The next generation of gaming consoles might be ditching their symbiotic relationship with TV sets and be portable, allowing users to take it with them on the road.

 

During a recent interview with Develop, Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games stated that, “A lot of gaming is going mobile and I believe that console-style gaming is going there as well.”

 

“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.”

 

Epic recently made its Citadel app available on Apple’s App Store, which brings its Unreal Engine 3 to Cupertino’s portable devices including the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone 4. Unreal Engine 3 is used within a whole range of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles such as Gears of War 2, BioShock and Borderlands.

 

“Imagine a future Xbox 360 that is actually a tablet you carry around,” said Rein. “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 controller to play games like Gears of War.”

 

Panasonic is also banking on the fact that portable gaming is the way of the future with the announcement of its new hand-held Jungle gaming console.