View this article at: http://dev.macnn.com/articles/06/03/21/ms.portable.media.player Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006 1:35pm MS creating portable game, ... Microsoft is developing a portable device that would play video games, music, and video that the company hopes will out-class Apple's fifth-generation video iPod. The device could debut as soon as the end of 2006, and several top Microsoft executives involved with the portable device's development who also worked on the Xbox 360 game console said Microsoft is very serious about catching up with Sony's PlayStation Portable hand-held game console, as well as Apple's iPod players, according to a report from CNN Money. Microsoft is already a major player in the home console market, and the company's early release of the Xbox 360 could make that device the new dominant player of home consoles. The Xbox 360 launched offering limited connectivity to many digital music players, revealing Microsoft's hope to integrate consumer's home entertainment systems with its own hardware products.