Epic: Future Xbox, PS could be mobile

Epic Games boss Mark Rein reckons future Xbox and PlayStation consoles could be portable.

"Imagine a future Xbox 360 that is actually a tablet you carry around," Rein told Develop.

"It will have more power than 360 does today, with technology like Kinect built right in.

"Imagine walking into a bar with some friends, propping it up on the table and playing games like Dance Central or Kinect Adventures anywhere you go. Then when you get home that same device will use technology like AirPlay or wireless HDMI to connect to your big screen, you'll pick up a wireless controller, or use your phone as a controller to play games like Gears of War.

"It feels like there's a great opportunity for game consoles to cease to be something you plug into the wall and rather become something you take with you. Of course it will be more than just your game console; you can have your productivity apps, your documents, and your media collections on it as well."

Both Microsoft and Sony have kept quiet on their plans for new hardware, and instead pushed motion control add-ons Kinect and Move.

Microsoft reckons Kinect, due out on 10th November, will extend the life of the Xbox 360 by five years.

Epic, of course, is an important cog in the Xbox 360 wheel. Its Microsoft Game Studios-published third-person action series Gears of War has done much to attract gamers to the console.

But Epic is keen to extend its reach beyond home consoles, and has in recent months pushed the viability of triple-A games on mobile phones such as the iPhone.