Will iPhone escape Chinese games console ban?

There's been plenty of rumours in recent months about Apple's plans to launch iPhone in China, and which local operator will get the deal.

With China Unicom thought to be in the running, Chinese games developer Frank Yu has been speculating on whether the country's ban on most games consoles could affect Apple's handset.

"We all know that the iPhone and iPod touch are great game platforms," he writes in an article penned for Gamasutra.

"We also know that a large chunk of the apps downloaded by iPhone users can be classified as game or entertainment categories which makes the iPhone/touch a stealthy game console."

With all consoles bar the Nintendo DS banned in China (the latter scrapes through due to a joint-venture with a Chinese manufacturer), could iPhone be at risk?

"One can argue that the iPhone and the iPod touch are actually portable game consoles with a phone or music player attached," writes Yu.

"Depending on how Chinese regulators decide to define the iPhone as a game machine, a phone or an internet appliance will have an impact on how it is regulated or even allowed into the market."

This isn't the only hurdle iPhone and other high-end handsets face when trying to crack the Chinese market - other rules prohibit phones from having both 3G and wi-fi.