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G1 Google Phone Could End Up the Most Popular Console Ever

Jon Jordan writes "Pocket Gamer has been getting its fingers inside the unique new Zeebo console — a sub $200 system designed for emerging markets — to discover it's based on a hacked version of the T-Mobile G1 Google phone. It effectively consists of the chipset from the HTC Dream/G1 Android phone, plus some extra I/O to deal with TV screens, controllers and the like. If this gaming, entertainment and educational console for the billion-strong middle classes in emerging economies such as Brazil and India catches on, HTC could become a serious global gaming force. Qualcomm's Mike Yuen said in an interview, 'We have this mass market chipset, and our next-generation chipset is getting faster. What we announced, [Qualcomm's] Snapdragon [chipset], is going to netbooks; it bumps it a few notches above that. The cell phone business, including us, is never going to build a processor that's going to match or surpass what the video game guys do. So, why chase that?'"

4 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. Why? by 4D6963 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why do they assume that that Zeebo thing is just going to be so popular? I mean I wish them to be successful, but realistically when you're not an industry giant you can hardly hope to sell 100,000 units.

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  2. Don't all say "we'll be most popular'? by cant_get_a_good_nick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I rarely hear manufacturers say 'Yeah, we'll be lucky to push 100 units'. Wild speculation on the fact that based on price this will sell massively is, well, wild speculation. Getting a dominant platform is complex and requires a lot of work, as seen by the fact that many years later, we're still waiting on the Year Of The Linux Desktop.

  3. Re:Games will be too expensive by u38cg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yeah. More to the point, in my limited experience the middle classes in any country are as aspirational as in the developed world. They're not going to want a shitty console with an underpowered chipset when there are alternatives available.

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  4. Really, submitter and editors? by Gizzmonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "G1 Google Phone Could End Up the Most Popular Console Ever"

    No, it couldn't. You're wrong, and stupidly wrong at that. Next story please!

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