Nintendo has announced plans to shave $20 off the price 
of two versions of its best selling video game system – the Nintendo DS. Effective Sept. 12, the DSi will drop from $170 to $150 and the DSi XL will move from $190 to $170.
The move follows price cuts in several other regions, but the timing could raise a few questions. We’ve got three theories as to why Nintendo decided to make the move now.
To hear some people tell it, 3D gaming is the wave of the 
future. In just a few years, you’ll be bobbing and weaving in your living room as you play in an environment that’s more realistic than anything you’ve ever experienced.
Bull.
Sure, 3D can be a cool feature in games, but is it something that will take over the industry? We don’t think so. And we’ve got five good reasons why the pundits are wrong.
A look at Playboy’s launch of a game label, with Chris Morris, CNBC.com contributor.
Hulu Plus is still in its limited preview mode, but if you 
can’t get an invite – and you just can’t wait watch Hulu on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, there’s now a way to do so.
Hulu is inviting people to download the free Hulu Plus app to help them test the experience – meaning a limited number of show episodes and clips are viewable by anyone with an iDevice.
Playboy is getting into the video 
game business—again.
The publishing company, best known for its iconic men’s magazine, will launch a video game label by the end of the year and is partnering with a German online game publisher to release a free-to-play online game.
Video games and Hollywood have always been the Woody Allen and 
Soon-Yi of the entertainment world. They’re together forever, but the fit has always been an odd one – and a little creepy at times.
The amount of ink wasted bemoaning the sheer volume of crappy movie-based games is copious – and I promise this isn’t more of the same. In fact, for the first time games and movies may have found a good way to co-exist.
Another big-box retailer is looking for a cut of the lucrative 
used video game market.
Target has kicked off a pilot program in Northern California allowing customers to trade in their used games, as well as old electronics devices, for store credit. By year’s end, the company plans to expand the program to 850 locations.
Another big title by Rockstar Games could be arriving 
at retail later than expected.
Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia, in a note to investors today, said it appears Take-Two Interactive Software has pushed “L.A. Noire” back from the fourth quarter of this year to early next year. (Retail site GameStop, which has a so-so history of accuracy on predicting release dates, currently says the game will be available on Feb. 1, 2011.)
Rumors started last month that Apple was making a hard push to begin offering 
streaming rentals of recent television programming for 99 cents. Now those whispers are beginning to solidify a bit.
Bloomberg reports that the Cupertino-based company is in advanced talks with News Corp. for 99-cent rentals – and CBS and Disney are engaged in similar discussions with Apple.
Chris Morris: Journalist 