Which pocket gaming gadget?
The first decision to make is between playing games on a mobile phone, or else buying a dedicated handheld gaming console.
 Both have different pros and cons, which we've outlined below. That said, as mobile phone technology advances, the options are getting less black and white.
Until recently, the choice could essentially be boiled down to what it is you wanted from a game. For hardened gamers who've clocked up years of screen time, the handheld console was the only real option, whilst, for the rest of the world more accustomed the caress of the sun's rays, mobile games offered a frantic five minute fun burst.
Whilst this still holds roughly true (phone games still offer frantic fun!), the times are a changing. The increased sophistication and innovation in phone gaming is elevating the humble mobile phone to a slightly loftier gaming plane. At the same time, the new consoles are vying to offer shorter, more innovative and even social bursts of gameplay, in titles such as Warioware, Monkey Ball and Colours.
Add in the ever-confusing march of 'progress', which has given us phones and PDAs that look like Game Boys, consoles with communication capabilities, phones with built-in cameras, and the latest PC-style 3D realistic graphics in the newest mobile phones and, well, no wonder people get stuck.
The easiest solution would be to just buy them all - that's what we did! But assuming you can't, don't or won't, then read on for our thoughts on all the options.
Standard Mobile Phone
 All the newest phones are capable of playing games, once you know the trick to getting them on there. The more recent mobiles (anything from the camera built-in, say) are easily capable of playing games that look as good as games machines 20 years ago - but at a fraction of the cost and size. And the power is rapidly increasing with every new model.
Why they are good?
+ They're phones so you can make calls - always handy!
+ Small and lightweight
+ Cheap (especially if bought on contract)
+ Games are cheap (sometimes even free!)
+ There are a lot of games to choose from
+ There are a lot of handsets to choose from
But 'standard' isn't perfect - Games are less sophisticated - Screens are small - Controlling the game on a normal phone keypad can be tricky - Not all games work on all phones or phone networks Ideal for: Beginners, those who need a phone as well (or have already got one)  A dedicated gaming phone is a hybrid phone with an identity crisis: sometimes it makes and takes calls, other times it thinks it's a games console, with a bigger screen, a console-like design, and plug-in games you can buy in shops.
In truth the dedicated gaming phone is a fledgling category, currently boasting a population of one - Nokia's N-Gage. But other manufacturers have talked about releasing game-focused handsets, and the N-Gage technology looks set to be built into other Nokia models.
The dedicated fans point out these pluses: + Full phone functionality + Smaller and more lightweight than handheld console, but bigger than standard phone + Games more sophisticated than on normal mobiles + Can play all mobile games as well as its own specially created games But is it only for the dedicated? - Games less sophisticated than on a games handheld like PSP or DS - Relatively limited catalogue of dedicated games - Still quite pricey (even on contract) Ideal for: Mobile gamers who want a little more power, but don't want to lose their talk time.  Once the preserve of the businessman and the terminally geeky, gadgets like the pocket PCs and the PalmPilot have begun to chill out, ease back and converge with the cooler crowd, adding phone functionality and entertainment options. With the likes of the Zodiac Tapwave they've even made a tilt for the gaming world.
On the other hand, their losing ground to Smart Phones (very expensive mobiles with PDA functions like diaries built-in) and you can't really play games on a trendy Blackberry! :(
PDA plus-points: + PC functions like word processing, diaries and so on + Bigger screen than phones (and some handheld consoles) + On some you can surf the net (some you can even use as a phone e.g. the XDA II) + PC-compatibility opens up range of older PC games and old game emulation software Minuses: - Less new games to chose from - Heavier and bulkier than phones - Can be very expensive Ideal for: The go-getting gamer or the business-type looking for a little downtime.  In general, a handheld console is a dedicated piece of gaming kit that delivers a slightly lighter and sometimes more social version of the games you play on traditional TV consoles. There's quite a lot of choice here, so see below for more on the specific options.
Whilst there's plenty of innovation on offer, you can also expect a barrow load of converted home console titles.
In general though, the fanciest games-on-the-move are definitely found on the dedicated handhelds.
Handy plus points: + Dedicated to gaming + More sophisticated games, similar to those on home consoles + Innovative features (for example, the DS has a touch screen, the Gizmondo has GPS) On the other hand: - Hardware is expensive (some more so than others!) - Games are pricey too - It'll stretch the pocket size-wise too: bigger than a standard mobile Ideal for: The keenest game fans |