Don't despair, though, if you're holding a copy of Brawl with nothing to play it on. Mr. Pachter thinks that with European demand leveling off, Nintendo may shift some of those Wiis Stateside. Stop burning your Euros in protest, please. It'll just breed contempt.

Wii shortage may finally be near an end [Dallas News - thanks, Brian!]

"I don't think that this is an issue of dissatisfaction with Take-Two; rather, I think it is rational to believe that in the wake of the $850 million Pandemic/BioWare deal, high quality developers like Bungie and [Rockstar] North would look to test their market value"

Pachter: GTA Dev Rockstar North May Eventually 'Pull a Bungie,' Split from Take-Two [Shacknews]

The spirit world gave no indication what those expansion may be, according to Gamespot's account, but several hints have been dropped over the past year. Rumors of an Aerosmith dominated sequel were bandied about this fall, with hints of multiple themed discs whispered long before that. While lofty plans for a half-dozen Guitar Hero collections in 2007 didn't come to fruition, those discs dedicated to Country and Metal genres may still be in the works.

Analyst: Guitar Hero series to sell 7M in '07, two expansions coming [Gamespot]

Guitar Hero III. Guess correctly? We hope so. Because we told you before and, apparently, there will be a quiz.

Analyst: October Software Sales Up 50% [nextgeneration]

It's definitely doable, as even I am now in possession of an Xbox 360 Elite and Nintendo's recent Wii software line up doesn't feature anything remotely on par with Halo 3. Plus, I heard the Eagles got back together! Who knew?!

We'll know soon enough, as NPD software and hardware sales data is due any day now.

Wedbush forecasts 47 per cent increase [GamesIndustry.biz]

...we think that LittleBigPlanet will be a console seller in Japan.

Both of these ideas have merit...[and] we cannot think of a better forum for making such an announcement, given that the event is less than a week before the launch of archrival Microsoft's Halo 3.

Pachter: Halo To Sell 3 Million In 12 Days, $99 PS2? [gamasutra]

"We note that the USD 50 million deferred revenue for GTA episodic content was reclassified as 'long term,' implying a release date no earlier than Q4 2008," commented Pachter in a note to investors following publisher Take Two's latest financial results.

Episodic GTA IV content expected late 2008 - analyst [GamesIndustry.biz]

Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter said in his latest report, "We note that Sony recently acknowledged that it will no longer produce its 60Gb PS3, and we expect the price of the 80Gb PS3 to be reduced to $499 before the holidays, maintaining a premium SKU at that price point."

Analysts: 80GB PS3 to Drop to $499 This Year [GameDaily BIZ]

"Wii sales remain strong, with an apparent increase in supply during the quarter. This increase is inconsistent with reports that Nintendo has had difficulty in increasing its manufacturing capacity," he states, "suggesting to us that the company has diverted supply from other areas (perhaps Japan) to the U.S."

Pachter: Nintendo Diverting Wii Shipments to U.S. from Japan? [GameDaily.biz]

The report, writes Wired's Chris Kohler, puts the Wii ahead of both systems sales combined, some 330,000 units sold. While I can easily believe the PS3 vs. Xbox 360 sales figures, Nintendo console sales seem suspect. Seriously, where are these 330,000 people finding their Wiis? I've literally never seen one in stock. My girlfriend had to buy me one on her lunch break.

Wedbush Morgan: July PS3 Sales Will Top 360 [Game|Life]

Second, he and his Wedbush Morgan buddies claim that a PlayStation 2 price drop before the holidays is totally "possible." I've added both to the Kotaku Predictorizer and wait for it to regurgitate judgment. In the meantime, let's hear your thoughts.

Pachter: PS2 Price Drop In 2007, PS3 To Drop For GTA IV [Gamasutra]

There's a common misconception that video game market analysts such as Michael Pachter and Billy Pidgeon do nothing but talk out of their respective asses, one that's sure to be shattered by this week's edition of Bonus Round featuring the two paid predictors. It's confirmed that analysts speak not from the ass, but from the gut. Watch the analysis fly as Pachter and Pidgeon talk about what it means to be an analyst and hear the following from the Pach's mouth—"I'm an idiot." Aw, don't let 'em get you down, Mikey. We think your as sharp as a tack.

"We think it is likely that the Rockstar team had difficulty in building an exceptionally complicated game for the PS3, and failed to recognize how far away from completion the game truly was until recently," said Pachter.

Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, the analyst further suggests that a faulty non-exclusivity agreement made with Sony could be keeping Take Two from releasing a much more closer to completion Xbox 360 version early.

"We think it is also likely that Take-Two had a contractual commitment to Sony that it would not favour competitor Microsoft by launching the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV prior to launching the PS3 version, and believe that any delay of the PS3 version necessitated a delay of the Xbox 360 version,"

PlayStation 3 complications caused GTA IV delay - analyst [GamesIndustry.biz]

Curiously, though, the Pach was reported to have said "it's not like anyone was a 'loser'" telling GamePro that Sony had "seized the show" before it was revealed the company's faux price drop bit them in the ass near the end of the week. Nice work, Reeves. Thanks for ruining E3. Cheeky git.

While it's unclear exactly what spoils Nintendo will claim from its numbers-heavy E3 showing, Sony and Microsoft will receive lovely parting gifts.

Analyst: Nintendo won E3 2007 [GamePro]

Stating their options as shipping the game as-is, redoing it for a better rating, or simply canceling the title altogether, Pachter estimates that the fallout of the Manhunt 2 problems will cost the company around half of his original estimate of $40 million in revenue. Going to have to go with him on this. For one, you lose half your market and you're going to lose half the profit. Then there's the word of mouth reaching parents about the game, making them much less likely to fall back on the normal parenting technique of handing over money and nodding noncommittally. Thirdly, he's The Pachter, and his word is sacrosanct. Michael Fahey

Pachter: Manhunt 2 Troubles Will Cost T2 Millions of $$$ [Game Politics]

Pachter looks to his crystal ball, telling Games Industry that it's "easy to envision a Wii 2 in a couple of years that runs at full HD, and has both a Wii-mote and an analog controller, so that all games can be ported to it." This is the word of Pachter. Let us pray.

As long as it's backward compatible and contains the processing power of at least four GameCubes, I wouldn't complain. If Nintendo does groom an expanded audience on simpler Wii controls, maybe some of them will make the jump to a scheme more complex than the current waggle trend. Michael McWhertor

"Wii 2" could be here within the next few years, says Pachter [Games Industry]

We believe that Majesco's sales were in line with our estimate based upon in line sales of its main new release Cooking Mama (which sold-through 73,000 units through April compared with our 100,000 unit sell-in estimate)...

Though we think Majesco may continue to struggle with its low cash levels and will have to deal with its delisting issues, we believe that the company is close to returning to profitability, due to its improvements in sales and cost management.

Even the Burger King games made some cash. I'm sure Mama can pull Majesco into the green. Do not mind. Kim Phu

Pachter: Majesco 'Cooking On All Burners' For Turnaround [Gamasutra]

Take 2 Posts Loss of $50m, Job Cuts Imminent [MCVUK]