Apple's iPhone and iPad have one marked advantage over handheld gaming devices such as the DS and PSP: the ability to connect directly to the Internet through a wireless, broadband connection. However, Nintendo and Sony could soon achieve parity, if Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo has its way.

　　The PSP Go could have benefited from 3G technology. The Japanese telecom company told the Wall Street Journal today that it has entered talks with game device makers to add 3G wireless functionality to future iterations of their handheld gaming machines. "Video game makers know that in order for portable game machines to take the next step forward, they need wireless communication," NTT DoCoMo President Ryuji Yamada told the WSJ. "We are discussing this with various players."

　　Unfortunately, Yamada declined to put a name to which gaming companies NTT DoCoMo had entered into talks with. The likely answer, of course, is Nintendo and Sony. Currently, both companies' portables allow for Internet access through a Wi-Fi hot spot. Yamada noted that game makers could access NTT DoCoMo's 3G network by building in a component to the next-generation handhelds.

　　Whether the 3DS will have it remains to be seen. For Nintendo's part, the publisher has already hinted at always-on Internet access for its glasses-free 3DS, which is due before March 2011. As detailed in GameSpot's hands-on with the machine at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the 3DS will be able to access the Internet to update game data or download levels even if it isn't being interacted with. Nintendo's console, the Wii, features similar functionality.

　　Though Sony has yet to formally announce a new handheld, online speculation indicates that it may release the next hardware revision for its workhorse PSP as early as this year.