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I can't blame it on the sunshine (and I'm certainly not going to be casting any accusations towards the moonlight or the boogie either), as handheld gaming's really come into its own these past few months, and it's done so in the face of early adversity. When Nintendo's 3DS launched in 2011, it did so at a time when entering an iPad-saturated market seemed like a suicidal folly. When Sony's Vita launched later that year it was a more foolish proposition still, its concept of triple-A games shrunk down to fit in your pocket working against so very much common sense. And for the first year of both handhelds' lives the naysayers were proven more than right. The Vita and 3DS' baby-steps were awkward enough to make you wonder if either was ever going to truly find its feet, Nintendo hastily slashing the price mere months after release while Sony's device slipped into obscurity as fast as its sleek lines would allow. As both approached their first anniversaries it wouldn't have been much of a stretch to ponder if that would be the only birthday either would enjoy.
Something's changed though, ensuring an upturn in fortunes that's been quite remarkable, and one that's encapsulated the individual strengths of Sony and Nintendo. The release of Fire Emblem: Awakening, Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Luigi's Mansion 2 on 3DS has been a gutsy reminder of Nintendo's strength in depth when it comes to its first-party offerings, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate has tipped the handheld towards being the real star of the first half of 2013. The eShop's been on scintillating form, too - Kokuga, Hiroshi Iuchi's first game as director since Gradius 5, launched quietly last week, while on Thursday, the West has its first chance to play one of Millenium Kitchen's brilliant games with Attack of the Friday Monsters. If any console can boast a finer line-up come the year's end I'd be genuinely surprised.
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