Vast application markets coupled with the meteoric rise in Android and iOS smartphones has seen the portable gaming market dominated with Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP market share dwindling.
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A Gamesindustry.biz report points out mobile gaming has been steadily rising. In 2009 smartphones had 19%, and in 2010 the figure rose to 34%, while portable gaming aficionado Nintendo saw an inverse decline in revenue: since 2009 it’s fallen from a market-dominating 70%.
As of 2009, the portable gaming market was at US$2.7 billion, US$2.5 billion in 2010 and currently stands at US$3.3 billion. The rapid rise since 2010 could be justified with the viral-like spreading of Google’s Android OS and Marketplace. Either way, the mobile gaming ecosystem, characterised by app stores and advertiser paid games has resulted in a prosperous gaming industry.
Flurry claims the US has 250 million Apple iOS devices in circulation, with Google’s Android trailing at 190 million.
Flurry doesn’t clarify if his findings take into account Nintendo’s recent 3DS handheld, the fact that Sony’s PSP is nearing end of life (to be replaced by the Vita) and whether or not the to-be-obsolete console could be contributing to malnourished gaming sales.
Flurry used NPD reports, public data and information pertaining to mobile devices to compile his figures, while November/December 2011 figures were projected according to previous performance ratios.

