What do you do in the dog-eat-dog business world when the competition has left your mangled corpse in the dust in terms of sales figures? Inform the press that your rivals are a bunch of poopoo buttfaces , clap the dirt off your hands and pat yourself on the back for a job well done, of course. Total self-delusion is doing wonders for Charlie Sheen — when your career takes a huge nosedive, just fly in the face of all logic and reason, adamantly repeat that you’re still “Winning, DUH!” and they’ll believe you. Why not Sony too?

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- If Okamiden isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps either Pokémon Black or White can tide you over before the imminent release of the 3DS. Both versions in the fifth iteration of the series will be released to North America on March 6, 2011. And now, with a limited time offer, if you pre-order from Amazon you can receive two special bonuses: a Liberty Pass to obtain the mythical Victini (not available through normal play) and a $10 Amazon promotional credit. Hit the link to check out the offer! (Amazon)

- The 3DS has been officially released today in Japan, going on sale for 25,000 yen ($300 USD). According to NPR, “Nintendo expects to sell 4 million of the 3DS machines through the end of March — 1.5 million in Japan and the rest overseas.” Analysts raved that the release of the 3DS heralded the introduction of “the first mass-market 3-D device.” But perhaps most promising of all are the starry-eyed endorsements of the customers themselves. “The images seem to pop out. There is a sense of a world spreading beyond. I can’t wait to play it.” (NPR)

- Sony has cut the price of the PSP from $169.99 to $129.99 — the same price as the Nintendo DS. This price slash has been interpreted by Forbes as a strategic effort to take attention away from the impending release of the $249.99 3DS. Sony has their work cut out for them, as Forbes notes that “Since launching the device in 2005, Sony says it has sold more than 23 million units in North America and 67.8 million worldwide. But the various models of Nintendo DS have far outperformed them, with more than 145 million units sold worldwide.” (Forbes)

- The upcoming risque Wii game “We Dare”, which looks like an awkward electronic version of spin-the-bottle in that it’s another thinly disguised excuse for people to make out under the pretense of playing a game, is being decried by parents as inappropriate, largely in part to the 12+ rating it has apparently received. “No wonder we have problems in society with unsafe sex and under-age sex when kids can get hold of games like this,” said one parent. With all due respect, kids can “get hold of” lots of things they’re not supposed to if you’re not paying attention. The incredibly complex and terrifying solution is probably to just not buy the game for kids that are too young to have their own income. Going out on a limb here. (DailyMail)

Most of the chatter we hear about the 3DS is the autostereoscopic 3D screens, but there’s also a huge advancement in it’s graphical capabilities. Although the important part of having good graphics is the talent of the artists that make them, I think this can provide a good idea of what can be achieved on the 3DS from a technical standpoint. It’s also worth noting that the Snake Eater demo is nowhere near complete and is really just an early technical demo at this point.

In a recent Q&A session on the Japanese Capcom blog. Capcom’s own Natsuki Shiozawa showed an interest in releasing a version of Street Fighter 4 for the PSP. Especially after the confirmation of Street Fighter 4 hitting some apple platforms. He even went so far as to say that the development team that is currently working on Super Street Fighter 4 is interested in the idea as well.

While that’s cool and all… The first question that pops up in my head is “Why not the Wii?” I mean we have Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but that’s just an offshoot series. While great in many respects, it still doesn’t stand up to a traditional street fighter.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

[Via Capcom Japan]

Today’s DSi XL news is akin to an Olympic sprinter outrunning a man with no legs, but I’m going to bring it to you anyway because I’m a smug Nintendo fanman who loves to kick stupid products when they’re down. Deal with it.

Basically, the DSi XL is beating the hapless PSPGo in Japan to the tune of 103,524 to 28,000 units in the first week two days of respective sales. The DSi, in comparison, moved 170,000 units.

As we saw with Naomi’s fine Japan reporting, the XL (called LL in Nippon), which is the latest DSi to grace store shelves courtesy the Big N, launched with much success and energy. Update: Edited to say two days.