There’s no denying that the current crop of 3G mobile phones have the ability to be fully-fledged gaming machines. A lot of the manufacturers know this and are trying their hearts out to create a mobile gaming machine that’s successful.  When you think about it, it’s an obvious step for them to take. Virtually everyone has a mobile phone, and at some stage during the day they will have free time with their mobile phone lying in their pocket. Why not allow them to turn it into a gaming machine to pass the time?

Being that there are certainly more people with mobile phones than there are with a Nintendo DS or a Sony Playstation Portable (PSP), you would think that mobile phone gaming could spell the end of the dedicated portable gaming device. Let’s be clear about this though, it’s certainly not the case and certainly not looking like it will be the case anytime soon. But the start of what could be a turning point is beginning.

It’s reported that over 51 million Nintendo DS systems have been sold worldwide, while Sony has shipped around 34 million of their PSPs. While these figures sound impressive, there are more than 3.3 billion mobile phones currently on plans worldwide. Of course, not all of these are 3G phones capable of playing games, but only a very small percentage of them need to be if they are to eclipse the combined total of Nintendo DS and Sony PSP consoles sold worldwide.

The market should be ripe for the picking in terms of gaming on your mobile phone. So why isn’t it taking off? The answer could well be unification. There is no unified gaming software for mobile phones. Consumers like to relate to a brand. Brand loyalty is a huge part of society today. There is no brand of mobile games as such. Some companies are changing this though, marketing their mobile phones as gaming machines as well, therefore linking mobile gaming to their brand name.