The iPhone’s gunning for a slice of Sony and Nintendo’s handheld gaming pie, with titles such as Super Monkey Ball and Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D leading the way. And there’s more to come.

EA has confirmed that Spore will be released on the iPhone, while ID is planning something special of its own. But which is really the best gaming machine? Apple’s all-powerful mobile, Sony’s slick-as-they-come entertainment box, or Nintendo’s multi-screened foldable? There’s only one way to find out. Fight!

Number of games
Ninty’s little handheld is the host with the most here, and with over 630 games aimed at the casual audience it looks to stay that way.

The PSP, despite being criticized for a lack of games, offers gamers over 450 ways to distract themselves, but the iPhone simply can’t compete with the library of its more dedicated peers. At the time of writing, there are an impressive 534 games listed on iTunes, although many are simple time-wasters, which can’t be compared with the PSP or DS Lite’s offerings. Only a handful of iPhone games are of commercial quality at present.
Winner: DS Lite

Exclusive titles
Both the DS and PSP have their share of top exclusives. The PSP can claim Grand Theft Auto Liberty City and Vice City Stories, as well as the likes of Metal Gear Portable Ops. Likewise, the DS Lite boasts Mario and Zelda games by the boatload.

Elsewhere, the iPhone has plenty of exclusive titles, since they’ve been crafted specifically for the phone. Touch-sensitive puzzle game Enigmo stands out as a potential standard bearer, but the platform still lacks a real flagship title to beat its rivals into submission.

The DS and PSP have this one licked. It’s a draw that leaves the iPhone looking dull by comparison.
Winner: DS Lite and PSP

Size and weight
We have a clear winner in the weight stakes with the iPhone tickling the scales at just 133g. It looks positively bulimic next to the 189g PSP Slim & Lite, and with the DS Lite failing to live up to its surname at 218g there’s really no battle.

The iPhone wins the war too, with the DS Lite most likely to cause unsightly trouser bulges thanks to its 21.5mm thick shell. The PSP Slim & Lite comes a close second with an 18.6mm girth, while the dinky iPhone 3G is just 12.3mm from front to back.
Winner: iPhone 3G

Playability and ergonomics
The PSP’s ergonomics are its biggest downfall. Play for longer than an hour and you’re sure to suffer aching hands. While the DS Lite isn’t perfect either, it’s much more comfy than the PSP.

The iPhone trumps them all in terms of ergonomics, but then it doesn’t have any buttons, meaning fingers are left hovering over the screen when playing anything but movement-sensitive games, inducing aches in all the wrong places. For this reason, the DS Lite is the best of all, combining touchscreen technology with good old fashioned button-bashing.
Winner: DS Lite

Price
The iPhone may be taking off as a games machine, but take its running costs into account and you’ll see it’s an impractical purchase for most gamers. Starting at £99 for the handset and £30 a month for a minimum of 18 months, it’s too extortionate for hardcore gamers to entertain. That’s a £639 commitment before you can even play a game. The DS Lite starts at £120 including a game, just beating the PSP’s price tag of £130.
Winner: Nintendo DS Lite

Multiplayer
There aren’t many multiplayer handheld experiences to match Wi-Fi bouts of Mario Kart DS, although the PSP’s Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops would argue otherwise. Both consoles have shown skills in multiplayer gaming, and while the iPhone has the potential to hop online and play against rivals anywhere in the world, very few titles have shown any interest in it just yet.
Winner: PSP and DS tie

Media abilities
Nintendo doesn’t do multimedia, so it’s left to the iPhone and PSP to duke it out. The PSP’s as much a mini media hub as it is a games device, with videos, photos and music at the core of its talents. Sony’s also lined up Fox, MGM, Disney, Paramount and Sony Pictures for the first wave of movie content for both PSP and PlayStation 3, although it’s yet to go live in Britain.

Meanwhile, the iPhone is sprinting ahead. iTunes now serves up TV and movies alongside music, and the latter can even be grabbed on the move, as long as the iPhone can reach a Wi-Fi hotspot. Until Sony gets its distribution deals in order, there’s only one contender here.

Winner: iPhone

Overall winner: DS Lite