Well since your talking about the Japanese market I would say it will have a minimal effect on Microsoft's Japanese sales. However I think that many many more buyers will buy VivaPinata on DS then they did on X-Box 360 simply because the DS user base is the largest user base in Japan. Gamers are bound to pick up VivaPinata:PocketParadise more opposed to the first installment or even the upcoming second installment.

My bet is under 200K sold in Japan on the DS and up to 500k world wide sales. I think that the DS's sales and market power will fuel any success VivaPinata has in the Japanese and global markets.

Attache ratio I think will be 5-10% globally and perhaps 5% tops in Japan. Simply because Microsoft's console is detested in Japan. I mean even BlueDragon couldn't sell enough copies to push the 360 I highly doubt that Viva Pinata can.

All in all I think Microsoft has the right idea, but I don't think it will have an immediate impact. I think Microsoft needs to expand from just Rare developed titles to Bungie titles and titles like Fable. Microsoft is doing a decent job bringing BlueDragon and Viva Pinata to the DS.

I think BlueDragon will have a far greater effect on the Japanese market. I'd bet up to 500K sold in Japan and a 10% attache rate. But even with BlueDragon Microsoft still needs to up its handheld game with some more Microsoft exclusives! 

Well considering Microsoft is like a 200 foot monster to the Japanese(they seem to only run away from it), I doubt it will make much of a difference.

800k lifetime.

You say 3.7-7.4 million worldwide and 1.1 million in Japan?

I guess my point isn't very clear... The Japanese tend to be more like-minded than many nations... They can be all "for" something and suddenly go the other or the fad can die completely. It is a very interesting culture.  Japanese currently don't like Microsoft.  An JRPG here and there isn't ever going to change that. A fundamental change at a much lower level is required. An innovative use of Viva Pinata on a handheld, linked to a console, could start a wave that ends up being what finally begins to turn the tide. I know the Japanese don't like MS, but they DO like Rare and Rare is allowed to develop handheld games still... It could be that with VP, Microsoft could come in the back way so to speak. They don't get many opportunities, in my opinion, as golden as that...

the connectivity feature you guys are talking about between the ds and 360 was a possibility but it is still kinda being implemented but without the DS.

You can take a picture of a Pinata on the 360 and it will have a code.

That code is scannable so you can give the print to your friends or send it over Xbox Live for your friends.

You use the Xbox Live vision camera to scan the code and you get the Pinata.

I'm pretty sure that's how it works and this idea stemmed from the DS/360 link thing.

DS gamers will love it.

I feel 73%.

Itll do about as good as Mechwarrior for DS and Age of Empires for DS. Aka, not that good but not that bad.