If there was ever a relevant moment in the original Star Wars trilogy, it would have been during the Empire Strikes Back when an ancient Jedi Master named Yoda calmly stated that "Size matters not." Yoda then proceeded to lift a multi-ton spaceship out of a muddy bog and placed it exactly where he wanted it using nothing more than the force. With that inspirational moment in mind, we think of Sony's recent unveiling of the much-anticipated, next-generation handheld console, currently codenamed the "Next Generation Portable" -- or "iPod touch killer" in some circles.

The NGP has been outfitted with some very impressive innards, and Sony has also recruited the backing of big name gaming studios like Square Enix, Ubisoft, Capcom, Epic and Activision to develop titles for its next mobile platform. The launch day line-up will also consist of big name titles like Call of Duty, Little Big Planet 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4. The criteria, in addition to the claims that the NGP's graphics capabilities would be comparable to those found on the PlayStation 3, indicate that Sony's got quite a bit of arsenal ready to fire at the iOS competition. But will it really make a dent in an already established mobile gaming market?

Many have commented that the NGP is Sony's response to a gaming atmosphere saturated by Apple's iOS devices and the availability of cheap, easy-to-dive-into iOS games. But it's doubtful that the NGP could ever put a dent in iOS gaming. With a 9 to 10 month lead time between its announcement and its intended holiday release, this gives Apple enough time to give the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad the extra push it needs to stay in the lead.

While we hesitate to say that the NGP follows a "if you can't beat them, join them" kind of philosophy, it is following Apple's trend toward touchscreen technologies, working to one-up Cupertino with a 5-inch OLED touchscreen. The same can also be seen in the move towards a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor, as well as the Imagination Technologies SGX543MP4+ graphics processor. Sony's pulling out all the stops with a previously only-dreamed-about set of hardware for its miniature behemoth.

The company also took a page from Apple's book regarding the community aspect of iOS gaming. Sony's LiveArea feature will mimic Apple's own Game Center, enabling users to share scoreboards, use location-based services, access digital downloads and interact with message boards while working to make the games downloadable via 3G or Wi-Fi connections. 

Beyond the hardware, Sony's largest focus may be this: making its marketplace more accessible on the fly. Since the inception of the App Store, iOS users have been able to readily snag games, music, programs and other content via mobile devices and almost at a whim. Want a Beatles song or an Angry Birds add-on? Tap over to the iTunes Store and App Store applications on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and there it is, accessible through either a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. Nintendo has also been able to pull this off to an extent with its Nintendo DS and DSi units, though not to the near-ubiquitous degree that Apple has been able to achieve. With the new NGP hardware and interface, the new focus seems to be towards getting customers to the LiveArea store, get them conveniently signed in and offer them as many ways for them to get what they want on the fly, then return to their gaming experience.

Even though the hardware and connectivity may improve with the introduction of the NGP, there seems to be no guarantee that Sony will make itself more accessible to the developer community. Though Apple has had a sometimes-controversial approvals process for programs submitted to the App Store, there have been success stories in which anyone with an interest in coding for iOS devices -- even 13- and 16-year-old teenagers -- could submit to the App Store, have it approved, and watch the greenbacks roll in.

This may not be the case according to Dan Kitchen, Vice President of GameShastra, a video game development, publishing and testing service. "Historically, developing for Sony hardware has required that the developer be approved by Sony. In the past Sony has been very strict on who they approve," said Kitchen. "Additionally, the development systems that a publisher would use to create the game can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. I don't envision Sony will change their practices for this next PSP system."

Kitchen then went on to state that Sony would most likely want to stick with its current base of professional developers and companies as opposed to making a software development kit widely available and then taking the time to review and approve new applications as they're submitted.

Currently, there have been no reports of what the NGP -- some humbly refer to it as the Playstation Portable 2 (PSP) -- will cost, though it is expected to hit the shelves before the holidays. What Sony has done with its portable hardware is taken a giant, but logical step, throwing in all the features its customers have wanted for a long time while making some radical advances in hardware by adopting a quad-core CPU. No one can tell how 2011 will pan out for Apple or Sony in terms of their portable gaming hardware, but ten months provide a fair amount of time for development on both sides.