Abstract
What had been an active handheld game platform market in early 2005 quieted
down significantly when the Nokia N-Gage, Tapwave Zodiac, and Gizmondo all
left the market over the past year. Only two competitors remain: Nintendo and
Sony.
Nintendo is winding down support for its Game Boy line, and moving resources
to support the DS console. It has also offered a smaller, lighter console in
the DS Lite, which was released in the first half of 2006.
The Sony PSP, while primarily a game console, continues to extend its
multimedia capabilities. In late 2005, Sony launched an effort to allow the
PSP owner to view home video content on his PSP from anywhere.
This report includes in-depth analysis and forecasts for all handheld
platforms currently shipping. Annual shipment and revenue forecasts broken
down by region from 2004 through 2010 are provided for the Nintendo Game Boy
Advance SP/Micro, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. Results on handheld console
ownership and purchase plans from two separate In-Stat surveys are also
provided.
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