Epic: Mobiles double in power could play Gears

They are the 'consoles of the future' says Mark Rein.

Epic Games vice president Mark Rein has said he believes mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad and Android are the "consoles of the future", but believes there's still a place for the Triple-A game.

Speaking at GameHorizon in Gateshead, Rein said that devices such as the iPhone aren't yet ready to take on the likes of the Xbox 360, but double the power and they'll be able to play Gears of War.

A future of mobile gaming doesn't mean the end for big budget, Tripple-A products though.

"I'm a big proponent of AAA games. Triple-A isn't going away, it's going everywhere," he said. "As the quality of the games go up, the cost of the games go up, you're going to have to monetise them better."

One change could be altering the sales model, said Rein.

"I'd rather sell 10 million games at $25 and have a chance to sell DLC than 5 million at $50 on a disc that gets traded around," he said.

He added: "We're definitely going to experiment with micro-transactions and lower-price games."

And while Gears of War 3 will most definitely be on disc - set for release on April 8, 2011, Rein said he expects to see a Gears of War game released as a download-only title at some point down the line.

Via Eurogamer