As we all know, Nintendo has a long and successfull story with handhelds. Since the Gameboy, they never lost a generation. SEGA tried with Game Gear, but it didn't work. Sony came with PSP, but Nintendo DS managed to beat it. And 3DS is so ahead of PS Vita, that there's not even a contest.

Also, their handhelds have a lot of support from both Nintendo and third-parties (Pokémon and Monster Hunter for example).

So, if the handheld market continues (Since some people think they are on the road to extinction due to the mobile boom) do you think there's any chance of another company beat Nintendo?

Since, as you alluded to, handhelds are d0med due to phones, and the next generation will this time be the last one, and since no one else is stupid enough to release a handheld into that money sink,

Yes.

Not EVERYBODY falls for mobile games. 3DS is a testament to that. People who aren't really gamers will play mobile because, they're cheap and somewhat fun. If I want the new Pokemon or Mario, Zelda, Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing, and so on...chances are I'll need a real handheld. Does Apple not make OSes anymore because Windows is killing it in market share? NO! So to all those people who are saying "mobile will kill handhelds", that's not happening unless Nintendo supports mobile in the same fashion that they do their own handhelds...which isn't happening...anytime soon. Nintendo will continue to dominate the handheld space because of the establishment they made with Gameboy 25+ years ago.

They'll never be defeated by another handheld, (Even Sony couldn't do it) but dedicated portable gaming devices are a dying market.

Handhelds have no long term future.

Yeah I think that's safe to say. They are the only first party with experience creating handheld games distinct from both consoles and mobile. And most third parties interested in doing handheld will obviously bank on the company with the majority hold. I think the handheld market will probably sit about where it is looking to be now, 65 to 75 mil. Which also means it's not a market worth splitting so I doubt anyone will try for that either.  I don't think handhelds are doomed because the mobile market is in such a horrible state in terms of price expectations and such that it can't sustain the games that drive Nintendo's handhelds.  

I don't know man, I think the 3DS has sold this much because it has many  more games that people want compared to the console.I for example bought the 3DS mostly for MH and Pokemon, but also because of all the many gems you just can't find anywhere else, if those games had been on console, or PC I would've never bought a handheld, and I'm sure many other people are with me on this.

Next gen can't come soon enough, we're finally going to find out what really sells Nintendo handhelds, is it the "console like" experience on the go?, or is it the great games that they exclusively get?

Yup. I expect at least 2 more handheld generations and during those Nintendo will be #1.

Where is the 3DS so much ahead to the vita? its 5 to 1, sega game gear was 8 to 1 behind to the gameboy or more.

Sony could win the Handheld market if they would release a PlayStation Phone, either a new device or a vita version

Basically. Nintendo has really had a grip on the market since it started (hell they basically created it). Going forward the impact of mobile will have to be taken into account though. Hopefully Nintendo will be able to come up with something.

Nope. Sony just lost it after they saw how the PS4 was selling a lot and decided to focus on that. They weren't able to make a comeback with it.

And yes Smartphone gaming is big. Thats why people are excited for the NX. Nintendo cannot continue with the DS line. Something needs to be changed.