About ten days ago, we got our first glimpse of a video showing a downloadable, Nintendo DS version of Super Mario Galaxy, supposedly hidden inside the Wii version of the game. We watched with rapt attention as the shaky-cam footage showed Mario and Luigi jumping from the Wii to the DS using a previously unknown, hidden galaxy and the DS' WiFi download capabilities. We were surprised to see low-resolution versions of Mario and Luigi running around low-resolution versions of familiar Mario Galaxy levels. We were shocked and hopeful when the video promised each DS star would be redeemable for 10 Wii shop points.

We weren't ready to definitively declare the video real or fake at the time, but now, after some digging, we're ready to set the record straight on this hoax. Read on for our evidence and thoughts on the matter.

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has updated Stephen Totilo on the planned release for Super Mario Galaxy. Mark your calendars with a big sharpie drawn across many pages: Fils-Aime expects the game to come out sometime between the end of March and Christmas.

Why not say "by the end of 2007?" Well, it's bad business -- Nintendo has three titles (WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Wii Play, and Mario Party 8) coming out between now and March, and then Metroid Prime 3 seeing a release sometime after March. To say Mario Galaxy is coming out before Christmas gives analysts the clue that it might be poised to elevate their holiday lineup, unless Smash Bros Brawl or some heavy-hitting third-party titles can step up to the plate by then.

Past March 2007, we don't yet know Nintendo's first-party lineup. Fils-Aime hints that some announcements will be coming in January. If Nintendo has learned from their follies with the GameCube, then we should have a consistent release schedule for the next year. If not, then we'll probably get one hit game every now and then, followed by long intervals of drought.

[Update 1: It's StePHen Totilo, not SteVen. The change has been made, you can call your snipers off at anytime now.]

Nintendo has been mum, more or less, as to the exact power and capabilities of their next console, Wii; however, slowly but surely, little hints are starting to drop in. The latest comes from Gamasutra, who report that electronics firm MoSys "will be using the company's patented 1T-SRAM technology to implement the high performance memory within the Wii's graphics system."

Worth noting: "The newest 1T-SRAM implementations embedded within the Wii console are fabricated using NEC Electronics' advanced 90nm CMOS-compatible embedded DRAM process technology. These high speed and ultra low latency memories are used as the main embedded memory on the graphics chip and in an additional external memory chip."

An official from MoSys goes on to say: "Designing the Wii console required an incredible list of breakthroughs in technology and innovation. ... The graphic performance of Wii benefits from MoSys' ability to develop highly innovative and dependable embedded memory products." Self promotion aside, it appears that Nintendo just may have a final ace up their sleeve as we come closer to seeing the final version of Wii.