GamesIndustry.biz have a great write up on the direction that handheld gaming machines are taking a the moment in relation to their gaming content.

The trend is this; quite simply, that much of the software we’re putting onto our handhelds isn’t, strictly speaking, videogame software.

This couldn’t be more true, especially for PSP owners. We all know the PSP has some fantastic capabilities outside of playing games – Movies, Music, Web Browsing, RSS feed, Location Free TV etc.

On top of this, there are companies now producing software such as the City Guides from Lonely Planet and the iHikes Guides.

As well as these, there are games that aren’t really games in the true sense of the word – titles such as Brain Training don’t follow the normal conventions for an entertaing gaming experience, but are having huge success in Japan.

As well as the Vrain Training games on the PSP, there are various homebrew games such as Chess and Sudoko, which are crossing the boundaries of what we expect from handheld gaming machines and what would normally be found on PDA’s and laptops.

The trend expressed here is a twofold thing. On one hand, many people who see themselves as gamers are seeking different challenges from their leisure time software, and perhaps a sense that they are accomplishing real world things in their interactive entertainment.

The rest of the GamesIndustry.biz article is a good read, and I suggest you head over there and have a read of it, as it starts to talk about the challenges not only faced by the software companies, but also the hardware manufacturers, who need to adapt to this changing market.