No misprint. Not a side-story. The next game in Japan's most beloved series will be lighting up on dual screens.

Brace yourselves, Japan. In a press conference earlier today, Square-Enix announced that Dragon Quest IX will be coming to the Nintendo DS. Confirmed to be a game in the series main line, the decision completes the move to Nintendo platforms as the sole proprietors of Japan's most important video game franchise. Part of a growing family, the title joins the DS' DQ Heroes: Rocket Slime and DQ Monsters: Joker as well as DQ Monsters: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors for the Wii.

Subtitled Hoshizora no Mamoribito (loosely translated as "Protector of the Stars"), the game will be in the experienced hands of developer Level 5 under the guidance of Dragon Quest creator (and likely the man who made the final call) Yuji Horii. Level 5 was responsible for the acclaimed Dragon Quest 8, and the same team has been brought back to handle development duties for this enormous project.

The surprises don't stop with Horii's choice of platform: Dragon Quest IX will be 3D along the lines of Final Fantasy III and DQM: Joker and will utilize more action-oriented combat than previous "true" DQ games. In a dramatic departure, full 4 player co-op will be supported...over the Wi-Fi Connection. The game is apparently well underway and was demoed at the press conference by the project heads. Horii believes that the game will be ready for a latter 2007 release.

It is not an understatement to say that DQIX may cause tidal waves in the Japanese market. While bringing such a massive previously console-based series to a portable is itself unprecedented, the fact that the DS will host it also means...the PS3 won't. This is a huge blow to Sony's new console. Definitely stay tuned..there will be aftershocks from this announcement.