Are cell phones a gaming console?

Jedah Doma · May 17, 2012

This question came up in a discussion with a friend on Facebook about whether or not a mobile phone could be considered a gaming console. This inspired me to create this little video on the matter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwTNMLOPDOA (for some reason I can't embed YouTube videos)

What do you lads think? Are they technically a game console?

cdamm · May 17, 2012

yes. android and iOS are platforms that get full release games. the phones are portable consoles.

trenog · May 17, 2012

I'd say that cell phones are like PCs rather than consoles because there is only partial standardization from handset to handset versus a console existing for 4+ years. There's no device that isn't thrown by the wayside quite like a cellphone when you see the phone manufacturers introducing successors on a yearly basis.

cdamm · May 17, 2012

trenog said:
I'd say that cell phones are like PCs rather than consoles because there is only partial standardization from handset to handset versus a console existing for 4+ years. There's no device that isn't thrown by the wayside quite like a cellphone when you see the phone manufacturers introducing successors on a yearly basis.

how about the n-gage? im pretty sure that was a console.

trenog · May 17, 2012

cdamm said:
how about the n-gage? im pretty sure that was a console.

Technically the Sony Xperia Play was one too...Doesn't mean much if they can't even sustain for longer than a couple of months :P

Jedah Doma · May 17, 2012

trenog said:
Technically the Sony Xperia Play was one too...Doesn't mean much if they can't even sustain for longer than a couple of months :P

Well then if it's sustainability that define a gaming console, the Virtual Boy isn't a gaming console. ^_^

loegan43 · May 17, 2012

As often as I play games on it, I'd have to say my iphone is definitely a gaming console.

cdamm · May 17, 2012

trenog said:
Technically the Sony Xperia Play was one too...Doesn't mean much if they can't even sustain for longer than a couple of months :P

sustainability does not define a game console. trenog, your logic is flawed and you will now lose this argument.

Mugicha · May 17, 2012

i completely agree that they are gaming consoles. Even Ipod touch and Ipads fit in there as well. I can't stand virtual controls however, I need real buttons and at least some sort of d-pad.

TonK · May 17, 2012

Absolutely.

SSS · May 18, 2012

is the PS3 a gaming console?

that's a tough question

SNKorSWM · May 18, 2012

If it requires an internet connection to even function, that's not a console, just a PC.

complexz · May 18, 2012

I don't think phones are game consoles, but I guess it depends how you define console as I don't consider a PC a game console either. That doesn't discount the device as a platform for playing videogames on, PC is a technically superior way to play videogames but it's still not a game console. I think there is enough difference between a ps3, a PC and a smartphone to have their own categories.

Gamefan · May 18, 2012

I agree with XcomplexzX on this one. Each platform has its positives and negatives. The IOS family of devices while they could be considered gaming consoles, they officially are not. They are grouped in the mobile gaming category.

GAMEFAN

cdamm · May 18, 2012

Gamefan said:
I agree with XcomplexzX on this one. Each platform has its positives and negatives. The IOS family of devices while they could be considered gaming consoles, they officially are not. They are grouped in the mobile gaming category.

GAMEFAN

couldnt the same be said for the vita and 3ds?

Gamefan · May 18, 2012

cdamm said:
couldnt the same be said for the vita and 3ds?

Yes, and I think they are in the portable category.

My understanding was that the term consolse was restricted to home devices that connected to a TV or monitor.

cdamm · May 18, 2012

Gamefan said:
Yes, and I think they are in the portable category.

My understanding was that the term consolse was restricted to home devices that connected to a TV or monitor.

then by that logic shouldnt we say 'system'? or 'gaming device?' with this discussion? i think the original point of this post is that weather phones are a vible gaming medium.

Gamefan · May 18, 2012

cdamm said:
then by that logic shouldnt we say 'system'? or 'gaming device?' with this discussion? i think the original point of this post is that weather phones are a vible gaming medium.

I agree and will stop derailing the thread. *My appologies*

I do think it is a viable gaming medium though. I play Cave games on my Iphone all the time!

cdamm · May 18, 2012

Gamefan said:
I agree and will stop derailing the thread. *My appologies*

I do think it is a viable gaming medium though. I play Cave games on my Iphone all the time!

i dont think you are derailing the thread- it was a legitimate concern.

wataru330 · May 18, 2012

Smart phones are a unique splice, that weren't even imagined at the advent of TV Games.

My iPhone is 1/2 comp (I run iMAME), 1/2 TurboExpress (I play PCE games & watch TV on it), and 1/2 Arcade bartop (I played a pixel-perfect OutZone port just today).

Oh, and it's a portable JukeBox.

It's a console, and then some.

alec · May 20, 2012

That's a pretty cool video.

I never really thought of portables as game consoles though, you know Gameboy and Gamegear and whatnot. I've always called them handhelds or portables and reserved the term consoles for things that plugged into the television. If I considered those game consoles though I'd definitely have to call iphones game consoles too though.

Zero Satori · May 20, 2012

Anything dubbed a "console game system" has traditionally had the same 1) hardware; and 2) software across the board. "Windows" is not a console, and "AMD64" is not, either.

The end result of a console is that when one buys the system, they're getting the same system their friend, a guy across the street, and a guy on the other side of the country is getting. Because of this, programmers know exactly for what to programme (with minimal variation generally unrelated to system performance).

Neither an operating system nor a hardware-set are, by themselves, a "gaming console." Once the two are brought together and standardised, then the differentiating aspects of the console from its parts is created.

SNKorSWM · May 21, 2012

Zero Satori said:
Anything dubbed a "console game system" has traditionally had the same 1) hardware; and 2) software across the board. "Windows" is not a console, and "AMD64" is not, either.

Neither an operating system nor a hardware-set are, by themselves, a "gaming console." Once the two are brought together and standardised, then the differentiating aspects of the console from its parts is created.

Well, firmware updates & DLCs kind of blur the line here, don't they?

bravojohny · May 21, 2012

Well, cell phones and even tablets are portable devices ready to run ludic software. These systems are portable devices that play videogames, therefore consoles. It's curious, however, that Apple is a current stablished brand in videogames industry, despite Steve Job's rejected that prospect. The approach to Apple systems (iOS) begun from the industry side an than he took the chance to build a great market.

LoneSage · May 21, 2012

No such thing as a dedicated game console in this age.

Are cell phones a gaming console?

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