You're looking at the gift. See, XSEED's CEO is Jun Iwasaki, who used to run Square Enix before he left to found his current company. The head honcho over at Square Enix now, Tetsuya Nomura, decided to hook him up with the custom It's a Wonderful World (The World Ends With You) handheld in what we can only hope is an example to others in the future. We have to break down these barriers!

We want to see a Coca Cola truck driver letting a Pepsi truck driver merge during heavy traffic. We want to see DS and PSP enthusiasts swapping consoles, sharing great experiences with each other. It's ... it's just such a feel good moment.

While we all think it would be totally rad if Nintendo issued either another redesigned DS model or a whole new handheld unit altogether, certain things must be considered first. Like, will it make Nintendo some money? Also, is there a demand? And, finally, is the DS as it is now outdated and no longer a viable option for the consumer?

Let's look at the facts, folks:

• The original Game Boy released in 1989 and saw several revisions, including a color change in 1995, a smaller system in the Game Boy Pocket in 1996, the Game Boy Light in 1997 and the Game Boy Color in 1998
  
• The Game Boy Advance released in 2001 and saw 2 revisions before it was officially retired, with the Game Boy Advance SP releasing in 2003 and the Game Boy Advance Micro releasing in 2005
  
• The original DS was released in 2004 and since has received one revision, in the DS Lite, which released in 2006
  

But, this is not all that needs be considered. For one, the DS Lite is still selling incredibly well, and Nintendo might think to adopt the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" plan of attack on this one, choosing to sit back and let the thing sell as long as it possibly can. However, due to the lowering manufacturing costs and Nintendo's profit on each unit sold, a revision with newer features might be manufactured for the same, or a very similar, price. This would allow Nintendo to sell the new unit at a higher price than the DS Lite and make even more money on each handheld sold. There goes the answer to the first question.

What about demand? Well, the demand for the existing DS Lite is there, but we'll be the first to tell you that, while we love the handheld , it's not perfect. Alterations in the best interest of the handheld may still be made, including generic improvements such as improving battery life and the like.If the people still love the DS Lite, we find little reason for them not to upgrade and froth at the mouth for something like a DS Liter.

What about its use to the consumer? Does it still remain a great choice for the general consumer? Sure, but in technology years, the thing is like a Brontosauras with Jesus resting comfortably on top of it. What we're saying is, the thing is old. While its appeal may never go away thanks to the easy control scheme and mountains of amazing titles available for it, one cannot ignore the competition. As new features are released everyday for Sony's PSP system, the DS Lite is increasingly dwarfed by the technological wizardry capable with Sony's handheld. If Nintendo went with a new version of the DS, we'd like to see them implement some of the more standard technological features that exist in other handheld devices on the market.

So will Nintendo release a revision to the DS? Sure, whether it's a new handheld entirely or a new DS, Nintendo would be crazy not to build on what they have with the DS Lite. Will we see it at E3 this year? This blogger thinks so, because, to be honest, what other megatons could they possibly drop on us?

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We're normally used to insults, jabs, and cat fights when it comes to Sony and Nintendo talking about each other, so it's always refreshing to hear compliments instead. David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, recently had some nice things to say about the company's competitor. When talking about how the industry has grown in the past year, he gives Nintendo due credit.

Reeves states that, thanks to many Nintendo games (like Brain Age, for example), the video games market has expanded to include more female gamers and families. which in turn has been good for the industry. It's certainly hard to argue that Nintendo has brought in many new gamers, but it's still nice for SCEE to give Nintendo props.

[Via GoNintendo]

When YouTube user efeffewgre assembled the above compilation, he could have just included Metal Gear Solid music. Seriously, that would have been enough for us to watch this from beginning to end.

Instead though, he went the extra mile, by also including a detailed look at the power struggle in Japan between Nintendo and Sony since 1996. And he did it in pie charts. We love pie charts, we love Metal Gear Solid music, and we love watching how the red of Nintendo has slowly consumed the blue of Sony over the last dozen years. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our YouTube clip of 2008 so far.

[Via Insert Credit]

With the DS and ... that other handheld having sold a combined total of almost 100 million units, you'd have thought that Microsoft would be like a bear on honey when it came to the portable gaming market.

Well, apparently not. See, they're not all about cash, those Redmond billionair -- okay, we can't say that with a straight face. Truth is, they are all about cash. It's just that Nintendo (and, if we must, Sony) has done such a fine job of covering handhelds that it's going to be pretty awkward for Microsoft to join in the fun.

Those aren't our words either, but the verdict of Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft Entertainment and Devices: "... When I look at the handheld space, we haven't seen anything there that says, 'gosh, we wanna go make a big investment there.' It's a fairly tough area, a place where Sony and particularly Nintendo are doing a pretty good job."

We've heard about Microsoft's non-interest in the handheld arena before, yet we're also familiar with Microsoft's fickle nature -- Xbox, anybody?

[Via Go Nintendo]

Ah, fanboy debate. Nothing quite motivates those lurking in the darkest corners of the internet to pounce from their hiding places like some really intense debate over which handheld is the best. And, now IGN has just sounded the equivalent to a dinner bell, asking one and all to come and help them decide which is the better, the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP.

How do they decide this? Well, through the games.

We haven't seen the UK been so receptive to something since the black plague. OK, maybe that was out of line, but you folks across the pond are seriously down with the DS. And, that is something we can get down with.

Over the last week, the DS sold over 191,000 units. This breaks the record for any hardware format selling in a 7-day period in the UK, which is the largest gaming market in Europe. The previous record was set by Sony's PSP device, which sold 185,000 units in its first week, after the handheld went on sale on September 1st, 2005.

[Via Nintendic]

Ah, mainstream media. How we love your misinformed nature and incredible ability to point out the obvious. Like, how the DS is way better than the PSP. You've really showed your clairvoyance, Miss Cleo.

We will agree that choosing between the DS and PSP is a lot easier than choosing between the current generation of consoles, however. In terms of price, it's a smaller commitment and it's easier to decide between two, rather than three. But one thing the DS has (like its console cousin, the Wii) is an appeal to people of all ages and all walks of life.

What are some other things you love about the DS? Why do you think it's better than the PSP (we have a feeling you're going to say "the games")? Or, don't you, and you're merely reading DSF to learn more about your enemy for the impending battle between fanboy armies?

Nintendo just took the reins from Sony as the software sales champ. In other words, the combined game sales for the DS and Wii in the third quarter of 2007 surpassed those for the PS2, PS3, and PSP.

Nintendo's software generated $1.2 billion last quarter, while Sony's amounted to $1 billion. We're not really surprised, considering that the DS pretty much dominates in every region. We've also heard that the Wii is pretty popular, so that might have moved quite a bit of software as well.

iSuppli, the analyst company tracking the numbers, predicts that Nintendo will remain on top in software sales in Q4 2008.

Neil Thompson, Microsot's senior regional director for the UK and Ireland at Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, sat down with GamesIndustry.biz to discuss all things Microsoft. While we could care less about that, he does offer some insight as to why Microsoft didn't enter the handheld gaming space and some of the challenges that Sony faced in trying to be competitive with Nintendo.

Thomspon says "The DS has been a great success for, and I think the interesting thing that case writers looking back at Nintendo in the last two or three years will look at, is the simplicity somewhat of the technology. They may argue it's a complex technology, but in a lot of ways it's actually quite a simple technology." While that's a good thought, isn't Thomspon overlooking the fact that a system is only so good as its games?

Daniel DeMatteo, COO of GameStop, says that the casual gaming market is going to change the way that his company does business. Devoting spaces to both family-friendly, casual titles and rhythm-based games, he hopes the company will be able maximize profits. Also, he says something kind of crazy in that he thinks the PS2 is the "only one real value video game machines out there."

Uh, hey ... what about the DS? It's a very inexpensive system that has fairly inexpensive titles and the handheld is incredibly popular both here in the states and abroad. Are we right, or are we right?

When you hear the names Honda and Toyota, does it make you think Nintendo? Well, it will soon, as the Nintendo has entered into the prestigious class of top 10 companies in Japan. Nintendo has beaten even its biggest competitor, Sony, as the company has managed to earn incredible amounts of revenue through its handheld DS system, as well as its newest console, the Wii.

As of now, shares in the company go for 46,350 yen (about $375 USD) and it is currently valued at 6.57 trillion yen ( about $53 billion USD).

See also: Nintendo is almost worth as much as Sony

Nintendo has surpassed the enormous electronics firm (and unfortunate 3DO M2 owner) Matsushita to take second place in market value for electronics firms. Nintendo's market value (the value of all of its shares) is currently at 6.30 trillion yen ($51 billion), which is not that far off from first-place Sony's 6.64 trillion yen.

The really remarkable thing for us is that Sony and Matsushita make all sorts of things, like computers and radios, and their revenues are currently over eight times those of Nintendo. Nintendo just makes video games and their shares are eclipsing Matsushita's.

Geology is a slow process. Making rocks takes time after all, much like game development. Meanwhile, classic action puzzler Boulder Dash - Rocks continues its glacial roll toward the DS and PSP.

We first heard about this remake of the classic action-puzzler back in November. Since then a few new details have emerged. Rockford, our bling hungry hero, will be able to use lasers and bombs to help him on his underground quest for diamonds. We're also promised multiplayer modes, and platform specific game modes. No details on what these entail, but some kind of stylus based action seems inevitable on the DS - perhaps the ability to lift or smash rocks?

That would certainly go some way to making the game a bit more accessible than the original, where a simple mistake could leave your precious diamonds buried forever under piles of rocks. We'll hopefully find out in late 2007, when Boulder Dash - Rocks is due for release.

Are you a longtime lover of handhelds, or new to the party? Personally, this blogger wasn't much of a handheld gamer until the PSP and the DS rolled around, because handhelds just weren't comfortable. With this generation, however, handheld gaming seemed to take a huge step up in everything from ergonomics to gameplay and graphics. Others, of course, are lifelong handheld devotees; to them, a gaming collection just isn't complete without some sort of portable device. How would you classify yourself?