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Gametrac Handheld To Debut At CES

Posted by simoniker on from the gp-gage-diac-and-friends dept.

Thanks to 1UP for their story revealing that Gametrac's new portable gaming device will be publically shown at the CES show in early January. The portable, which runs on the Windows CE.NET operating system, has "...a 400Mhz ARM9 processor and 64-bit graphics accelerator... MPEG4 movie playback, MP3 audio playback, SMS and MMS text messaging, a high-resolution JPEG digital camera, plus Bluetooth 2 and GPRS wireless networking for short-range and long-distance multiplayer games." However, the article points out that "mention of any specific games" is a feature "conspicuously absent from Gametrac's announcement", but notes that at CES, the company promises "three titles on display, as well as the system's music player, text messaging system, and a new multimedia advertising system, 'Smart Ads'." We've previously mentioned early word of the Gametrac.

25 comments

  1. I don't know what that is by gasaraki · · Score: 2, Insightful

    But it sure doesn't sound much like a "gaming device" with that list of features, none of which apart from the processor/graphics processors have anything to do with gaming. I'd like to know what relevance a "multimedia advertising system" has to a gaming device, too. Are they planning to sell adware games? Or maybe the ads are the games, punch-the-monkey banner style. Of course, even if that was the case, it'd still probably outsell the N-Gage.

    1. Re:I don't know what that is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What, besides the camera, on the specs doesn't sound like a video game system?? It has all of the latest overpriced stuff in it that you'd expect in a gaming system.

    2. Re:I don't know what that is by FortissimoWily · · Score: 1

      " What, besides the camera, on the specs doesn't sound like a video game system?? It has all of the latest overpriced stuff in it that you'd expect in a gaming system."
      We don't usually have to suffer advertisements on our games systems. ;)

  2. N-Gage II. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    'Nuff said.

  3. instant flop. by metalmario · · Score: 0

    no amount of super hardware will make up for the missing games. this will flop faster than anything else (well, not perhaps including n-gage).

  4. Games? Try portable Divx/Xvid-player by Jarlsberg · · Score: 0

    The games part of this device is the least interesting one. With features like Mpeg4 and MP3-playback, this sounds like the perfect device for on the go DivX/Xvid playback.

  5. 400mhz ARM... by torpor · · Score: 1

    ... seems to me that ARM is doing pretty well these days.

    A quick stroll through my local MediaMarkt this morning revealed that this particular suite of processors was present in abundance.

    An interesting time for another platform war...

    --
    ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
  6. Important message by Free+Software+Song · · Score: 0, Offtopic


    Join us now and share the software;
    You'll be free, hacker's, youll be free.
    x2

    Hoarder's may get pile's of money,
    That is true, hacker's, that is true.
    But they cannot help their neighbour's;
    Thats not good, hacker's, thats not good.

    When we have enough free software
    At our call, hacker's, at our call,
    Well throw out those dirty license's
    Ever more, hacker's, ever more.

    Join us now and share the software;
    Youll be free, hacker's, youll be free.
    x2

    1. Re:Important message by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unnecessary apostrophe penalty: -500 points, lose your turn

  7. Does it run Linux!? by Leffe · · Score: 1

    Sounds like a good idea to hack it to run Linux... is the ARM9 processor supported by Linux? If not, I can't wait for support!

    It does have the power, after all!

  8. Can you say vaporware? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 3, Insightful
    From the pdf "Gametrac boasts and ARM8 400Mhz processor with a 64MB memory co-processor".

    What the hell is that?

    No games mentioned and the graphics all seem to me to be drawings. Then their is the mentioning of ads. Wtf?

    Sure there is a gaming market out there. Well sony seems to think so but they are huge and can certainly put together a software catalog. In korea you got the GP32 but it doesn't seem to be in any hurry to go west. Nintendo of course is king because they got a cheap reliable robuust toy that appeals to all. It ain't hot tech but it sure sells like it.

    No I think this is like all those other wannabe companies that release hope statements about the "next" console. Ain't gonna happen. Or in the case of nokia did happen but rather wish it didn't.

    Oh and I just realised, if it is CE then surely all the current Windows PDA games should run on it? Why not mention them?

    Now where is my pink gameboy (it was the only one left).

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Can you say vaporware? by aliens · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Just for curiousities sake, check out the Tapwave Zodiac. It seems to be picking up in the States where the GP32 left off.

      Perfect if you're in the need for a PDA, and seems to have a good community of homebrew starting up not to mention 100's of good Palm OS games, and some prilimanary support from Sega for some old Genesis classics.

      Here's a good place for more info

      --
      -- taking over the world, we are.
    2. Re:Can you say vaporware? by rwrife · · Score: 1

      The Dreamcast was capable of running Windows CE (and a few games did), and no other Pocket PC/WinCE software would work on it (w/o mods and a recompile)....so I wouldn't expect Gametrac to be able to run any current WinCE/PPC software either.

    3. Re:Can you say vaporware? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      i'd like to add in that emulators are also popping up for the zodiac. not that anyone would use those or anything, cause, you know, it's just not right.

      but i believe that there are currently optimized emulators for Atari ST, NES, Sega MS, Sega GG and a few others that i'm forgetting. I believe that an SNES emulator is in the works.

      The damn things only been out for about two months, so it's bound to pick up more speed. Even if none of the zodiac specific games ever are release (they seem to be getting out, just slowly) there will be plenty of potential for this thing.

      of course to use emulators and roms you'll have sell your soul to the devil and fear the wrath of the rightous game companies.

  9. Excellent by The-Bus · · Score: 2, Funny

    No game software
    Forced "multi-media" ads
    All this for under $400?

    Sign-me up!

    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

  10. Game.com 2 by rwrife · · Score: 1

    This looks like it's the successor to Tiger's Game.Com handheld system they released about 5-6 years ago. And since the Game.com didn't flop too badly....they had a few decent games, including Duke Nukem 3D, so I can't imagine this system to die off immediately.

    1. Re:Game.com 2 by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      " And since the Game.com didn't flop too badly....they had a few decent games, including Duke Nukem 3D, so I can't imagine this system to die off immediately."

      Have you actually played Duke Nukem 3D? It wasn't 3D, it was barely 2D. They could have done virtually the same game in one of those old Tiger handhelds from back in the early 90's.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    2. Re:Game.com 2 by Thedalek · · Score: 1

      Have you actually played Duke Nukem 3D? It wasn't 3D, it was barely 2D. They could have done virtually the same game in one of those old Tiger handhelds from back in the early 90's.

      Not just could have, but did. Virtually every game on the Game.com (with the exception of the passable Resident Evil 2) was an adaptation of a Tiger standalone handheld with better graphics. The system might have done a shade better if they had released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (which was fully developed before it was canned) and Command & Conquer (ditto).

      Of course, the system still had a rotten refresh rate, poor control response, and thoroughly undocumented technology (read: All in-house developed games). The only reason Sega let them put Sonic on there was because Tiger already had an agreement that allowed them to make Sonic handheld games. I'm surprised they weren't sued into oblivion over the rotten quality.

      And it didn't help that the stores treated it as an inexpensive game-like toy rather than a handheld system. And then there was the battery life. And the weird effects of the AC adaptor. And the games that crashed. And the reflashable cartridges. And the poor distribution. And the commercials with the mad midget who insulted the target market.

      In fact, it seems that every stupid part of gaming industry no-no's was okayed with the Game.com, and every good idea was squashed. Tax write off?

      --
      Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
    3. Re:Game.com 2 by _Sexy_Pants_ · · Score: 1

      I have to agree with the original poster - Castlevania and Command and Conquer would not have done well, as the system just can't produce a decent game. That machine was a complete disaster, I never played a single thing that was well designed, the closest being my Williams museum cartridge, but somehow even that didn't work well. Come to think of it, Lights Out, the game it came packaged with, was the best option

      --
      Look it's a joke about my sig IN MY SIG! LOL!
  11. Spamming my game system by rwrife · · Score: 2, Interesting

    What's the deal with the advertisements on the system?? I bet all they're going to do is send MMS or SMS spam to the system....assuming you have it connected to a GSM/GPRS network.

  12. Or just get the Zodiac, right now. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.tapwave.com

    Its here, its real, and its Palm OS.. w00t!

    jeff

  13. Bluetooth *2*? by lidocaineus · · Score: 1

    Um, can someone give me a link to specs on B2??

  14. Great view by _Sexy_Pants_ · · Score: 1

    Next time, when you take a picture, try to get an angle where we can see the thing. Thanks!

    --
    Look it's a joke about my sig IN MY SIG! LOL!