With announcements from Nintendo and Sony this week on the release of the next generation of handheld gaming machines, namely, the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PSP2, is upon us, but the big question on most gamers’ lips at the moment is: will the next generation of super-phones and tablets spell the end of the handheld gaming console?

Is it Game Over for the Handheld Games Console?

Today’s super-charged Smartphones and tablets are just as powerful as any handheld gaming console on the market at the moment. And with the first dual core phones going on sale this year, your average Smartphone could very well end up packing more punch than the new offerings from Nintendo and Sony by the end of the year. Even the Smartphone’s big shortcoming, a distinct lack of controllers or joysticks, has been solved by cheap gamepad add-ons, such as the Game Gripper.

Game Gripper

Both Nintendo’s and Sony’s consoles have a long and prestigious heritage dating right back to Nintendo’s progenitory Gameboy. But with high-end processors and 3D capabilities, prices for handhelds are becoming prohibitive. And let’s face it, where else can they go from here? Has the handheld gaming device come to an evolutionary dead-end?

The Handheld Console Killers..

Without doubt, it was Apple’s iPad that struck the first nail into the coffin of the handheld gaming console. A wave of game releases over the past few months demonstrated that the iPad could play the most popular games just as well as the average home console and there’s plenty more on the way. The turning point was probably the release of Infinity Blade with graphics that were noticeably better than those on the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3, and arguably one of the best games of 2010.

The latest big budget release for the iPad is set to take things even further. Dead Space is the prequel to the Xbox’s blockbusting sci-fi horror, Dead Space 2. But rather than being a simplified version of Xbox’s offering, it mimics every detail of the original. Likewise, Real Racing 2 is taking on Gran Turismo 5 in terms of graphic excellence. And Fifa 11 for the iPhone, despite its simplicity, is probably the best portable soccer game ever.

With all this going on, the lines between Smartphone and handheld gaming console are becoming more and more blurred. Now, with talk of a Sony PSP phone on the way, things are to set to become even more confusing. Is it a phone or is it a handheld gaming station? You decide.

Sony PSP Phone

See Also

• Video Game Consoles
• Mobile Phone Shops

The CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is without doubt the event of the year if you’re into gadgets. It’s where techheads go to get the lowdown on what’s hot and what’s not in the world of consumer technology. More than that, it’s the place where you’ll find all the movers and shakers, i.e. what’s going to be big the coming year and beyond. This year’s CES 2011 show took place in Las Vegas at the beginning of January and from the products on display, it was clear what the big three consumer trends are going to be this year: Internet TV, 3D and PC tablets.

Internet TV

Sony was there showing off their Google TV, demonstrating that Internet TV has finally come of age. Certainly, we will be seeing media streaming, iPlayer and all sorts of apps appearing on TVs this year. But it won’t be just on TVs, these new services will be shared across phones, media players and Blu-Ray players. And what will be crucial will be a way of sharing information across all these devices. So it’s just as well that Netgear was there with their latest home Wi-Fi router on display, specially designed to handle all the new technology and devices that we’re connecting to the Internet from our homes.

3D or not 3D? That is the question

While many of us are still considering whether or not to invest in a 3D TV, it came as no surprise to anyone that 3D dominated many of the stands at this year’s exhibition. As well as the latest range of 3D TVs from Toshiba and Sony that don’t require glasses, the big trend this year was in 3D camcorder and still camera launches from all the big names, as well as a 3D mobile phone. The first 3D laptops from Toshiba and Sony even put in an appearance.

Take a Tablet

The final big trend at this year’s CES was Tablet PCs. Around 100 tablet devices were launched at this show alone. Blackberry’s Playbook seemed to be the one that most were eager to queue up to see. With a seven-inch display, a dual core processor, front and rear cameras, as well as a HDMI port, it’s not hard to see why Apple has their work cut out with iPad 2.0.

Lenovo came out tops in terms of innovation with their device that could be transformed from a laptop running Windows into a tablet running Android. Tablet computing might have been born in 2010 with Apple’s iPad, but 2011 is certainly going to be the year it comes of age.

What was increasingly evident at this year’s show was technology is now all about getting access to information wherever you are. As our lives become increasingly linked to technology, more and more electronic manufacturer’s seem to be putting the focus on getting all the devices in our lives talking to one another. And from this year’s show, clearly, 2011 is going to be a very big year for technology in the home.

The European Commission has drawn up technical specifications for a universal smartphone charger which has won the support of 14 mobile phone firms, which could pave the way for a standardized universal mobile phone charger for smartphones created by Apple, Nokia, Research In Motion (Blackberry) and Samsung among others.

The universal charger specifications were drawn up specifically for the smartphone type of handset because the Commission believes these will become the most widely used type of phone in Europe within the next two years.

The mobile firms have pledged to follow the new standard, with the first chargers expected to be produced according to the new specifications by early 2011.  The roadmap was initially set in 2009 when phone firms pledged to back any standards the Commission drew up and could potentially see the phasing out of proprietary power ports on handsets.

The benefits of a universal mobile charger specification would remove the inconvenience caused by incompatible chargers in addition to the environmental benefits which would reduce the amount of electronic waste without the need to dispose of as many old chargers.  Talks between the Commission and regulators are ongoing with an aim to have the universal mobile charger specifications adopted for worldwide use.