A console is simply an electronic device, essentially a cut down PC, designed purely to support playing games. Because our commercial society insists everything be uniquely identified we called the cut down PC built for games a games console so people knew what they were buying.
In the end, whether playing on a 'games console' or a PC you are leveraging a common ancestry of electronic computing devices.
One thing, though Ironman, as the 360 and PS3 clearly muddy the waters by both being built far closer to a PC, with plenty of capabilities that have nothing to do with gaming, despite marketing claims, are they strictly speaking 'pure' gaming consoles? Was the PS2 a pure gaming console when you could play a DVD on it? What about the Wii? I can read the news and check the weather on it.
Games console is a marketing term, a definition for consumers, and one that, I would argue, is becoming increasingly vague as consoles continue to support more than just playing games.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...
