Digital downloads seem to be the way of the future, looking at the current landscape of the gaming industry now. Even analysts say that retail will be overtaken by digital distribution in a mere three years' time. Nintendo's big boss, Satoru Iwata, begs to differ, however. To him, digital distribution will sure be a hit -- but not till 20 years later.

Nintendo has sent out a press release announcing the final US release date for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Nestled in all the PR-speak is a nice little surprise for Zelda fans: the abduction-prone princess will be fighting right alongside Link in this adventure.

Before the days of the PSP and the DS, only one name came to mind when it came to portable gaming - the Nintendo Game Boy. Since its launch in 1989, the Game Boy made its mark in the gaming industry, pioneering a new level in portable gameplay. For its contributions and millions of satisfied users, the Museum of Play has now honored the handheld by including it in its National Toy Hall of Fame.

As if a new Zelda game isn't enough, Nintendo is sweetening the purchase of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks in Japan with a cool bonus. For those picking this up at Day 1, you'll be getting a neat feather stylus for your Nintendo DS.

Homebrew coder FluBBa has released a new version of S8DS, a port of the SEGA 8-bit emulator SMSAdvance for the NIntendo DS. The latest update has added some new features and some other bug fixes.


Download: S8DS v0.4

The homebrew coders from the SSBRumble DS team has released a new version of Super Smash Bros. Rumble DS, a homebrew game based on the ever popular Wii game Super Smash Bros. The latest update features 21 new characters, added collision detection, timer, attribute system, new stages and various other improvements.

Download: Super Smash Bros. Rumble DS v0.6

OK, DSiWare patrons. Nintendo has announced the new titles available for download from their DSiWare service. This week we get three new titles -- two games and a camera app.

The new jumbo-sized Nintendo DSi will not only be heading to Japan. A Nintendo spokesperson has confirmed today that the super-sized DSi LL is also due to North America and Europe early next year.

Just a couple of days after calling the Nikkei report on the big-screen DSi "conjecture," Nintendo has announced the new DSi model via an update on their official Japanese site.

Nyko revealed today its DSi-specific peripheral, the Nyko Zoom Case, which will allow owners of the handheld to capture clearer pictures while protecting their gadget from nicks and scratches.