Johannesburg — As mobile phones become smarter and their memory bigger and more powerful, and screens dynamic, gamers are increasingly turning to the mini-devices to experience the thrill of the chase.

iPhone users in particular shun using consoles in favour of downloading games for less, and playing on their small screens.

Processing power has improved to the level of top PC and Mac screens, and smartphones are now beginning to eat into Nintendo and Sony.

And iPad is already competing with other forms of PC gaming, increasing competition and the number of games now available with iPad and other pad-type technologies in mind.

Windows has jumped on the gaming bandwagon, realizing the X-Box has not reached the sales levels it planned, and turning to phones running Windows' system as a growth point for gaming software.

Gamers have long believed that phone-based games have a lifespan that would eclipse other systems, and now developers are building games at times, exclusively for mobiles.

Microsoft has announced at least 50 games titles available only on it's Windows Phone 7 which launches next month. (October).

Apple added Game Centre as a feature to their operating system which offers multiplayer gaming using a mobile phone.

Touchscreen controls are becoming more useful to gamers, along with motion sensitive devices which work well with the entire gaming experience.

Mobile gaming includes such sections as "One Thumb" games, or "Mobile-pets" and a host of other miniature life-style components which cannot be emulated by PC or large screen systems.

The personalization of games, and more descriptive and narrative multi-player options are thought to be the driver of future use of this sort of past-time.