Nintendo 3DS

[A Black Falcon]

There's no reason it couldn't do both though. The 3DS chip DOES do more than the Wii chip in many respects. Anything you say it wouldn't do "as well" could easily be overcome in software.

It has more hardware features, but a lower resolution output, lower polygon counts, and more. So sure it does a few things the Wii can't, but it's definitely not as powerful a chip in raw output, and I think that matters more.

3DS output is 400x240! That's a lot lower resolution than the Wii's 640x480, and you'd lose the 3d effect and small screen size that are the main reasons why that resolution is acceptable.

TV consoles need more power and higher resolution outputs; handhelds need to maximize battery life. Those two goals are impossible to reconcile. The 3DS would not be a very good major console. Limited game space (2GB cards? Sure that's the minimum, if they actually do mean 2GB and not 2Gb, but it'd still be a big problem.), low resolution, very low end tech specs compared to Sony or MS's consoles and not great compared to the Wii either (the 3DS has been compared to maybe PS2 levels of graphics... definitely not Wii.), no 3d effects on a TV when that's one of the system's main selling points (and Nintendo is NOT going to make you use glasses!), etc, etc, etc... honestly I cannot understand why you people want one system to do both things. The goals of the two kinds of systems are far too different for it to work!

It's basically the same line that is slowly shifting everyone to laptops instead of desktop/laptop setup.

That is only because PC gaming is dead. No decent PC gamer would have only a laptop.

Once a certain open standard for selling "cases" and letting people basically build whatever laptop they want is in place, the last big barrier will go down.

Laptops are inferior for basic technical reasons that nothing like that can change, though. Smaller parts, space limitations, proprietary formats (seriously, if there was going to be a standard, we'd probably have seen it by now...), companies like Apple that can't stand the idea of using anything other than proprietary setups, very limited graphics in comparison to desktops because you can't have a real video card in a laptop, much more expensive prices, etc, etc... no, those things are not changing anytime soon. Anyone who wants to seriously play PC games should have a desktop, and most do.

Seriously, the fact that many people now only have laptops is a HUGE, HUGE problem, and one of the worst things to happen to PC games... pretty much ever. :bummed:

No one bothers getting exclusively "home" based audio now (except for speaker systems), so that transition's already complete. People basically just stick an iPod or other portable device into a speaker input line.

Record sales are increasing every year, and that's mostly with younger people, while CD sales keep falling off... :p

I mean, you're somewhat right for sure, but you overstate your case a bit.