What enters your mind when you hear the word "gamer"? Chances are you're a gamer yourself, so your answer's pretty different compared to a non-gamer's. According to Dawn Paine, Nintendo UK Head of Marketing, a non-gamer's definition of a "typical" gamer is a "long haired nerd, screaming as he gripped a control pad."

To address this, Paine aims to bring in a new type of gamer, one that would stand for "self development, health, beauty and fitness" with their Touch! Generation software. More in the full article.

Wii beats Apple - and sells millions. Hitwise (the internet data company) says the Nintendo Wii is the most searched gadget, beating Apple's iPod. Times Online thinks the Wii looks likely to hit 2 million in sales in the U.S. alone before the year ends. (If you'll remember, it was reported that Wii sales already hit 2 million worldwide.) And here's more good news...

Where is the PS3? Nintendo's success is partly thanks to Sony's launch problems (Van Baker of Gartner - an analyst / research firm - said that PS3 has "given a two Christmas advantage to Microsoft, and a one Christmas advantage to Nintendo"). The PS3 is absent, so by default Nintendo wins this Christmas. Things may change when the PS3 launches (don't count Sony out - there are millions of PS2 fans out there just waiting for the PS3 to launch).

DS and Wii are affordable and fun "must have" gadgets. According to Times Online, Nintendo deserves this Christmas victory because of the Wii's low price, Wiimote, and growing attention and media buzz. Dawn Paine (marketing director for Nintendo UK) takes the time to also credit the DS - after all, the Wii is following the DS success: different ways of gaming plus different games that attract older people and girls.

That reminds me: [DS GAME POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT] What was that DS game where you have to blow on the DS touch pad to "fog up" the glass in the game to reveal the clue? That was pure genius. For the Wii and DS fans at QJ, this is just one example of the Nintendo touch. It's not about "more processing power" or "more polygons" or whatever. Nintendo succeeds because of the smart, clever, and inspiring ways that simple technology is incorporated in stunning, creative ways into games. "The enthusiastic reception given to the Wii is a reminder that it is not always the best technology that wins battles in consumer electronics," says Times Online.

Now won't somebody please start a forum thread to petition for a Wallace & Gromit game for the Wii?