Nintendo is shaking things up with the upcoming release of its new non-3D handheld system dubbed the Nintendo 2DS and a $50 price cut on new deluxe model Wii U consoles, so it's only right that Blake Grundman and I discuss what this means for Nintendo and its customers on this week's episode of the Power Button podcast.  That discussion leads into a broader look at where handheld gaming is going in a market increasingly dominated by mobile games for phones and tablets that are built around a free-to-play formula packed with microtransactions and charges for consumable items.  Is there a way back from $100 packs of in-game currency?  How much are virtual fish really worth?  Who will invest in our proposed mobile free-to-play game about building an aquarium tower?  There are no easy answers, but we do have some surprisingly affordable options for you.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, or subscribe via iTunes, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton.

Power Button - Episode 105: Handheld Futures

During the show I mentioned a segment of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart regarding the rise of free-to-play mobile games and expensive virtual fish.  If you've never seen that report, it's embedded below.