Have phone, will game

The line between console and handheld games is starting to blur, the Washington Post reports. And that'll be good for family peace, when gamers come in various sizes, from parent to tyke. Because, since just about any type of game will soon be on multiple platforms, including phones, no one will have to fight over the delivery gadget. First, the handheld types are multiplying. "There's Nokia N-Gage, a cell phone designed for playing games. There's Sony's PlayStation Portable, launched last year, which also plays digital music files and movies. In October, a new device called Gizmondo [already out in the UK] will meld all those digital entertainment options and throw in Global Positioning System technology to boot. Even Nintendo is looking for more ways to hit the portable gaming market, with a new Game Boy Micro due out this fall," according to the Post. But the "biggest new frontier" is the phone. "According to research firm IDC, cell phone games took in $345 million worldwide in 2004 and are set to make $590 million in sales this year." On those, gamers will eventually be able to plug into their fantasy-world games because "Cell-Fi" is coming, USATODAY reports. "Over the next few years, companies will start selling dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi phones" ("Wi-Fi" is wireless Internet access). Great. Gamers will be vulnerable to game worms and robots on their cellphones too!