The rise in smartphone and tablet gaming has led many to believe the days of traditional handhelds created by Sony and Nintendo are numbered. I usually disagree with that assumption because smartphones and tablets lack one major feature – buttons. Virtual joysticks are usually a bad experience, and those third-party attachment nubs don’t make things that much better. With Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Google has given developers the ability to support gamepads that can connect to the phone or tablet via USB.

The videogames media is abuzz with rumors of a new, groundbreaking PS3 controller that will “break apart” into two separate units. Sony hasn’t commented on the news but industry insiders expect an official announcement during this year’s E3. If such a controller does materialize, it would be the third controller for the PS3, the most for any single console. SIXAXIS and Dualshock 3 are the two PS3 controllers currently in use.

Heavily disguised and highly placed sources told GamesIndustryBiz that working units of the new controller have already been…