Speaking to UK site Eurogamer.net this week, Microsoft veepee Shane Kim has downplayed the significance of the handheld market, stating that the type of games the company makes are generally inappropriate for this area.

"I'm very happy we didn't get into it, because launching a handheld platform is like launching another Xbox 360. You have to be fully committed, as an organisation, from a resource standpoint, to doing that," he admitted. Although Viva Pinata is en route to the DS, isn't it?

He continued: "Frankly we've got a lot on our plate with Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. We don't have any experience in that space. Our content assets don't naturally lend themselves to driving success in that particular market. So we're happy to let Sony and Nintendo slog it out."

Kim did note that mobile devices may be more important in the future, and the odd DS release clearly isn't out of the question - but all in all the big cheese's comments certainly dampen talk of a dedicated gaming handheld from Microsoft, or chit-chat suggesting the Zune could fulfill this role.

More shortly.

By Luke Guttridge

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