Mobile is the future of gaming, not console

Throw out your Wii! Ditch the Xbox 360! And cancel that PlayStation 3 pre-order! What's that, you haven't bothered pre-ordering one? Ah well. Anyway.

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.

It's easy to get carried away on a wave of mobile euphoria, but it's worth bearing in mind that while there are five times as many mobile users as console owners, most of the latter buy games, whereas industry estimates suggest only around 5 per cent of mobile users are buying games for their phone.

There's still a way to go, in other words. But from a gamer's point of view, the fact that publishers are so bullish about the potential size of the mobile gaming market should mean a steady flow of even better titles to play in the next couple of years.