At this week's Game Developer's Conference, I'll be checking out the latest cool games and interviewing multiple publishers. This conference wouldn't have garnered much attention from a mobile reporter three years ago, but smartphones are quickly becoming the next frontier for gaming.

Mobile phones are becoming ideal handheld gaming devices for a variety of reasons. The hardware inside these devices is powerful and capable of complex graphics and gaming code, the built-in application stores essentially put Walmart in your pocket, and a 3G connection (soon, 4G) means a new game or opponent is just a click away. But the main reason mobile gaming is set to take off is because we're entering an era of convergence and it just won't make sense to carry a dedicated gaming device when your phone can handle this task quite well.

Apple's iPhone

If you are even contemplating a mobile gaming strategy as a developer, Apple's iPhone operating system is at the top of your list for multiple reasons. Apple has positioned its iPod touch as a gaming machine, the devices are capable of complex graphics, and the more-than-72 million iPhone OS users have proven to be hungry for games. This hasn't gone unnoticed by established players, as Capcom, Konami and Electronic Arts have ported many of their high-profile titles to Apple's platform.

The great thing about the iPhone as a gaming environment is that the App Store has created a clear path for developers to monetize gaming. Each software update has added new features to make the games better, but these wouldn't matter if the money wasn't there. Being able to charge for new items and levels within games should help create a growing gaming ecosystem.

But what's really interesting about the App Store and the iPhone is that it has leveled the playing field for independent developers. PopCom recently said it made $1 million dollars in nine days with its Plants vs. Zombies iPhone game and Tapulous is creating a nice business for itself creating games for Apple's mobile devices.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series

Gaming on Windows Mobile phones has been okay, but Microsoft has the opportunity to take it to the next level with Windows Phone 7 Series. The Xbox Live integration could be a huge draw because I know a lot of people who have invested a lot of time and money (maybe too much) into the service and they would love to have access to it on the go.

Microsoft also recently showed off a game that could easily switch between an Xbox 360, a Windows 7 computer and a smartphone (most likely running its upcoming mobile OS). Users can save between the platforms and start and stop at their convenience, no matter what device they're using. This is probably the best example of mobile gaming I've seen because it takes the game out of a silo and integrates it into a larger, more powerful experience.

Android, BlackBerry, webOS

Apple and Microsoft seem to be the most intriguing players, but don't count out the other guys. Android and Palm are adding additional tools to their developer kits in order to enable immersive 3D graphics, and even the normally staid BlackBerry is diving into gaming. All of these platforms also have solid content distribution networks, so the days of only having Snake to kill time is long gone.

Not so fast - What might hold mobile gaming back?

I don't play many games on the go, but when I do, I am constantly frustrated by the controls -- particularly for touchscreen devices. Tilting your phone and using its accelerometer to control a racing game is quite novel at first, but it becomes tiresome after a while. You also look like a dork playing in public. Capcom's Street Fighter IV is coming to the iPhone soon but I have no idea how well it can possibly control. Hopefully, developers will come up with better ways to interact with smartphone games.

The biggest hindrance to smartphone gaming is probably Nintendo. The PlayStation Portable has been moderately successful, but Sony appears to be reading the writing on the wall and finally prepping the oft-rumored PlayStation Phone. Nintendo's DS lineup is insanely popular, and you can be sure it won't cede the mobile gaming realm without a fight. During an interview with VentureBeat, Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway said Apple's role in the gaming universe could be overstated:

As for Apple, it is interesting that for all the talk of competition from Apple last year, here in the U.S. we had our best year ever, selling 11.2 million units. That has never been done by any game platform ever. Consumers are still finding fun with our products, and there is a lot of room to grow.

Contact Marin Perez via email or follow @Marinperez on Twitter