For gamers, there was just one story with many headlines this week. The final stretch heading into Friday's launch of the Sony PlayStation 3 and this Sunday's release of the Nintendo Wii held a tight grip on the industry's top stories all week long.

　　Starting with Monday's revelation that GameStop wouldn't be receiving enough PS3s to fulfill its conservative estimates on preorders for the systems (typically about eight units per store), right through to Friday's stream of reports of various muggings and holdups taking place in the hours before (and after) the official launch, Sony's new console took the point this week.

　　Nintendo shared the spotlight in the days before its own next-gen console launch as the company's stock hit an all-time high on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company also confirmed that a DVD-compatible version of the Wii hardware would arrive in 2007, as well as delays for a few of the system's supplementary features, such as constantly updated weather forecasts, news, and the Opera-developed Web browser.

　　While it didn't have Halo 3 ready to counter Sony's PS3 launch, as Bill Gates once suggested, Microsoft still offered Xbox 360 owners a few reasons to keep their eyes from wandering to the new systems. First, the publisher announced that it would release a multiplayer beta of Halo 3 and new maps for Halo 2 next year. And for those who don't care for the company's preeminent first-person shooter franchise, it announced that the next sequel in the highly regarded Command & Conquer real-time strategy series would be arriving on the Xbox 360.

　　This might be The Last Word, but it's by no means the end of GameSpot's work week. Check back throughout the weekend for continuing coverage of Nintendo's Wii, direct from the official American launch, and direct from Nintendo's official party in New York City.

　　MONDAY

　　GameStop not getting enough PS3s to fill preorders

　　Wii gets DVD playback...in 2007

　　Wikipedia closes Wii, PS3, Sony entries

　　Report: More than 88,000 PS3s sold in Japan

　　Q&A: 2K Sports' gameplan for PS3

　　TUESDAY

　　PS3 backward compatibility marred

　　Amazon.com passes on Wii, PS3 preorders

　　RIP OPM

　　Mayor of Rome seeks Rule of Rose ban

　　Q&A: Ian Livingstone on 10 years of Lara

　　WEDNESDAY

　　Halo 3 MP public beta due spring 2007

　　Wii wows Japan investors

　　Sid Meier's Pirates! sails to PSP

　　Report: 400,000 Wiis for Japan launch

　　Sony fans play the waiting game

　　THURSDAY

　　PS3 takes bite out of Big Apple

　　Some Wii channels tuned out

　　C&C3 360 bound

　　Report: Sony losing hundreds on each PS3

　　Vivendi Games earnings up 190 percent

　　FRIDAY

　　PS3 touches down in SF

　　PS3 eBay prices soar

　　PS3 launch sees multiple thefts

　　More robberies plague PS3 launch

　　Report: Nintendo wanted $100 Wii

　　RUMORS OF THE WEEK

　　Contemporary Call of Duty due next year?

　　Best Buy offering 360 deal to luckless PS3 seekers?

　　Halo 3 date, demo news coming?

　　RELEASES

　　Shippin' Out November 13-19: PS3/Wii launch week