Are game consoles going to be passed by mobile phones?

Android also doesn't run a full version of java. It runs on the Dalvik VM as such the VM used by java is incompatible.

Minecraft had to be re-coded to work on iOS and Android just as it did on the Xbox, the only version that runs in Java as we know it is the full desktop game.

Well think of it this way, some phones and tablets have probably about the same power of a Wii or xbox nowadays, and computers with modern CPUs and GPUs most likely could whip a console out the door in specs. But I haven't seen any changes to consoles in a while particulatlry in hardware. They got thinner but not more powerful (Xbox 360 Slim, PS3 Slim, PS3 Ultra Slim)

That is about to change. Even gaming PCs are limited by the heft of the UI. All of the various platforms could be outdone by a Mini that's optimized for gaming. I don't know for sure but it stands to reason that Valve would make something similar. John Carmack also said something pertaining to the slowing of innovation in consoles. It seems that Sony and Microsoft are not keeping up. I would definitely agree that consoles haven't changed much lately and it doesn't make sense. Consoles should be the strongest platform.

Sony had it right back in the release days of PS3. XDR RAM and Cell Processing technology have huge potential to improve drastically. The PS3 operates wonderfully with 256mb of RAM. My computer can't max graphics even with 8GBs of RAM and 1GB of Video Ram. Imagine 1GB of XDR ram, and more cores/higher clock speed for the Cell CPU. Heck, blu-ray for standard was a good idea too because they don't run into the issue of multi-disk games as often. But that's my rant. I think consoles have potential... They're simply not reaching it.

It could also be that there are so many other factors involved as well. Televisions have fallen behind monitors, game controllers have tended to have latency issues and there's probably some conflicts of interest involved as well. I like that the newer Xboxes have different options and price ranges. I think a modular console would be a good solution to meeting different wants. In that instance a lot of the modding, OCing, upgrading and building could translate. VR is now in the capable hands of uber graphics geeks and game developers (John Carmack being one of them). The improvements as of yet have already been remarkable because they're solving some of the fundamental issues that existed in the prior developments. I would be surprised if it didn't get interesting this year.

Not even February and it's already getting interesting.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/184524/Valves_Newell_opens_up_about_his_Steam_Box_plans.php#.UO13deTO2gM

Let's look at it this way: The iPod classic. Now I know it doesn't have all the capabilities but it proves the point. If the HDD stayed at 20GB but after 3 years they slimmed it, and tons of people went after the iPod, well, they don't have much of a brag right against the other guy with the slightly fatter one. But if they threw in a 40GB HDD and kept the same price while making it slimmer, they'd have the brag right. Now look at the console, they've made them slimmer and I've seen people claim their skinny console is better then the fat console. Well they don't get the concept it was only slimmed, and that 20GB HDD is still there, but at the same, expensive cost. While on the other hand, I could buy the fatter version for a now discounted price and get the same hardware. What was the point of the slimming? Why not throw in something extra?

The point of slimming is for the manufacturers to profit. In the beginning of the console product life, the manufacturers often take a loss with the expectation that they will profit from games and game licensing. Near the end of the product life, every system they sell is pure profit. They're just putting the squeeze on consumers at that point (which is where we're currently at with the current generation of Xbox and PS consoles).

So in that respect, you're right -- there's more value in finding a refurbished (or even new and unused) older model (unless there's some particular issue with the older models that has been resolved in the newer, "updated" models) -- which, perhaps coincidentally, is just what I did over the holidays, purchasing a new-in-box iPod touch (but the 4th generation, not the 5th). Sure it doesn't have the latest "features" as the latest generation of iPod touches, but I'm quite happy with my "shorter" iPod.

My iPhone could run GTA and Max Payne (Used to be on PS2s and Xbox originals) no problem. Xboxes are at least 50 times bigger than my phone. Leave PCs out of the question here because they are obviously more powerful than a phone and tablet. But consoles don't have such a large lead anymore. Theres's basically even a Forza equivalent on the iPhone (Real Racing 1 & 2)

I was not asking which was preferred, but of if they are going to be obsoleted by smart devices.

I agree there's a lot more to gaming than most appreciate. There are communities built around it that couldn't translate to smart phones. There may be more "games" for the better selling smart phone, but the richest experience as of yet is found in the gaming PC. The smart phone is incapable of running a AAA title. Sure RAGE was ported to the Iphone, but RAGE is 21gb on the Xbox. You do the math.

The near future of the gaming system is going to go as far as the game developers take it and like it or not noone can see past that. Phone apps help fund AAA titles. What has been accomplished in virtual worlds is a mere scratch on the surface of what's possible and probable.

Cloud gaming has fundamental issues that will most likely put gamers off. HTML isn't exactly first choice for development environments(Quake Live and Second life...nuf said)...and Second life is social media, not a game. I personally think the notion of the cloud being at the forefront is ridiculous when you consider our hunger for bandwidth and general lack of solutions in that it's funded by a major user. There is also a stronger trend of products in general becoming smarter. IT's likely we are still going to be surrounded by hardware.

PC gamers tend to have a nice little padded surface on top of their gaming rigs for their smart phones and MP3 players. People who want the richer experience will choose it. There is no real reason to think that market will go away.