Game journalists earned what little keep they make this week, as news was plentiful on all fronts. There was plenty in the way of game news, company acquisitions, and even a little sex, but the biggest stories involved gaming's big three (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft), each of whom talked money, money, money.

　　Nintendo kicked things off on Monday, announcing the results of the first quarter of its fiscal year. As expected, sales of the DS Lite helped keep Mario's pockets full, with $133.6 million in the bank during the three-month period. More than 21 million DSes have been sold so far, and the company expects to push 17 million total during the current financial year.

　　Sony was up next, and reported profits of $279.4 million for the quarter. But, it wasn't thanks to its gaming-related revenue. Research and development of the PlayStation 3 actually held the company back, as Sony prepares for the console's launch. (Sony did not reveal the costs of R&D for the PS3.)

　　Microsoft didn't mention any current numbers this week, but it did speak of some numbers in the future. Robbie Bach, Microsoft's entertainment and devices division president, said the company expects to turn a profit in the gaming sector during its 2008 fiscal year. It would be a first for the company, which has taken a hit to the wallet ever since it got into the business in 2001.

　　While that info is all good to know for the suits, others want to know what's going on with other things, notably games. Rockstar Games said that the next Grand Theft Auto game on the PSP, Vice City Stories, will arrive in stores on October 17 for $49.99, and gave some possible hints about the game's plot. Epic Games' Gears of War is due for a big announcement next week (maybe a release date?), according to Epic president Mark Rein. As for the week's notable cancellations, announcements, and delays, The Sopranos is out for the Xbox 360, Scarface is in for the PSP (and out for the Xbox 360), and Splinter Cell: Double Agent was pushed back to October. See links below for even more game shake-ups.

　　The week in gaming news wouldn't be without some courtroom drama, and the past five days weren't an exception. The high-profile "Xbox murders" case came to a close, and all three on trial were convicted of first-degree murder. A jury will deliberate and sentence them to either life in prison or death by lethal injection.

　　The PC world was shaken a bit when CPU maker AMD announced that it had acquired graphics-chipmaker ATI. The move was an "acquisition of growth," according to AMD, with the objective being to create a "processing powerhouse." Because the companies overlap very little, operations aren't expected to change much internally, said a rep from ATI.

　　As straightforward as that news was, a few stories managed to get a few double-takes. Soccer star Ronaldinho's girlfriend told a UK publication that during the World Cup, the athlete would often break team rules, sneak off to make love to her, and unwind with some FIFA games on his PlayStation 2. She was also careful to point it out that it was the game-playing, not the sex sessions, that may have resulted in his poor performance at the World Cup. While it's easy for a famous athlete to find love, it's often harder for PC gamers. Enter World of Datecraft, an online dating service geared towards World of Warcraft players. The current male-to-female ratio? Six to one.

　　MONDAY

　　Student thesis pegs games as racist

　　Madden catches pay-per-view event

　　Eidos gets Conan, developing console version

　　Ubisoft snares Sony exec

　　Electroplankton creator unveils new project

　　TUESDAY

　　AMD demos four-core tech, talks ATI acquisition

　　New suit for Take-Two suits

　　Paradigm completes shift to THQ

　　Nintendo rolls out DS dates

　　Korean Web company expands Westward

　　WEDNESDAY

　　Ironside, Quaid TimeShifting

　　Blizzard bans 59,000 WOW accounts

　　Sony: 10,000 PS3 dev kits shipped

　　EA confirms BFME II expansion

　　Study: Game violence has desensitizing effect

　　THURSDAY

　　Activision no longer forging Iron Man

　　Gearbox confirms Wii support

　　THQ takes Q1 loss in spite of solid sales

　　Vivendi rolling in World of Warcraft gold

　　Ubisoft revenues up, several games delayed

　　FRIDAY

　　Sega Sammy profit plummets 93 percent

　　UK five-O want Reservoir Dogs deep-sixed

　　Relic pondering console Company of Heroes, 40K: Dawn of War

　　Microsoft exec dismisses PS3, Wii launches

　　Nightfall previewed this weekend

　　RUMORS OF THE WEEK

　　Midway to Rampage on Wii and DS?

　　Assassin's Creed headed to the Xbox 360...again?

　　Microsoft planning a $100 Xbox 360 price drop?

　　Activision helping Mercenaries 2 invade 360s?

　　Bungie mystery project: Halo, Forerunner, Marathon?

　　Big Wii info at Leipzig, console going on road trip?

　　RELEASES

　　Shippin' Out 7/24-28

　　CHARTS

　　US console sales chart

　　UK game charts

　　Japan game charts

　　US PC game charts