Hand-held electronic gaming is not new. From the single game devices of the past, to game changing (pun intended) Nintendo Gameboy, to the now popular PSP (that's PlayStation Portable) and Nintendo DSi, mobile arcade-quality games are common place.

Many gamers could boast having a hand-held game device that allowed them to play some of the same games available on consoles like the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) and the Microsoft Xbox. Some of these games even boasted wireless communications via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Then came the iPhone. With a brilliant screen, an accelerometer, simple controls and premium game titles, the iPhone turned mobile gaming on its face. It was no longer necessary for game geeks to travel with multiple devices to make calls and enjoy a superior game experience. With the iPhone everything fits into one neat package.

No one had anticipated that the iPhone would have had such a profound impact on the handheld gaming industry. And, as more game titles began appearing on the iPhone (and then iPad) platforms, sales of traditional handheld game consoles started to plummet. Welcome to the new age of gaming.

Introducing the Xbox Phone and the Xperia Play.

Leveraging their massive player base for the Microsoft Xbox game console (bolstered even more by the introduction of the Kinect option earlier this year), Microsoft has offered Xbox Live integration with its new Windows 7 Phone (W7P). Triple A game titles on the Xbox transfer smoothly to the W7P including points, achievements and contacts via Xbox Live. Wicked!

And the W7P is a cool phone too. The clean, simple interface is easy to use and, of course, also offers great Microsoft integration. The best thing, the phone, the service, the game, the fun is available right now.

You'll have to wait until spring 2011 (or beyond) for the Sony Xperia Play - a PlayStation phone. Yes, a PlayStation and a phone. 'Reliable sources' claim that Sony is planning on releasing a game console phone in 2011, less 'reliable sources' hint at the Xperia Play name. Regardless of what we call it, the device is likely to be manufactured by Sony Ericsson, have premium PS3 game titles and the PlayStation Network for online gaming and communication. And you'll be able to make a call!

Sony is yet to officially announce any of these plans, but the safe money for 2011 trend is mobile gaming. Neither phone will truly replace your console, but it will make gaming so much richer.

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Tech Glitch: I recently got an Android phone, but all my contacts are on my BlackBerry. Help! writes Liz

Tech Fix: Cross-compatibility is possible using Google Sync which is available free online. This is one of many services that allows you to back up, copy, restore and/or sync your contacts (and calendar) across multiple phones, computers and other devices. It is always a good idea to back up your data before carrying out any operation.

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