(Editor's Note: And a wham, bam, thank you, ma'am! It's time for another recap in QuickPeek 38!)

While some of us hate numbers, it's still interesting to see them all lined up there looking pretty. From piratical statistics, calendar dates, new version release numbers, price tags, survey results on "bedroom pasttimes", error codes, and, oh yes, blobs doing arithmetic.

It's almost Christmas, folks, and you know that that means - plenty of shopping to do. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are sending out word even as they make their preparations, they will still be expecting shortages to start occurring on certain areas in the UK. To this end, each company's sent out their corresponding representative to reassure the fans that they'll do what they can to keep the expected holiday (relatively) sane. Visit the full article to read each representative's detailed announcements.

Game and console manufacturers have been fighting for the attention of the casual gamers in the market today. Apparently, Microsoft has thrown down the gauntlet and is readying for a full scale assault on the territory of Nintendo.

The regional vice president of the Microsoft EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) home and entertainment division Chris Lewis spoke to MCV and gave word that they need to encroach on Nintendo's market. Aside from targetting the casual market, the company is also looking into "peripheral based gaming experiences" which is the main selling point of the Wii.  

Of course, Lewis gave the standard disclaimer that both companies are currently co-existing (which is actually true, but it's still fun to imagine both companies going at it), but the fact of the matter is, they're going to attack the current market leader on its home turf.

Our drive is to appeal to a wider genre with more casual types of gaming. Clearly we need to continue toward more casual-based gaming experiences, and more peripheral-based gaming experiences in front of the screen. You’re going to hear more about that at E3.

For 360 to appeal in the way we want it to and for us to achieve our aspirations, we need to be in the broader space as well as investing in the core element. Nintendo occupies a very specific space and I genuinely think we co-exist with Nintendo very well. Having said that, it is interesting for us to continue to work on games and experiences that appeal to a broader demographic base.

This could either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you view it. It can be a good thing considering that this competition could actually drive game and console prices down. It could also be bad if the game developers start polarizing between the two companies and start only releasing "exclusives" (a bit far-fetched but it could happen). Now, all we can do is wait for Nintendo to respond to this challenge by Microsoft.