In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Japanese video game expert Shigeru Miyamoto, who created the highly-popular Mario franchise, said that efforts were underway to convert the Nintendo brand of handheld consoles into educational aids and teaching tools to be used in schools.

With the Nintendo DS already being used in museums and aquariums, the company is now devoting a fair amount of its time towards getting the DS into junior high and elementary schools, at least in Japan, beginning with the new school year.

Noting that a console like DS can be a potential educational tool, Miyamoto said: “That is maybe the area where I am devoting myself most.”

Though Miyamoto refrained from commenting on the fact that Nintendo is currently outselling its rival products, he did admit that Nintendo is looking to achieve a growth in the number of users who use the Wii console – which especially appeals women and senior citizens - to connect to the Internet.

In case Nintendo is successful in bringing its DS platform to the schools as a teaching tool, the already-on-the-increase sales of the console will get a further boost, way ahead of rival console manufacturers. Given the enormous number of schools and the DS’ ease of use, children and young adults in schools will only be too happy to use them as educational tools.