According to a recent report in the UK-based games-industry trade publication MCV, Nintendo and Sony have both "privately earmarked" the week ending Friday, March 18, 2005, to ship their new DS and PSP handhelds to stores across Europe. The following Easter weekend is traditionally a busy time for the games market, but however much the two companies claim that their respective handhelds will not be competing with each other, it seems unlikely that many early adopters will be looking to buy both systems during the same week.

　　Launch price predictions currently doing the rounds in the European press include anything between 149 euros ($180) and 199 euros ($241) for the Nintendo DS and between 300 euros ($363) and 375 euros ($453) for the Sony PSP. No European pricing or launch date information has been officially announced at this time, and, of course, it's conceivable that if both of the machines are currently slated for release during the same week, one or both of them might be delayed.

　　We'll bring you more information on this story as soon as it becomes available.