And the winner of the next-generation console war is... Nintendo's Wii - at least according to market watcher IDC. In the short term, at least. It reckons Wii will "outship and outsell" the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation throughout this year and next.

But don't expect the Nintendo box to do so by a significant margin. IDC said it's expecting the market to split almost equally between the three main players. Yes, the Wii will be ahead in this particular race, but only by a nose.

Nintendo's success, the researcher reckons, will arise from courting a broader array of potential customers than its rivals will. The PS3 and Xbox 360 will continue to be pitched at gamers. The Wii, on the other hand, will also target older consumers and casual players.