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So here we are.

A considerable time has passed since launch.

The "Newness" has faded.

Values have been established.

Benchmarks have been set.

But where are we?

We are in the midst of a revelation of sorts, one that harks back to the business model that's as tried and true as the company that proposted it's commitment to it. The revelation? Fun.

Sticking to their guns, Nintendo has retained it's portable crown as king with 14 million units sold, to Sony's 10 million PSPs sold. This is the proof that time has shown us that Quality is greater than Quantity, and that Gameplay is greater than Graphics.

With the advent of the DS-Lite, Nintendo seeks to tap into the ipod-generation of techno-yuppies to further dominate the marketshare. What's interesting, is the fact that this marketshare is not intrinsically gamers, but rather power-consumers with an unfettered loyalty to anything that makes Engadget's top 10 list. This very consumer can categorically be considered a core PSP user, one with a deeper pocket, and a greater desire for form over function.

With gameplay covered, and asthetics on the horizon, what's left for Sony?

900 dollars in material fees for the PS3, a delayed launch date, the closing of it's Robotics Division, stagnating UMD sales and studio pullouts. In other words, it's financial outlook appears to be about as fun as it's PSP, that is to say, there's nothing behind the pretty pictures.