In 1925, John Logie Baird wanted to convince the public that his latest invention would be a great success. Unfortunately, when he arrived at the London offices of the Daily Express, his sales pitch was quickly dismissed. “For God’s sake, go down to reception and get rid of a lunatic who’s down there,” a news editor reportedly told staff. “He says he’s got a machine for seeing by wireless.”

This illustrates our inability to predict the appeal of a medium, and particularly the problem of making a judgment without hands-on experience. “Seeing by wireless” sounds impossible — until someone shows you a television set.

And that is why anyone surprised by the continued success of console games, with a revival of market share and analysts forecasting a “golden era” — long after smartphones were supposed to have stolen their business — should try playing a few. Appreciating the difference between the experiences makes it easier to see how they can happily co-