It's been months since a PSP game made it onto Media-Create's weekly list of the top 10 best-selling games in Japan. The opposite has been true of the DS. Nintendo's dual-screen handheld is a straight-up craze across the Pacific, and titles for the device dominated the charts during the week of May 15 to May 21.

Seven of the top 10 games for the week were for the DS, and many were returnees from previous weeks. Kahashima Ryuuta Kyouju Kanshuu: Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training was the highest-placed finisher in slot number two, just above relatively new entrant Tetris DS. Just below in fourth place was popular favorite Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, followed by Animal Crossing: Wild World (sixth), Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Eigo Duke (eighth), Pokemon Ranger: The Road to Diamond and Pearl (ninth), and Mario Kart DS (tenth).

The remaining three slots were for Japan's favorite console, the PlayStation 2. Anime tie-in .hack//G.U. Vol. 1: Rebirth was the top title for the week, followed by two sports games from Konami: soccer sim World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 (fourth) and baseball game Jikkyou Powerful Major League (seventh).

Via Gamespot ...

Nintendo's still not talking about when Wii comes out, but it is happy to shed some light on its DS and GameCube (yes remember that) line-up over in the US, where it's first party party time!

In fact, one of the biggest dates on the list was a Cube title - with Super Paper Mario now down for an October 9th release, while its Cubepatriot Baten Kaitos Origins is down for September 25th.

Also in October, Nintendo says Square Enix's much anticipated Children of Mana action RPG is due out on DS on the 30th - and that's actually the farthest off of a number of other DS games listed, including Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (Sept 25), Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (Sept 18), Star Fox DS (already confirmed Aug 28) and Clubhouse Games (Oct 9).

Meanwhile, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, i.e. the GBA one, is due out at the same time as the DS version - on September 18th.

And if you're not happy waiting for all of those, you can start importing both Big Brain Academy, the next in the brain training series, and puzzle title Magnetica from June 5th. Shiny!

Via Eurogamer ...

Myth or not, the story that muggers are specifically targeting folks with iPods has gotten a fair amount of press since it was first reported, and has convinced at least one police department to make a rather half-hearted attempt at returning peace of mind to the city's subway commuters. For the past three months, New York City cops have been offering iPod and other portable device owners a way to "register" their gear -- wherein the officers mark your hardware with invisible ink and copy down the serial number -- in order to provide victims with a slim but tangible chance of recovery. The two-pronged approach ensures that even if thieves figure out a way to wash off the ink. which is only visible under infrared lighting, they may not be wise enough to file off the serial numbers as well. So far, over 2,000 gadgets have been marked at Transit Bureau offices and tables located around the subway system, although the program has yet to help any victims recover their stolen goods, so it's probably not a bad idea to continue sporting your Thomas Pink tie.

Via Engadget ...

Via Cheap Ass Gamer

A busy week for the CAG Moderators...
Trakan reports he was shopping at his local Target when he noticed a display case full of DS Lites. Knowing that the release date is June 11th, Trakan kept his cool and simply asked if he could buy one. The rest is street date breaking history.

UPDATE: Other CAGs have reported successfully purchasing DS Lites from Target & Walmart. ...

Speculation surrounding Microsoft's entry into the handheld videogame hardware market refuses to die, and latest predictions reckon that the company may cause a splash in the handheld arena within two years.

Predictions have come from a recent report issued by research group The Diffusion Group, which states that Microsoft "will likely leverage its Xbox franchise to enter the portable game console (PGC) market in late 2007 or early 2008" and "is expected to embed a portable multimedia player in a handheld gaming platform similar in many respects to Sony's PSP."

It's noted in the report that Microsoft has - apparently - been weighing up a couple of options with regard to entering the handheld market: "...licensing a version of its Xbox OS for others to build portable hardware designs upon or "introducing its own branded PGC [portable gaming console]". But Michael Greeson, CEO of The Diffusion Group and co-author of the report, deems the software licensing route unlikely.

While licensing the software is consistent with Microsoft's larger strategy, and no doubt Microsoft has endured many failures in regard to hardware plays, the success of the Xbox presents Microsoft with a unique opportunity", Greeson commented. "Microsoft owns an established and highly-regarded hardware brand, meaning that they can enter the PGC market from a position of strength, a privilege not enjoyed by any other player except those already active in the PGC space."

We can only wait to see if this informed crystal ball gazing turns out to be accurate, however MS head honcho big Bill Gates himself added further fuel to the fire in an interview on ZDNet. When asked about that portable media player, Gates said: "I have no announcement to make today. We are looking at various ways to bring more to that space. There is a lot yet that hasn't been done."

Via CVG ...

If you loved Tetsuya Mizuguchi's previous music games, the hypnotic shooter Rez and addictive PSP puzzler Lumines, then you'll no-doubt be gushing for his latest base-thumping shooter, Every Extend Extra.

Based on a freeware PC game, Every Extend Extra is a puzzle-shooter hybrid that has you moving a cursor around a stylised, dynamic Rez-style backdrop. You're tasked with shooting down chains of dancing symbols, but - seeing as your ammunition is limited - timing your shots for the best chain of combos is the way to rack up your score.

Considering the gorgeous graphics and thumping soundtrack shown off in this new trailer - and our everlasting love for Rez and Lumines - we reckon Every Extend Extra is one to look out for when it hits PSP this autumn.

News and Trailer at CVG ...

Nintendo's UK boss David Yarnton recently lashed out at Sony's new motion-sensing PS3 controller, saying that - in regards to Nintendo's own unqiue Wii controller - Sony "didn't innovate, they copied."

However in an interview with Spiegel Online (a -shock, horror - German website), Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's Phil Harrison today struck back at the claims. Our CVG translation droid was duly warmed up and given a fresh dollop of oil and it reported the Sony boss said: "In a way I understand why people say [we stole Nintendo's idea], but it is a little stupid, if you forgive the remark."

When we brought the PlayStation to the market in 1994, we introduced real time 3-D graphics for the first time," he noted. "When Nintendo launched its N64 in 1996 it also had 3D graphics, did we say, "Nintendo stole our idea!"? Obviously not. Such innovations become possible because of a combination of technology, cost and manufacture capacities."

He continued: "We've been working on [motion-sensing technology] for a long time and Nintendo has certainly likewise already been working on something similar. The difference between our strategy and that of our competition is that our controller is still similar to the Dual Shock, the industry standard controller. I estimate that nearly 400 million Dual Shock controllers have been sold worldwide."

When asked how many PS3 games would use the motion-sensing function in its first year, Harrison said that he thinks "all games will use the function somehow." Harrison continued, "If you play a platform or soccer game now, you move the controller around," he added. "Now for the first time we can use both the primary input, executed by the analog sticks, and at the same time use the movements that the player makes as a secondary input. That is an important advantage, which only the PlayStation controller has."

So there you have it, according to Sony it was all a big coincidence and the conspiracy theories are all a load of rubbish. Now let's wait and see what Microsoft has to say about their online service...

Via CVG ...

Original Lumines was bad enough, but Lumines 2 looks primed to become the scourge of even more missed tube stops, leading us to turn up for work at midday frantically searching our desks for the elusive PSP charger.

Mizuguchi's music puzzler is arguably the brightest gem in the PSP library, and even though it's now heading for Live Arcade and PS2 we can't wait to get our hands on the handheld sequel. Details are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but according to the trailer we can expect more "euphoric," "addictive," "mind bending" puzzle action.

Lumines 2 is due out in the autumn. We can see falling blocks in our sleep already.

News and Trailer at CVG ...

It's almost inconceivable that the PS3 could launch in November without a Gran Turismo title hot on its heels to pump things up for petrolheads - and while GT HD received fairly lukewarm plaudits at this year's E3, there's no denying it remains one of the crucial launch window titles.

And perhaps the critics spoke too soon if this latest bunch of GT screens are anything to go by, with the series looking in immaculate racing trim and living up to the sheer visual automotive joy of its illustrious predecessors.

Still, there's no pleasing some people and petrolheads will be pining for producer Kazunori Yamauchi's full-blown Gran Turismo 5. However, GT HD should still offer plenty of meat to sink your teeth into in the meantime, with online play a major bonus and motorbikes from the recent Tourist Trophy certainly adding an interesting spin to the racing mix.

For the moment though, you'll have to content yourself with these screens. We'll bring you more on GT HD as it roars off the grid.

Screenshots Here ...