are mobiles phones the new console??

smartphones these days also provide the same kind of experience! So do they qualify to be known as consoles?

@bluecrow: Well I suppose one could play them instead of a console if you only played games with limited inputs or basic demands. Some phones have quite a bit of power behind them but the overall mobile audience is interested in small bursts of fun. That's why Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, and Angry Birds are the known hits on Mobile Platform.

My phone has a few Lumines games, Speedball 2, Critter Crunch and a pretty good port of the original Pac-Man.

I enjoy what I play, but only use it as a back-up if my 3DS is out of juice. At home I'd rather be on my P.C. or consoles to be honest. But I prefer to play games with complex inputs and depth.

So to answer your question, depends on your interest_

Totally not the same experience

No, but they are the new handheld. My kids haven't touched their DS/3DS/PSP in months, now all they do is play in their phones.

While I do enjoy the very odd game on my iPad I don’t consider it the same experience as a console or even a dedicated handheld.

@bluecrow: No, not at all. Because consoles are platforms much more than they are processing power. Even as the power gap between smartphones and consoles decrease, gaming (and specially hardcore gaming), is still going to have many problems in both iOS and Android.

First of all, there's the lack of standard button controllers. There may be some accessories but they don't sell that much to make developers see developing games exclusive for such accessories to be worthy it. Perhaps they can give some additional functionality for the game if a certain accessory is used, but they're still limited to a game that is at least playable with a touch screen system, other wise they'd lose much of their possible audience. Inb4: PC's succeeded in this market, even though they have no bundled joysticks, because regular keybords, unlike touchscreens, are pretty capable for complex controls.

Second, mobile games are cheap. People are used to cheap apps so no one is going to sell dozens of millions of copies of a US$60.00 game given that consumers can download other games in the platform for literally nothing. Mobile companies which make lots of money usually have all their revenue coming from in-app purchases, and this would be far from the better future for something like Zelda or Horizon Zero Dawn. Imagine if you only could play these games for 20 minutes a day, otherwise you'd have to either buy more "energy" or watch some ads? And if the companies didn't adhere to such strategies within the mobile environment, they'd have to reduce their budgets since no game would break even with an investment of 100 million dollars.

Third, this is more of a technical problem than one inherent to the platform, but despite the iPhone 8 having a CPU that's probably faster than the PS4's, and a GPU that's in line with the Switch's, there are other limitations related to storage capacity in many smartphones, for an example. Smartphones are made to be really thin and comfortable, so they often don't have any expandability and they also obviously can't read physical media. Another problem is that smartphones doesn't have console-like generations, and as such, any game today developed for iOS, for instance, would need to be playable in an iPhone 5S, which is actually still supported by Apple with the iOS 11. The iPhone 5S must be like 10 times slower GPU wise than the 8 and so it'd be meaningfully holding it back. Also, in the Android ecosystem, there are many cheap and mid-range phones which also limit how much of the raw power from Android's high-end devices can effectively be used.

Last but not least, I must recognize that smartphones captured a part of the console gaming audience. But it's like the "extremely softcore" part. The ones that played Nintendogs now play Candy Crush or some random virtual pet game on the App Store or the Play Store. But no one is going to stop playing Super Mario Odyssey, God of War or Halo because of OceanHorn or Super Marion Run, seriously.

Each side has pros and cons

@raugutcon: I dont want to insult you but i really hope you won't mind my dissapointment in your kids :p

more the new handheld. they certainly have the horsepower and the software stack (OS, dev tools, dev support etc.) to offer a great gaming experience.

i mean the switch runs on hardware designed for tablets and i dont think its even the most powerful mobile device in terms of hardware (im sure an S8 or iphone X would kick its backside). yet its probably going to have the GOTY (either BOTW or Odyssey). so the hardware is very capable now.

the problem is the lack of controls built in as standard (a touch screen on its own just doesnt cut it) and the quality of the games is absolutely horrendus and built on an atrocious business model. the games are designed by accountants. its probably the least creative and least interesting sector of the entire gaming industry. its just full of the worst dross like we saw on the wii but it doesnt have any of the top quality that we also saw on the wii to offset it.

i would love to see a proper gaming phone though like an xperia Play 2. and something like that that can also connect to the TV like the switch would be really awesome. but the quality of the games needs to get better also.

@mias: That's why i was wondering if the phones are headed in that direction altogether to give you the console gaming experience!! JUST IMAGINE!

@snuwwulfie: Hahahaha!! Well, *clears throat*

Phones are definitely the new mobile platform. Especially with the MHL connectors so you can connect your phone via TV. My kid uses an old Samsung Galaxy Avant with an ipega controller as his hand held it's great and very inexpensive that controller only cost like $23.

For me, a minimum wager, Mobile is more convenient and efficient to buy than other hand held consoles because it has more use during travel but if you'll only play inside the house I'll still prefer PC, PS4, or XboxOne.

Well,you can't compare Mobile Phone with handheld consoles 'cause Mobile Phones aren't ment for only gaming. But all this new games coming out...being an Mobile gamer isn't a small thing this days. It just feels like handheld console. So yeh,definetely Mobiles are going to be big thing for gaming in future.

Not really. You cannot take endless selfies with consoles, nor can you walk on the sidewalk gawking at your console like a zombie. -that's the kind of life killing, useless stuff you can only do with your smartphone.

I do not own smartphone, and never will. And I feel endless pity for people who are clued to their smartphones 24/7. They are missing on life big time.

Imagine trying to play Dark Souls on an iPhone....

I do not feel that they are but mobiles are surely taking over the handhelds for sure. Games are also becoming more advance as can be seen in both App stores but usually the casual ones are the standouts on mobiles. Consoles are here to stay for some time yet.

The new handheld is more likely. Even though I would never say my iPhone comes anywhere near my Switch

Phones can do a LOT more than they used to, no doubt. But, consoles will be the standard at least for a little while longer.

And sometimes, there's no substitute for playing a game on a bigger screen.