A tabletop gaming console is dedicated hardware designed to support games played around a physical table. Unlike a traditional videogame console, the goal is not necessarily to move every part of the game onto a television and controller.
The tabletop itself remains part of the interface.
More than a screen in a table
A monitor can display a map, but a dedicated console can combine displays with computing, audio, cameras, microphones and game specific software.
That matters because tabletop role playing games require several kinds of information at once. Players may need a shared map while the Game Master needs controls, notes, hidden information or a separate visual presentation.
Different from a virtual tabletop
A virtual tabletop is usually software running on a computer or browser. It represents maps, tokens and game information digitally.
A tabletop console can run digital tools while also being designed around physical objects. Real dice and miniatures can remain part of play, and integrated hardware can create inputs that ordinary VTT software does not have by default.
Doungim as a tabletop console
Realm Kinetics is developing Doungim as a dedicated TTRPG gaming console. It combines a main map display, a second display, built in computing, camera, microphone and speakers with software for GM assistance and Solo GM play.
The category is still emerging, but the design goal is clear: give tabletop gaming dedicated hardware without removing the social and tactile parts that make it tabletop gaming.