BEFORE DELVING in to the usual quagmire of console news, lets take a further look at the console also-rans.

The Chinese-made Vii has been the butt of a few jokes since its inception, but Stuart Ashen finds it isn't all that bad. He also looks at the additional games you can purchase for the system.

There is also a new revision to the SeXBox. Not quite a console, but its naming is certainly console inspired, as is its packaging. New to the SeXBox SKU range is the Core version - removing the fanciful custom that is in the full version.

There's also a new accessory - the 'Wiin' which includes force feedback...

Xbox 360
The SeXBox Core SKU isn't the only Core system arriving in Japan - Microsoft has announced the Xbox 360 Arcade will land on Japanese shores on the 6th of March.

Microsoft also announced this week, that the retail price of the Xbox 360 HD-DVD peripheral has been dropped by $50 to $129.99. Probably shifting stock before the company announces a Blu-ray add-on.

Ben Heck, the guy responsible for the original Xbox 360 laptop, has once again performed the same feat. There's no doubt it looks cool.

PS3/PSP
At this weeks ISSCC, IBM announced that the Cell CPU used in the PlayStation 3 will soon make the transition to IBM's next-gen 45nm high-k process.

It's expected that the 45nm Cell will use about 40 per cent less power than its 65nm predecessor, and its die area will be reduced by 34 percent.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has unveiled a new Satin Silver Playstation 3, to go on sale in the region on March 6.

The company also announced the availability of a new budget range for the PS3, similar to what has come before on the PS1 and PS2. It's likely we'll see similar announcements in the near future.

Similar to analysts in the press over the last week, EA has provoked Xbox 360 fanboy wrath, stating that it believes the PS3 will outsell the 360 this year.

If you're still annoyed that your 360 Elite owning cousin has a 120GB hard-drive, don't fret - Sony want you to have one, as long as you do it yourself.

Wii/DS
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has revealed that 10 million games have been sold online via its Virtual Console service, but still believes that boxed retail games will be relevant for the next three years at least.

New WiiWare games may or may not use one of these bizarre Nintendo Wii patents.

Alternatively you may wish to purchase a snake-skin covered DS. Yuck. µ