"Mobile gaming is teh futurez"

*Sigh*

Here we go again. Mobile gaming is the future blah blah blah. Number of mobile owners greater than number of console owners yadda yadda ... the usual. Here's part of the Pocket Gamer update that deals with this annoying subject:

Okay, so I-play boss David Gosen isn't suggesting you get rid of your games console just yet. But he did make a bullish speech at yesterday's Casual Connect Conference in Amsterdam, claiming that "the mobile phone will be the ultimate mass market gaming device, rendering console as the platform for a niche audience".

He based these views on data from industry analyst Informa Telecoms & Media, which predicts that there'll be 2.8 billion people with mobile phones by the end of next year, and estimates that mobile users already outnumber console owners five to one.

"Its reach and multi-functionality positions mobile as the number one mass market entertainment device of the future," he said, while highlighting more research from IDC and Montgomery claiming more mobile games were sold in 2006 than console games.

For the last time, it does not matter how many people will own mobile phones in the future. Well, not to that great an extent anyway. Gaming consoles -- handheld or of the "home" type -- will always exist. A dedicated device is always better than an all-purpose device. Isn't the PSP teaching people anything? Or better yet ... the N-Gage?

Also, yes; a cell phone has more buttons. Sure, you could throw a touchscreen on there. It comes with blue tooth and internet access built in. But what about the graphics, eh? What about the video chip? Or the processor? And what about the price the end consumer will end up paying once all these little details are taken care of?

Sure, I'm as curious about Final Fantasy Agito XIII as the next guy but I'm not going to buy it.