This year's E3 has so far been dominated by the unveiling of the next generation of handheld consoles. Sony's is wowing the crowds with its refined sexiness and impressive performance while has been sowing intrigue and a little bewilderment with its pioneering DS. Over the next few hundred words I am going to try to cut through the PR guff and spell out some personal thoughts on what gamers can expect and look forward to from these little beauties.

The PSP initially seems to be more of a convergence device than a pure handheld gaming device. The reliance on both Sony's Memory Stick and computer staples such as USB 2.0 should help to integrate the device with the other gadgetry customers may own, but the lack of storage and the reliance on expensive Memory Sticks could wind up diminishing the PSP's prospects of becoming an ubiquitous portable entertainment device, (unless cheap UMD burners and media quickly appear, a move which would undermine anti-piracy measures while at the same time increasing the number of people willing to invest in a PSP). The 16:9 aspect ratio of the lovely looking display will no doubt be used to great effect in driving and games, but most punters will see it as perfect for watching on. But if there is no way of doing this unless you shell out for UMD versions of movies then the chances of this aspect of the PSP's potential generating a respectable amount of interest and corresponding business looks rather slim.

Sony has taken notes from by offering a choice of colours for the PSP. The PSP weighs about the same as a ninebar with similar proportions, which from my experience means it will be weighty but should slip into most jacket pockets. It may become tiring holding it up for a long time, and the weight balancing will need to be carefully thought out, as you don't want the device oscillating in your hands as you mash all the buttons to make a successful kill or corner.

As far as the games are concerned there are enough developers, both big and small, already attached to the PSP so that appear to have one of the top requirements of any successful console - games - met and catered for. As the split between east and west across the 99 announced companies is fairly even, we must hope that Sony bypasses any region encoding. If an enforced separation between the world's two gaming hemispheres continues with the PSP all parties will once again lose out. The number of ports that will come straight from the is also of concern. If most of the titles that launch the PSP- later on this year in and in the Spring elsewhere are rehashes of tired old franchises or ports of mediocre PS2 titles then the PSP will squander some of its high levels of consumer interest. It's unlikely Sony will allow the PSP to debut without some killer titles that are exclusive to the new platform. Yet the direction that the numerous companies involved in PSP will decide is the best and most profitable course of for their own businesses could leave the PSP swamped in titles whose only appeal is their new found portability. For example, the four games that has announced will accompany the PSP into the world on its birthday are all titles you already can walk into the shop and buy for a multitude of current gaming platforms, although the addition of wireless with these titles will no doubt make them worth a second look.

The wireless multiplayer aspect is one of the most exciting areas of the PSP. Combined with its frankly amazing processing powers the PSP certainly takes the lead as far as delivering visually arresting, high-tech games is concerned. If the right kind of titles are developed and Sony sells the kind of quantities that they must be hoping for, the prospect of PSP cafes opening up where gamers can meet and consume both entertainment and sustenance in the company of other gamers is something I expect to see become a reality, at least in the East.

At the moment the innovative features of the scream out little more than 'gimmick' to this perturbed gamer. For example, plan to rely on the novel control methods the touch screen will allow to drive forward the gameplay in the two titles they have announced for the device. The DS reminds me of the split-screen Game & Watch's from the 80s, (Lifeboat being a particular favourite). With dual screens, voice activation and touch screen technology, the additional wireless networking is the most apparently sensible ability the DS will have.