First mobile phones, and now games consoles. Is there an area of technology that isn't considering entering? The analysts certainly think not, Prudential's Jesse Tortura revealing to site GamesIndustry.biz that Apple could be considering battling and for control of the living room; with a new games console under consideration as one route into the fray.

"We think the videogame market represents a distinct possibility for Apple, especially considering that it recently announced the availability of videogames for its iPod through its iTunes store," Tortura wrote in a letter to his clients, re-printed by GamesIndustry.biz. "The game console device could be morphed out of some combination of the MacMini and iTV, while the handheld player could be developed as an enhancement for a future version of the widescreen iPod."

Of course, as 1UP.com's analysis of this news suggests, the Tortura report doesn't seem to take note of the already crowded nature of the games business, awash now with next-gen competitors - not to mention Apple's carefully maintained chic image, that hardly sits side-by-side with the not-so-subtle styles favoured by the games industry.

Of course, with Apple moving iTunes towards and mini-games already, another feather in the company's cap would certainly be gaming. But would the company be better keeping their involvement purely of the software variety? Only time will tell.

Sources: GamesIndustry.biz, Slashdot.org, 1UP.com

By Luke Guttridge