Welcome to PocketGamer.biz's weekly rundown of the stories clocking up the hits, picking up the click-throughs and generally keeping the advertisers happy by serving up page views.
Or, if you'd prefer, the top five stories currently dominating our readers' attention.
Each week, we'll be counting down the biggest news from the previous seven days, giving just a glimpse of the industry's big issues, from five to one.
Opinion: Why Xbox One's erratic E3 matters for the mobile market
With E3 and WWDC taking place on the west coast of the USA last week, it's fair to say the attention of many games and tech journalists around the world was somewhat divided.
But while here at PocketGamer.biz, Apple's iOS 7 reveal ultimately had more to offer than the expo down the road in Los Angeles, Microsoft's performance at E3 or, perhaps, lack of one was still an important issue for mobile devs.
Why? Because Microsoft's forthcoming Xbox One is closely tied to its smartphone and tablet platforms, Windows Phone and Windows 8.
"So intrinsic is Xbox One to Windows 8 and Windows Phone that any failure to fly off the shelves at launch could be akin to the first crack in the shell of the Titantic," detailed editor Keith Andrew.
"Beyond the likelihood of strengthening the calls for CEO Steve Ballmer's head, anything less than indisputable success for Xbox One from the word go risks undermining the whole Windows Phone project kicked off back in 2010.
"The platform will be left as an island, competing against two giants Apple and Google that can throw their entire businesses behind their respective platforms in order to keep them ahead."
First look: iOS 7 bursts the bubble that green felt was Game Center's only issue
It won't have escaped anyone that, one of the big stories last week was iOS 7's redesign. Look beyond the device's 'flat' look, however, one other notable shift unveiled was the new look for Game Center.
And, having played around with it in the hours after the iOS 7 beta was pushed out to developers, editor Keith Andrew concluded that 'new look' is pretty much all it is.
"Considering the size of the platform's userbase and the fact the operating system has, essentially, been defined by the same rules since launch in 2007, there would be little to be gained from ripping up the rulebook overnight," said Andrew.
"But Game Center is basically the same beast in iOS 7 as it was before, and while Apple was keen to point out that six of the top 10 apps on iOS utilise it, I'd argue few of them sing its praises when out of the public gaze."
Opinion: Unless Iwata U-turns on F2P and mobile, Nintendo risks becoming a niche
Editor-at-large Jon Jordan's editorial on Nintendo wasn't intended to suggest that, on a financial level, the Japanese giant is in any way in trouble.
Rather, with 3DS still not exactly setting the world alight and Wii U failing to generate so much as even a spark, Nintendo's decision to shun mobile is looking increasingly isolationist.
It's a decision not without logic, but one that means there could be a whole generation of gamers growing up for who Mario will mean nothing.
"The dilemma for [Nintendo CEO] Satoru Iwata is if he really believes Nintendo is better off not making free-to-play games, or mobile games, he needs to demonstrate how Nintendo doesn't lose out from not entering the fastest-growing gaming sector," said Jordan.
"He's a smart guy, and there are other opportunities for Nintendo, especially when you have $10 billion in the bank.
"But doing nothing is not an option; unless you want to follow the route of Sega, because eventually market forces are bigger than any one man or any company history."
Apple lining up to take on Unity in iOS 7, says Chartboost
Though Chartboost later emailed PocketGamer.biz to pull back from this position, there was no debate about what a quote attributed to the firm's cross-promotion and monetisation specialist Kenneth Ballenegger suggested: Apple's new dev framework Sprite Kit puts it directly in competition with other development engines.
"Sprite Kit will be capable of powering 2D games ranging from Cut the Rope to Jetpack Joyride and more. We think that this framework could become a major contender in a space currently dominated by Cocos2D and Unity," said Ballenegger.
"It provides basic rendering, layout, and animation capabilities, as well as more advanced features such as physics and particle engines."
PS Vita boosted by cloud gaming as Gaikai features at Sony's PS4 reveal
But topping both Xbox One and iOS 7 last week was a small section within Sony's E3 presser that hinted at the deployment of the firm's cloud-based games platform Gaikai within PS4 and PS Vita.
Sony is set to boost PS Vita with the ability to stream triple-A content in the form of PlayStation 3's back catalogue.
"The cloud gaming services will provide gamers on the PS4 and PS3 systems, followed by gamers on the PS Vita system, with immediate access to a catalog of critically acclaimed PS3 titles," said Sony in a statement released after the firm's E3 briefing.
"These games will be streamed using Gaikai's proprietary network technology to deliver amazing gameplay that is fast and responsive."
Hot Five
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
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