Mobile vs handheld
Mobile vs handheld

The Sony PSP and Nintendo DS may soon have to relinquish their crowns to the new kings of mobile gaming: Apple iPhone and Google Android.

“Gamers appear to be defecting from their handheld gaming devices to phones to get their gaming kicks,” says a new study from Interpret. The study is based on a poll of 9,000 US customers, and showed a 53.2% increase in the use of mobile phones for gaming. NDS and PSP use, on the other hand, has fallen by 13%.

Mobile gaming is on the rise as smartphone technology continues to evolve. The Apple iPhone and its touch screen display is host to hundreds of games, while phones running Google’s Android OS offer a similar selection.

“The proliferation of highly multifunctional smartphones and messaging phones is a very real threat to the dominance by the DS and PSP of the handheld gaming market,” the report says. “Devices which satisfy a variety of entertainment and utility are fast outstripping single-function devices as consumer favorites.”

The flexibility of mobile phones is their biggest selling point. They are phones, cameras, email devices, MP3 players, PDAs and gaming systems all in one pocket-sized package. Android and iPhone users get access to endless seas of content, from popular games like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump to streaming video, live sports results, and even real money Android Casinos and iPhone casinos offering games like slots, blackjack, and roulette.

Perhaps consumers are ready for a hybrid device, like the rumored PSP Phone that combines mobile gaming with mobile gambling. A dual mobile phone and handheld gaming device is bound to come eventually, giving consumers access to the best of both worlds.