Today in Joystiq: March 24, 2006

GDC is winding down, so you know what that means...more speculation about May's E3 Expo. Sony marks a milestone by closing up shop on its first console, Microsoft marks Lionhead for acquisition, and Pac-Man goes multiplayer in the least expected of ways. While we raid the remnants of Microsoft's GDC cash bar, here are the highlights for today:

GDC Coverage
Game developers get their rant on
New Mario Bros DS footage
GDC: A game worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize
Iwata's keynote hints at original content on Virtual Console

News
Plug pulled on PSone production
Xbox programmers to rewrite 60% of Vista code
Continents clash in transatlantic tournament
Crackdown: gimme what he's smokin'
First X-Men 3 screens surface for 360
Play BioWare's Mass Effect at E3
Mobile MMO toolkit brings pervasive worlds closer

Rumors & Speculation
PSP keyboard and cellphone patents surface
Microsoft on the hunt for Lionhead

Culture
Pack-Man: five joysticks as one
Stay smart, avoid Stay Alive