OK, this changes things a bit. Nintendo’s DS system will be wireless and also have the ability to download games and software while online. If I was Sony, I would be taking notes. Sony may rule the console market, but I believe that they have a lot to learn about the handheld market.

The Nintendo DS will hit the US market in late November and come to Japan in December, priced at 15,000 yen ($185). Nintendo will make available 14 games for the unit by the end of the year. Sony will introduce the PlayStation Portable (PSP), a handheld version of its popular PlayStation standalone game console, in the coming months. Sony has yet to release the retail price for the PSP, but reports estimate it will be about $US250-$US300 ($350-$430).