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 of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has thrown down the gauntlet. In the newest GTTV episode, he predicted that New Super Mario Bros. Wii will outsell Modern Warfare 2 on a single platform. Oh, and he says there's no Wii HD.

The 2009 Today's Gamers International Survey reveals a fact that has been pretty obvious for quite a while now: more and more US citizens consider playing video games as their primary past time.

According to the OTX GamePlan Insights provided to Gamasutra, those who own the Xbox 360 version of an original are abandoning ship and going for the PS3 version of its sequel. Two titles at the top of that list are Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) and Assassin's Creed 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), which will be released on both consoles. If the analysis has it right, the Xbox 360 gamers are now switching over to the PS3 side.

Having sold 2.5 million copies on its first month and hitting eight in 2009, Alta-yeer and Assassin's Creed definitely set the bar high for the trilogy. But as early as now, Ezio and Assassin's Creed II are expected to do much better, with pre-orders up 10-20% from their predecessor. According to Mike Hickey of Janco Partners, Assassin's Creed II will do better than the first, and it'll give a much-needed boost for Ubisoft and its Q3 numbers.

How much do you think will Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) sell in its first week of launch? Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is of the opinion that it will move a humongous US$ 500 million, most likely more.

Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino thinks games are evil. He's said it before, and he's not afraid to say it again. This time, however, he does give credit to what he believes are technological advancements brought forth by video game hardware.

This report from Gamasutra should erase any and all doubts lingering in your minds about just how successful Call of Duty: World at War (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii) truly is. The three DLC packs that the game released digitally for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles "only" managed to push 6.5 million units between the months of March and Mid-August 2009. How's that for a big performer?

If Michael Pachter pins this forecast of his right, then we just might see an Xbox Live costing US$ 100 per year for Gold membership in the next couple of years.

It's bound to be neck-to-neck, what with two big titles coming out this holiday season. But as with all competition, only one will win. For Michael Pachter, it's gotta be Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, and PC) over Assassin's Creed II (PS3, Xbox 360, and PC) in the battle of the holiday sequels.