If there are any hardcore gamers who are still steadfast in their refusal to believe that the Nintendo DS has transformed the gaming environment in a way that would have been impossible to imagine in years past, they need only refer to information uncovered by Japanese magazine Famitsu, which reveals this month that Square Enix is planning to release a flurry of 'non-gaming' software for the little handheld.

In a move the company no doubt hopes will bring it the license to print money that Nintendo's Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training did, the firm will soon unleash DS Yoga Lessons: You Can Start Today, Why Not Listen to Classical Music on DS?, and Flower Blooming DS Gardening Lite unto the blossoming handheld market.

Square Enix is also planning a series of Nintendo DS software titles based on the popular Japanese travel guide World Walking. The carts will include stylus-controlled guides to Italy, New York, and Hawaii for Japanese citizens who've caught the travel bug and also, thanks to Nintendo, been sucked into the world of videogaming.

The Nintendo DS has experienced amazing success as a platform for practical and educational software. As of June 2006, Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training had sold nearly 2.4 million copies in the region, encouraging many other developers to follow in its footsteps. Already titles including English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills!, Common Sense Training and General Knowledge Training have been released for the machine in Japan.

More 'traditional' gaming fans need not worry about Square Enix's reputation as a maker of 'proper' titles though, since Famitsu also revealed information about its more renowned franchises.

The magazine also published previews on Square Enix's Final Fantasy Tactics A2 and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings for the Nintendo DS, both reportedly are looking to be shaping up very nicely, indeed.