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Palm OS Based Gaming Device Nears Release
Sokie writes "During the past few weeks Tapwave, a startup founded by a couple former Palm employees, has been slowly unveiling the features of their upcoming Helix (Flash heavy link) handheld gaming device. So far, the specs include a 480x320 16-bit color display, dual Secure Digital (SD) slots, Bluetooth connectivity for wireless multiplayer (Wi-Fi available through SDIO), multiple analog controls including triggers, ATI Imageon graphics, and dual rechargable lithium ion batteries (no word yet on battery life). In addition to some cool sounding hardware, several prominent game companies are already signed on to develop games for the Helix, including Activision and Midway. It will also run traditional Palm apps like Calendar and Address Book. Tapwave will continue to unveil a new feature each week for the next few weeks, and the product is supposed to launch in September or October and retail for about $299. PC World has some additional info."
Everyone knows you need developer back up to get anywhere in the 'gaming handheld' business.
Oh well, hopefully the controls are good enough that it could encourage some good homebrew/port games
fp!
Many Thanks,
Luke
$300 for a palm with that screen is a bargain.
If we assume that the primary gamers are young, then what's the point of this? I somehow can't imagine an eight year kid with a long list of contacts and the need to have a datebook. Sure, a good portion of gamers are also older with more responsibilities, but how often do thirty-somethings pull out GameBoys? It has got to be nearly as embarassing. I'm not replacing my coffee break with playing on my Palm. My boss would think I was going crazy.
Gameboy has done well because of battery power, plain and simple. It doesn't matter *how* l33t the games are, if you run out of juice after a half-hour.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
However, $299 US is way too much for a portable device. The GameBoy has remained the king of the handheld market because of price. Both the Lynx and the GameGear (the only comparable devices, the NeoGeo Pocket floundered due to a lack of software) failed to gain market share because of their expensive price (alright, lack of software had a little bit to do with the demise of those systems as well). Still, my point remains. If Sony and this company want to steal Nintendo's handheld thunder, they need to keep their prices low.
That may be so, but I'm in the 25+ group (and then some), and I *am* self-conscious and sensitive enough about my professional image to be reluctant to pull out a GameBoy Advanced - it's too toylike. But I have no such qualms about pulling out a GBA SP. And I'd rather have my game accessory be physically distinct from my PDA, because I'm usually playing the GBA in slow moments, when I may need to grab my PDA quickly for something work-related. The advantages of having 2 discrete devices far outweights the benefits of convergence in this case.
I don't see much of a future for either this or the N-Gage, to be honest. I think Nintendo has more to worry about from Sony. But the truth is, too, I see handheld gaming as hitting a plateau: there's only so many compelling titles for those games, and I predict we're going to see consumer behaviour focus on larger screens again in the near to middle term.