A TV doesnt define a console, some form of screen (including a TV) is needed, as well as being mostly a dedicated computer gaming device - Oxford, Webster, Wiki

Handhelds are also commonly called handheld game CONSOLES, yes they do count as consoles.

If they aren't consoles than what are they? Handheld doesn't describe the device, just the form factor.

We really need an official dicctionary thread to clarify and discuss terminology, even if we end up strangling each other.

Why Sony would do this? Only if they wanna see themselves on the verge of bankruptcy

I don't recall needing the TV for the Wii U setup, though it has been a while.  I do remember needing the gamepad though.  Also, I can power the Wii U via a charged battery power strip without having it in a wall.  Inconvenient sure, but I can effectively play the Wii U without it being plugged into a wall and without a TV if I so choose, turning it into a "handheld" console.  Yet, it is considered a console as it should be.

I am in the "handhelds are consoles" camp as they are dedicated video game devices that require a video display.  The fact that the video display is built in shouldn't be held against the device since the underlying point of the device is to play video games.

People who use the "smart phones and ipads are the same thing" argument miss the fact that the phone and the ipad and even the computer were not created as a device to play video games.  These are multifunctional devices that exist in their own categories as they should.

The handheld vs home console thing to me plays out the same way as nascar vs <insert sport here> plays out.  Some say because nascar is usually called a "spectator sport" it isn't a "real" sport, just like a "handheld" console isn't a "real" console.  If you need a prefix you aren't actually disqualifying the item from what it is, you are simply giving additional meaning to it.

Why not take the whole year? Last 5 months seems a bit arbitrary. More numbers are always better.

Throwing handhelds together with consoles is one thing but excluding 3rd party from games? That's like exclusing gamepads from peripherals.

Yes,, this tread is only about current gen hardware and games..  Nintendo vs Sony.

And Metal gear isent countet yet.. but will offcourse as we get the software numbers.

What? PS4's are cheaper around RoW compared to NA. Besides they made profit on the PS4 since launch, they could cut to $300 after nearly three years on the market. Also they can make up the lost profit on hardware through the spike in software sales. 

Ok you make a sound case. And I'll concede defeat. Yes handheld consoles are consoles. Just a different type of console. I think that difference is a very big one though, and is solely responsible for why its generalized classification is so conflicting. I do not think its right to group "home" consoles and "portable/handheld" consoles together. In the same way I don't think its right to group desktop and laptops together even if they are both PCs.

They cater to different markets, different usage scenarios.....etc. And making a thread directly comparing both of them as if they were all the same thing is misleading. simple fix, compare the WiiU to the PS4 and the 3DS to the Vita. home consoles have far too little in common with handheld consoles to all be grouped in the same boat.

Funny thing is that a portable console has more in common with a smartphone than it does with a home console. And I was about to dismiss everything you said when u started by saying you don't recall needing a TV for the initial setup of a WiiU. But you went on to make a valid point, so here I am.

If 7th gen is over, then why did PS3 software outsell Wii-U and XBox One software combined? In fact PS3/X360/Wii software actually outsold PS4/XOne/Wii-U software.