in the four weeks through April 27, an Enterbrain report dated Thursday showed.

PSP sales came to 380,867 units, beating DS sales of 169,911 units, as Capcom Co Ltd's (9697.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) hunting action game "Monster Hunter Freedom 2G," designed for the PSP, was the top seller for the second straight month, the report said.

Nintendo sold 187,121 units of the Wii in the month, compared with 37,676 units of the PS3.

The Wii has been leading the PS3 in sales since their launches in late 2006 as its innovative and easy-to-play games attracted women and the elderly, expanding the overall gaming population.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Hugh Lawson)