NOTE: Those numbers aren't 100% correct, and some are estimates. Also, there is a problem for the seventh generation since 2011.

After that, here the history of handhelds sales in the US since 2000.

6 GENERATION ( GBA era)

monthly sales

Yearly sales

7 GENERATION ( NDS, PSP era)

monthly sales

yearly sales

8 GENERATION ( 3DS, PSV era )

monthly sales

yearly sales

GBA VS NDS VS PSP VS 3DS VS PSV

And here, generation sales:

Oh what the hell, 80 views but 0 comment?
Oh well:

"DAT DS!!!!!!"
"poor PS vita"
"those 3DS sales aren't great", "yes it is!" "no it isn't!" "yes it is!""no it isn't" x10
"OMG the handhelds are DOOOOOOOM"
"Nintendo domination!!!!!"

Phones are here

Looks like the 3DS will do about the same as it did last year. And the same will probably happen in 2016 since it has a much better line up already. The 3DS might not be a peak beast, but it is a consistent beast. :P

edit: Nevermind -___-

Nice charts, though proper titles would make them easier to read ;P

Anyways, good job, the NDS was a true monster

Smartphones and tablets, mate. Dedicated handhelds are only really sold to younger children these days, but even they are started to join the tablet and smartphone crowd. Even if NX is a super powered handheld, dedicated handheld sales are going to be abysmal next gen. Hopefully Sony is gonna play things smart and not even bother making one.

The Smartphones and Tablets are killing the dedicated Handheld market somewhat. Though, notably enough, Tablet sales last year in the holidays were down compared to the sales in 2013...maybe there's gonna be an end to this Tablet/smartphone craze soon....

Maybe it's the advertising and name, I've heard some people refer to the 3DS as a "3D DS", plus advertising is rather low. I think with a fresh new concept, the Handheld market can spring to life again, NX Go! is our only hope.

Sony better damn well make another handheld. Smartphones and Tablets are the biggest piles of crap ever. The worst consumer devices I have ever used. Hopefully, the Steamboy sets the world on fire with the 4G model and forces Sony and Nintendo to bring out 4G handhelds. 

The 3G Vita is by far the best mobile device ever made. If Sony would have ever released a 4G version, Vita would be selling 10x as much. I don't get why Japanese companies were not the first to deliver this, and I can't believe here in 2015 we still don't have 4G handhelds fom Sony and Nintendo. 

Sony needs to merge Sony Mobile into PlayStation and drop the garbage android based xperia line asap. PlayStation Phones, and tablets need to take over Sony's mobile division, and make a product that doesn't absolutely suck. A PlayStation Phone with the Vita OS and PlayStation Network would be so much better than any android/ios terd it wouldn't even be funny. Hopefully someone at Sony has enough insight to realized that xperia is garbage, and they need to rebuild Sony's home and mobile electronics around the PlayStation brand, PlayStation OS, and PlayStation Network.

i dont think the concept of a handheld is turning the people off( of course tablets and other handheld devices made for more competetion) because if that was the case the ipad would have never taken off for the sheer fact that you really could do almost anything with the ipad on a iphone if you wanted, i actually think its the design the is outdated with the handhelds.

The GBA regardless of whether it ended early or not, was not going to pass the gameboy, its concept wasnt new enough and we had the psp right around the corner, maybe not a new concept but it certainly did it better than the gba. But DS comes into the game and changes everything. it had a new design, and new concept delivered and it was different and awesome compared to everything else. 3ds however, was more of the same, it literally looked like a ds lite but with a 3d screen, but casuals cant see that diference. they see another ds, luckliy for nintendo their games were so good that they were able to make it rather succseful.

vita's concept was beyond outdated, that model in a handheld looks old school in the mind of casuals.

They want something new, fresh. i think if nintendo could deliver that they could have a huge hit on their hands, BUT if its just another ds i doubt it will do that well.