Is the vogue for smartphone games killing the games console? It's been six years since Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft launched their Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games consoles. Now sales have stalled.
Web-enabled devices such as phones, tablets and laptops are partly to blame. These make it easy for anyone to discover new and addictive video games without the need for a console.
The Wii, with about 97 million sales worldwide, has outperformed the PlayStation 3 (64 million) and Xbox 360 (67 million). But the latter's Kinect accessory, which allows voice commands and gesture control, was the last major innovation. That was in 2010.
"I don't see a huge leap forward in gaming since the Kinect, so it's no surprise that games console sales are stagnating," says Reuben Verghese, vice-president for Asia at app development company Accedo. "There just hasn't been a justifiable reason for people to rush out and buy an expensive new console, especially in this economic climate."
Nintendo is hoping its forthcoming attempt will bring the console up to date. The end of this year will see the launch of its U console, which will include small smartphone-like controllers fitted with a touch screen and microphone. As well as allowing gaming on its small screen, it also enables mobile gaming.
Sony and Nintendo also sell hand-held gaming gadgets. But the trend for mobile gaming finds its ultimate expression in the iPhone and Android smartphones, which are taking the pastime to the masses.