Port Washington, N.Y. - Once again bucking the overall economic downturn, U.S. video game sales were up 10% in November, to $2.91 billion, while year-to-date sales are up 22%, to $16.04 billion compared with $13.14 billion at the same point a year ago. "One reason for the continued strength of the industry compared to other forms of entertainment comes from a number of sources," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "Certainly, the expanded audience for gaming due to the availability of a wider variety of compelling content is a strong contributor. Economic factors are also at play given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides. Our Consumer Spending Indicator shows that video games is the category consumers are least likely to cut back on this holiday."

Tokyo - Nintendo plans to release an e-book title for the Nintendo DS that will let gamers read classic books on the portable devices, Electricpig reports. Currently slated for release only in Europe, "100 Classic Book Collection" includes titles from Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. The company will also be offering additional downloadable titles on the DS Lite via its Wi-Fi capability.

Burbank, Calif. - Disney Interactive Studios (NYSE: DIS) on Tuesday announced the release of "Ultimate Band" for the Nintendo Wii and DS. Developed by Utah-based Fall Line Studio, the game features tracks including "Fell In Love With a Girl," "Whip It" and "My Generation." Ultimate Band also lets players lay down their own tracks; the DS version features a "built-in recording studio," according to Disney.

Tokyo - Nintendo on Thursday announced that operating profits were up 36% in its second quarter, credited to strong sales of its Wii and DS devices, and raised its Wii sales forecast for the year by 4%, from 26.5 million to 27.5 million.

Tokyo - Nintendo has announced plans to introduce a new model of its handheld DS game system that be lighter and slimmer yet sport larger dual screens, two built-in 0.3-megapixel digital cameras, an SD card slot, Web browser and music player software.

Tokyo - Nintendo plans to release a new version of its popular DS handheld game device that incorporates a digital camera, digital music player and improved Wi-Fi reception, GameDaily reported, citing articles in Japanese newspapers. Nikkei Net reported that the new DS with added functionality will sell for around $189.

Tokyo - Japanese video game developer Nintendo has announced that sales for its recent quarter were up 34% from a year ago, to $993 million, while net sales were up 24%, to $3.91 billion.

New York - Nintendo of America says it will not publish an upcoming Holocaust-themed DS title, "Imagination Is the Only Escape," which "casts players in the role of a young boy in eastern France during the German occupation who seeks escape from real-life horror through a fantasy world," The New York Times reports. "At this time, there are no plans for this game to be released for any Nintendo platforms in North America," the company said in a statement. The game's creator, 21-year-old Luc Bernard, told The Times there is no violence in the game, which is meant to be educations. It is slated for release in Europe later this year.

Tokyo - Profit for Japanese video game maker Nintendo soared 96% during the first three quarters of its fiscal year, ended Dec. 31, propelling the company to raise its sales projections for both its Wii and DS game devices.

Tokyo - AM3, a Japanese firm that has developed non-game content for Nintendo platforms, on Thursday announced DSvision, a new service that will offer downloadable comics, books, magazines, anime, movies and TV shows to Nintendo's DS handheld, IGN.com reported. Set to launch in March -- only in Japan, for the time being -- the Nintendo-approved service will first port content to microSD flash cards, which are then loaded onto the DS via a special adapter cartridge. AM3 said it expects to launch with 300 titles, and hopes to expand its library to 10,000 by 2010.

Burbank, Calif. - Disney Interactive Studios on Tuesday announced the release of two new music-themed titles featuring TV and recording star Hannah Montana. "Hannah Montana: Music Jam" for Nintendo DS will see players using the DS stylus and touch-screen to trigger instrument samples, and form virtual bands via wireless connections. "Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour" for the Nintendo Wii will let gamers use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to dance alongside Hannah to over 15 of her songs.

Tokyo - Nintendo has released a new peripheral for its DS handheld game device in Japan, a "slide sensor" that features the same technology found in an optical mouse. The company has not said whether it will release the around $50 device, which ships with a title called "Slide Adventure: Mag Kid," outside of Japan.

San Francisco - U.S. video game sales rose 31% in June from a year ago, to $1.1 billion, buoyed by strong sales of next-generation consoles from all three major players, Reuters reported, citing data from market research firm NPD Group.

Redmond, Wash. - Nintendo of America said on Monday that it plans to release "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" for its DS handheld on Oct. 1. The Zelda franchise is among Nintendo's most popular, while the DS has outsold all other video game hardware for the past several consecutive months.

New York - U.S. video game sales rose 49% in May, to $815 million, spurred by sales of Nintendo's DS handheld, Wii console and "Pokemon" game franchise, according to various reports that cited sales data from market research firm NPD Group.

Tokyo - Japanese video game maker Nintendo, which announced a 77% year-over-year profit increase on strong sales of its Wii and DS game systems, said it plans to increase production of its Wii console in response to demand, GamesIndustry.biz reported.

New York - U.S. sales of video game consoles, software and accessories rose 33% in March, to $1.1 billion, with Nintendo's Wii leading all next-generation console sales and the company's DS handheld far outpacing sales of all other game devices, Reuters reported, citing sales data from market research firm NPD.