Apple’s iPhone is fast becoming a portable gaming console and the traditional gaming console manufacturers are already feeling it encroaching into their territory. Nintendo might still have the edge with their DS but the iPhone is becoming the portable device of choice.

Reggie Fils-Aime, head of Nintendo North America has stated that his company is intrigued with the iPhone as a gaming device but readily dismissed its App Store. He continued by saying a store with 10,000 apps doesn’t not necessarily mean that consumers are getting quality and innovative entertainment.

Even Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is not moved by this development. He stated that mobile phone games have been around for years but Nintendo still managed to be the leader in portable gaming. He has the figures to back this up. There are around 563,000 DS units sold in March alone.

Nintendo does have the stronger handheld gaming device for now but we might see better games for the iPhone in the future. Nintendo better watch out.

Last month’s sales report is out and it showed that video games didn’t do well in March. It dropped 17 percent. This is according to the reports made by the NPD Group. But compared to last year’s numbers, this year’s numbers are even with 2008. This is still good news for the video game industry as the world is suffering from global recession.

The video game software sales are down but the gaming consoles have a 1% increase. The Nintendo Wii is still the best seller with the Xbox 360 in second place. One year ago, Super Smash Bros Brawl was selling like hotcakes. This has greatly affected the March 2008 sales.

Hopefully this month’s sales will see a big bump, especially with the release of the DSi. Though initially reports show that the DSi is not doing that well. It can’t seem to attract iPhone’s market yet. Then there’s the case of mature games that doesn’t seem to do well as well. You can read about it from my previous article.

It was bold for Take-Two to bring their Gran Theft Auto franchise to the DS. It is their thinking that the casual gamers would readily accept Chinatown Wars while the hardcore gamers will migrate to the DS because of it. Obviously that’s not what happened.

An expert pointed out that no even all the hype Chinatown Wars has gotten, it still underperformed with 89,000 units sold since it was launched last month. It’s not the publisher’s fault at all. I have the game I really loved it. It’s just that the demographics are really against them. Majority of DS users are either too young for the mature rating or they’re against games like GTA.

Madworld, another mature game made for a Nintendo console, also performed poorly during its first month. It sold 66,000 units in the U.S. But this is already a given for mature games for Nintendo consoles. They might not be lighting up the game charts but there is still a market for M games on the Wii and DS. Hopefully the publishers and game developers are not discouraged by this.

Videos, power thinker, horror game, minigames, and the low down on the DSi in this week’s Nintendo news roundup.

Nintendo mulling Wii-to-DS video download service
Nintendo is planning to offer video downloads via the Wii and send it to the DS. The service will be first made available in Japan later this year and if accepted by the Japanese consumers then it will debut worldwide. Download ATV service manuals.

‘Sims’ and ‘Spore’ creator leaves EA
Will Wright left EA to start a Stupid Fun Club, an entertainment think tank company. He hopes to churn out new ideas for games, movies, TV shows, and toys. I hope he succeeds in this endeavor.

Fatal Frame 4 Never Coming To US
Tecmo announced that the fourth installation of Fatal Frame would not be reaching the US market. This has been decided by Nintendo and Tecmo can’t do anything about it. AS to the reason why Nintendo doesn’t want it release it is beyond logic. It did well in Japan and fans are raving about it, saying Fatal Frame 4 is the best game of the franchise by far.

Make Your Own WarioWare Games
Made in Ore is composed of 90 mini games but its main feature is that it lets the player made his own game and share it among his peers. I don’t know about you guys but what’s the point of another mini game collection?

Nintendo DSi: Hands-on Review
The reviewer tells us that DS Lite owners should not switch to the DSi. The DSi is for those who skipped on the DS Lite or people who don’t have any portable consoles yet. I totally agree specially when he pointed out that the GBA slot is missing with the DSi that makes GH Tour unplayable on the new console.

The battle between beavers and robots that started on the DS will be making its way to the Wii. Fans of the 2008 DS game Robocalypse can get Beaver Defense from the Wiiware. The second game of the franchise focuses more on tower defense. Players must place defensive units on the map in the hopes of thwarting off the enemies.

The game’s producer Alan Martin has this to say about it:

“The story is hilarious and offers a fitting back drop for this fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek game where the player must thwart the plans of a maniacal beaver.”

Just like the DS version, the Wiiware’s Beaver Defense is written by Jay Lender. If you find the name familiar, you must have seen it at the end credits of SpongeBob Squarepants. There are a couple of tower defense games in the market today; I wonder what makes Beaver Defense different from the rest.

Last week’s Japan gaming console numbers are in and it looks like Sony’s PS3 is looking to cement itself as the number one gaming console in the land of the rising sun. It has surpassed Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox360.

Nintendo’s DS still remains the king of all consoles but Sony’s PSP is not far behind from it. The DSi might be the reason behind this lead and with all the hype it’s getting from its Northern American release. Will we seeing next gen consoles from other companies to rival the DS?

Here is last week’s the Japanese sales charts:

Nintendo DS: 65,809
PlayStation Portable: 54,148
PlayStation 3: 22,825
Nintendo Wii: 17,276
PlayStation 2: 5246
Xbox 360: 4849

The PS3 still has a lot of room to improve, with regards to its hardware. Maybe Sony would release another upgrade soon then it could strengthen its claim on the top spot longer. Meanwhile, owners are busy searching for free PS3 cheats and codes to tide them over.

Upcoming virtual console games, Disney game, Echoes of Time, new console and the DSi in this week’s Nintendo news roundup.

Rumor: DSi Virtual Console will have Game Boy and GBA
I don’t know if it should still be considered as a rumor because Nintendo has already announced DSiWare and DSi Virtual console is definitely going to happened.

GDC 09: Spectrobes Preview
The original Disney game Spectrobes will be available for the DS this year. It is targeted for the young gamers.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time Review
IGN reviews Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the Wii and gave it a 6.5 rating. They like the DS version better.

OnLive: Will videogames be changed forever?
There’s a new gaming console out to challenge Nintendo and Sony. It would try to do what iTunes have done to music. To use it, you must download the program to your PC or Mac.

DSi sells over 2 million units in Japan
We’re nearing the launch date of the DSi for the North American market and we have news of the console reaching the 2M plateau in Japan. It is said to have sold at least 14,000 units each day in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Apple’s iPhone changed how people play games. There’s no need to go to the store to buy the latest game. You could download the game directly to your iPhone. It’s no wonder that Nintendo and Sony are going for game downloads as features for their next gen portable consoles.

For their part, Nintendo will be releasing the DSi on April 5 for the North American market. One of its main features is its internal flash memory and a SD card slot. This means gamers can download and store games in their DSi, unlike the present DS version.

Downloadable contents are not really new. Nintendo have already implemented it with its Wii. The success of the iPhone put digital distribution into the limelight. Nintendo is inviting game developers into making games that would be made available through the DSiWare service.

But Nintendo stated that it would not go in the direction of Apple in which there are lots of similar apps competing with each other. Nintendo wants to provide the gamers with quality games that’s worth its download value. OK, so how about a downloadable Scooby Doo game?

If the preorder numbers are to be based upon then the DSi would surpass the DS’ success. GameStop has announced that preorders for the DSi have already doubled that of the DS. Does this mean that Nintendo would not be releasing a next gen portable gaming console soon?

It looks like the waiting list will continue to grow longer as the DSi’s release date is fast approaching. It is the third version of the DS, following the slimmer DS Lite. From the looks of things Nintendo don’t need to hurry the development of the DS’ true successor.

Consumers looking to get their hands on the DSi during its first day of sale in North America should not worry about shortage of units. Nintendo has stated that they can meet the demand come release day. Anyone has preordered a DSi? Maybe you could send us a photo taken from your DSi during launch date.

Do violent video games influence children, selling out, advocates, space race, and releases in this week’s Nintendo News roundup.

Nintendo: Game Over? Time To Sell, Deutsche Bank Says
Deutsche Bank assessed that Nintendo has reached its peak and that investors should sell their stocks. It states that if the company fails to come up with new and innovative consoles then it would be downhill for the gaming giant.

Too violent for the Wii ones?
A concerned parents group expressed their disgust on the release of Gran Theft Auto on the DS, stating that Nintendo seemed to have forgotten their mission of providing quality games for the youth. Not only that, they also disliked MadWorld for the Wii. What these parents don’t realize is that these M rated games are made not for their kids for mature gamers. That’s the meaning of M. If they don’t like their kids to get their hands on the games then don’t buy it. It’s that simple. Parents should have an active participation on their kids’ lives and must not rely on gaming consoles to give the kids something to do while the parents are too busy with other things.

Activision Bringing Space Camp to Wii, DS
Space Camp is another mini game compilation that’s set to be released for the Wii and DS. Maybe the parents concerned their children’s welfare should get this game. Space Camp is made in the joint effort of Activision and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

European Q2 Release Schedule Revealed
There are lots of good titles coming soon for the Wii and DS. Games such as Punch Out!, Rhythm Paradise, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Pokemon Platinum, My Sims Party, MadWorld, PES 2009, and a lot more.