Gizmondo - Here It Comes

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=4518' target='_blank'>http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.a...?ContentId=4518</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Gizmondo Europe Ltd has confirmed the street date for North America of its multi-entertainment handheld as the 11 August 2005. The device comes with a 2.8-inch TFT color screen with a Samsung ARM900 400MHz processor and incorporates GoForce 3D 4500 NVIDIA graphics accelerator. It provides gaming, multimedia messaging, a MP3 music player, Mpeg4 movie playing capability, a digital camera, and a GRPS network link to allow wide-area network gaming. It also contains a GPS chip for location based services and it is equipped with Bluetooth for use in multi-player gaming."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/westfall-20050524-gizmondo.jpg" /> <br /><br />While its a Windows CE device, not a Pocket PC, This does look like a fun toy for anyone out there interested in a multimedia handheld. I particularly think the Smart Ads idea mentioned in the article is interesting. Buy a device for less money, but receive targeted ads on it through GPRS. I don't know if I want my Tetris game interrupted with ads, but if they aren't intrusive and I can save some $$$, Why not?

[Jonathan1]

PSWhat? :lol: Too bad the game selection on it will NEVER rival the PSP or GameBoy. :?

[guinness]

Smells like the Zodiac; sounds decent on paper, but without the developers who will to stand behind the product, who cares?

Now I'm just waiting on Sony to relase PIM functionality for the PSP. I can't see them not doing so, even iPods have simple PIM tools.

[sponge]

It's not. Infact, it will never interrupt ANY game. The Smart Adds are only on powerup. And according to the Gizmondo rep I talked to (hopefully I'm going to have a full writeup from my impressions at E3 sooner or later) they won't be neccecarily static banner ads. One he mentioned was a Minority Report banner which would show your position thanks to the built in GPS, with directions to the closest place to buy it.

Some may even feature coupons you can scan in at the store.

Targetted advertising rocks. I have no problems (and apparently most people don't either) with ads targetted towards them.

Brings the price from $400 to $229. Between that, and with support from EA (FIFA for one) MS (Age of Empires) this has the potential to carve a niche for itself.

[serpico]

Do we really need another gaming device? Why buy this instead of a PSP or Gameboy that has a bigger development community?

[kendrick]

Speaking as somebody who primarily uses Windows CE devices for gaming, the Gizmondo looks awfully familiar. Network activated, ARM processor, open architecture... In spirit, this thing is the western equivalent of the Gamepark32, a Korean handheld game system that nobody's ever heard of. The GP32 has nowhere near the game library that equivalent competing systems have, but what it does have it is a massive homebrew and amateur developer culture around it. There are tons of games, console emulators, and practical applications which are available for the GP32 thanks to the inclusion of a SmartMedia slot and a manufacturer who's not too worried about making money off of software licenses.

The makers of the Gizmondo, as Windows licensees, are probably more concerned about how software is used on their device. But producing the interesting machine that they have is a sure way to attract people interested in hacking and modifying the device. So far, it doesn't look like they've done anything to attract people who are interested in buying games for it. That's not to say every Gizmondo buyer will be a shameless software pirate, but it's pretty evident that the device is intended to be judged on the merits of its specs and not on how it might actually be used. And that's a mistake I thought hardware makers had already made dozens of times over.

Two months after the Nintendo DS was released, there was a whole library of documents on how to tweak, extend, and redirect the wireless NIC in it for use on a standard 802.11b network. A week after the Sony PSP hit the market, there was already a custom browser and media viewer for it. I imagine that the very day the Gizmondo makes it into stores, there will be custom boot ROM images and a third-party SDK on websites all over the country. I'm still on the fence about whether that's a bad thing.

-KKC, who wonders how much longer until a suitable E-125 substitute becomes part of the Pocket PC lineup.

[Arqentus]

Two months after the Nintendo DS was released, there was a whole library of documents on how to tweak, extend, and redirect the wireless NIC in it for use on a standard 802.11b network. A week after the Sony PSP hit the market, there was already a custom browser and media viewer for it. I imagine that the very day the Gizmondo makes it into stores, there will be custom boot ROM images and a third-party SDK on websites all over the country. I'm still on the fence about whether that's a bad thing.


There is a flaw with that theory. The DS &amp; PSP have both a target audience of miljoen of people. The DS &amp; PSP have been sold 6 or 7 miljoen times ( both combined ).

Now, what is the chance of people picking up a Gizmondo. Well, sinds the DS &amp; PSP both are pushed by two big &amp; expierenced manufacture's/publishers/developers, Nintendo &amp; Sony, with backing each of a few hundreds of game developers. That doesent leave a lot of market space, nor a lot of developers.

One of the most problematic problems with the Gizmondo, is the fact that there are no games for it. The UK launch was with ... 2 titles if i remember correctly. The DS &amp; PSP both launched with about 7 or 8 titles, followed now with anouncement after anouncement of upcomming games, and games hitting the market.

The only big developer that i know of, is MS, who will port/develop games for the Gizmondo.

Most developers are going to go to the DS &amp; PSP, sinds it are sure things.

There are to many points that make the Gizmondo facing a problematic time:

- Its price: to high. While the add version is cheaper, you can get a psp for almost the same price, widout add's. And the DS is even cheaper.

- Games: to little available, to little anounced

- Branding: Do you pick Nintendo product ( with a long portable &amp; console history ), Sony ( with a long console history ) product or some unknown company's product.

- DS &amp; PSP: Large community's already with several million members for each device.

The list goes on.

[kendrick]

We're not in disagreement here. I'm not suggesting that the Gizmondo is in any way a contender against the established game company products. The lack of software is the very thing which will keep this a niche product, and the fact that it's running Windows CE will make it extraordinarily easy (and attactive) to hack and backward-engineer. But whatever the target market for this thing is, I'm guessing that the actual users will end up being so-called 'hardcore' gamers with piracy and emulation on their minds. I see one of these things more useful for running MAME or a console emulator than for running any first-party, legitimately released software. It'll be interesting to see if the existing Gameboy emulators written for Pocket PC can be easily ported to this thing or not

You would think that after the modification debacle around the original Xbox that hardware manufacturers would put more forethought into how and why their products will be sold. Anybody know what protection or DRM mechanisms this thing uses?

-KKC, who's finding his boycott of the Secure Digital standard increasingly difficult to abide by. I'll bet the Gizmondo has an SD slot, doesn't it?

[x999x]

*UPDATE ON TITLE*

"Gizmondo- There it went"

It's rather sad, the Giz does seem like a gamer's wet-dream...

...Five years ago.

My condolences to anyone who bought this expecting game franchises that aren't dead dogs, or new ones created by startup game companies. Given Eidos' track record of bombs, Tomb Raider is the last thing I'd want showcasing my device, unless we were back in time, say 5 years ago.

[Arqentus]

But whatever the target market for this thing is, I'm guessing that the actual users will end up being so-called 'hardcore' gamers with piracy and emulation on their minds. I see one of these things more useful for running MAME or a console emulator than for running any first-party, legitimately released software. It'll be interesting to see if the existing Gameboy emulators written for Pocket PC can be easily ported to this thing or not

Well, based on the CPU, and other specs, it's just a pocket pc. So in theorie, the current emulators code will work on it. The real problem is DRM &amp; other protections.

Anybody know what protection or DRM mechanisms this thing uses?

Well, if MS is willing to back this consol, it's rather clear that they wont do it widout a clear garantie, that the protection onboard is strong. So i suspect it might take some time to crack it. It all depends on whats protected &amp; what not.

-KKC, who's finding his boycott of the Secure Digital standard increasingly difficult to abide by. I'll bet the Gizmondo has an SD slot, doesn't it?

There is a boycot of SD? The Gizmondo has a "MMC/SD Flash Memory Card input so, yes, it has SD. Unlike the PSP's MS slot. But Sony owns the MS standard, so for them to use there own Memory cards, thats a no brainer in my mind ;) There MS cards are now in a big lift thanks to the PSP ( and prices are dropping as a result of it &amp; increased conpetition ). While a month or so i was also rather disapointed by the lack of SD card support in the PSP, now with the price drops, it's starting to look like MS is gaining on SD, and slowy working away the differance.