Sorry for busting your balls here mate, but gaming laptops are never a bad idea. Ipod probably is. Try installing skyrim on a ipod/ipad. Or minecraft.
I hear they have Ping pong and snake on ipod, though. I like the snake game.... how much fruit can that thing really eat?
Secondly, gaming laptops are lightweights. Try carrying a desktop (the monitor and tower) as handluggage on the airplane. Try it...
You don't want to slip such expensive shit on the cargo, I had a 2000euro bike once on cargo. It got buttfucked...
Thirdly, if you are a constant mover (I've moved to 2 different countries on the span of 3 years) and don't own a car, a laptop is a more convenient option.
Fourthly, a console? Yeah.... enjoy playing vanilla games. You are stuck with that. No mod support. And console gets much less support and game updates. Compare the PS3 Skyrim update with the PC updates.
That's of course a very narrow mindset I have, comparing only 1 game. But I haven't heard console exclusive games being super awesome...
And I did buy Dragon Dogma for my brother's PS3... good game. Although it could use some modding...
Now, I'm not saying you are completely wrong. A desktop gives you more for the dough you spend on it.
But if you are a traveling man, don't own a car, you might want to lean on a laptop. Alienware is all bling and low effort. Asus are great! I've own 2 and never regretted it!