Nintendo ruled the Nineties, bringing first a more compact device with the Game Boy Pocket, then a color screen with the Game Boy Color, followed by processing enhancements with the Game Boy Advanced, and finally a backlit screen with the Game Boy Advanced SP. No one dared challenge Nintendo’s clear reign over the console market, that is, until Sony came along.

Sony’s PlayStation Portable forced Nintendo to step up its game, creating the Nintendo DS, the now all-time best selling handheld. This year, the two handheld giants are at it again with the Nintendo 3DS against the Sony “NGP” (aka “Next Generation Portable”), and another contender has joined in the mix: Smartphones.

The Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo has never been particularly big on pushing the performance envelope, keeping its focus on originality, and it has worked out so far. Nintendo’s innovative games helped the original Game Boy best Sega’s superior system, and the creative dual-screen design of the Nintendo DS trounced Sony’s far more powerful PSP. The 3DS has seen some improved specs compared to its predecessors, but compared to the NGP and upcoming Smartphones, it’s significantly less powerful. Nintendo is relying on the innovation of a glasses-free stereoscopic 3D display, something the NGP won’t have and certainly could never emulate. The 3DS also has the advantage of Nintendo’s extremely popular DS game titles, like Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. It’s also a huge advantage that the 3DS will be available as early as the 26^th of February (in Japan), versus the 2011 holiday season release expected for the NGP.

The Sony “NGP”

Sony has yet to officially name its Next Generation Portable and is simply referring to it as the NGP, but you’ll find no complaints here; the NGP has next generation written all over it! Sony has taken its usual approach when it comes to gaming systems, stuffing as many features and as much performance into it as possible. The 5-inch touch screen (with another touchpad on the back) and dual joystick controls are just the tip of the iceberg. The interesting tidbits are on the inside, like its Quad-Core processor, supposedly capable of outperforming the Xbox 360 and PS3, though current game play footage suggests somewhere closer to 80% of their performance, still impressive considering a PS3 won’t fit in your pocket. The NGP’s biggest threat will actually be Smartphones, which will be matching the NGP’s performance right about the same time as its launch. Its saving grace will be Sony’s (hopefully) more appealing game titles, and the fact that (most) Smartphones lack dedicated gaming controls.

Smartphones

Believe it or not, Smartphones are already considerably more powerful than any of the current handheld consoles. Their downside is their interface, generally touch screen only, though phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY alleviate that issue. Smartphones also lack an impressive game library like you’d find with Sony or Nintendo, but with the extreme adoption rate of Smartphones and their quickly improving hardware, those App Stores might be filled with full-fledged games before long.

The biggest threat Smartphones hold against the other handhelds is the absolute raw power they can achieve. By the end of the year, there will likely be Smartphones more powerful than the PS3 and Xbox 360; NVIDIA’s Kal-El (yes, that’s a Superman reference) is proof of that. People might just stop and think, “Why get a gaming handheld if my phone can already do that?”.