Gizmondo revealed !

January 25th, 2005, 11:07 Posted By: wraggster

With the PSP and the DS going head to head for gamers' hearts, minds, affections and indeed wallets in this new year, it's easy to forget that the whole world doesn't necessarily revolve around Sony and Nintendo - well not quite yet anyway.[br]Just like certain politicians have always promised, there is indeed a third way and the dark horse coming up on the outside this spring could indeed well be Tiger Telematics' intriguing new handheld the Gizmondo.[br][br]Reportedly causing a fair old stir at the recent CES, where it was exhibited to a wider world for the very first time, the Gizmondo is a Windows CE-based machine, boasting a 2.8-inch TFT colour screen, a Samsung ARM9 400Mhz processor and GeForce 3D 4500 NVIDIA graphics. [br][br]With a host of multi-functional perks like multimedia messaging, MP3 playback, MPEG4 movies, a digital camera and even GPS technology, it's been attracting some major software support from the likes of Microsoft and SCi.[br][br]In fact Tiger Telematics liked UK developer Warthog so much, it did a Victor Kyam and went and bought the company. Even better the Gizmondo will actually launching here in the UK - which is indeed a world first for us plucky Brit types.[br][br]High time then we tracked down some Gizmondo higher ups and put them under the C&VG microscope to learn what their plans really are. The man in the spotlight today is Gizmondo's European Managing Director Carl Freer. Here's what he had to say on Gizmondo's place in the future of handheld gaming...[br][br]With the worldwide launch of both DS and PSP imminent, some would say this is a suicidal time to be bringing a new handheld to market. How would you respond to that assertion?[br][br]Carl Freer: It's actually quite the reverse. The advantage is that mobile gaming is booming this year, and having three players bringing devices to market will draw more media and consumer attention to the hardware genre than, say, if just one new handheld was to release.[br][br]How do you feel you can compete with DS and PSP on the shelves given that both these platforms come stamped with established videogame - and household - brands?[br][br]Carl Freer: The key is offering something different, to give discerning consumers a reason to want to investigate the Gizmondo. When you look at how Sony and Nintendo have positioned themselves, there is definitely room for a third player. The way we've done this is by packing more functionality into the device that the other two combined, not as add-ons, but built in.[br][br]Where does Gizmondo fit amongst the new handhelds, including Tapwave's Zodiac?[br][br]Carl Freer: Nintendo's core audience is traditionally very young, even early on at launch. That's evident right down to the design on the DS being rather chunky. Sony's PSP is a very sexy device which will appeal to the older end of the market, but sexy can also be construed as fragile. The Gizmondo will sit nicely between those as visually compelling, robust enough for day-to-day use, with more cross-compatibility and functionality.[br][br]Do you view the Zodiac as a realistic competitor to Gizmondo?[br][br]Carl Freer: The Zodiac was a nice looking device, but was very badly positioned and most people have forgotten about it already. It's not going to compete with Gizmondo, DS or PSP this year, in all honesty.[br][br]It seems you're making a genuine effort to nail multi-functionality with Gizmondo's music, video and other multimedia features. How important do you feel these additional features are to the core gaming functions, and do you even see gaming as Gizmondo's core function?[br][br]Carl Freer: Gaming is most definitely the core function and Gizmondo's reason for being! Technology right now is all about digital convergence, so leaving the house in the morning, you shouldn't feel like Batman strapping six or seven pieces of technology to your utility belt. By combining all these functions into one device, taking games, and your music and movie collections with you is a reality, not a chore.[br][br]Much has been made by Sony of the PSP's proposed multimedia features, and Nintendo have been quick to emphasise the 'all about the games' ideal of the DS. How do you want to promote Gizmondo's multi-functionality?[br][br]Carl Freer: Nintendo may have had to do this to try and keep the cost down, especially when they're going for a kids market, but personally I think it was a mistake. Owning an MP3 player this year will be as common as owning a kidney and Gizmondo is the only one of the three that is truly multifunctional straight out of the box - especially when you factor in the GPS and communication functions.[br][br]In terms of how we want to promote it, the focus remains on games, but over time we will broaden our communications to include the music, movie, and location-based services elements.[br][br]Given that the multimedia functions of the PSP have come in for criticism (short battery life, lack of storage space, proprietary UMD format etc.) do you think Gizmondo can pick up sales from consumers who want a truly effective multifunctional device?[br][br]Carl Freer: Sony's approach to multimedia really only backfires when you take a look at the proprietary technology. Do consumers really want to go another round with Memory Sticks and disks that don't work on anything else? We have adopted the massively popular SD card for storage. These are so versatile and you can find them on almost every genre of technology from PCs and laptops, to DVD-ROM drives and players, even big brand TVs have SD card slots in them. Having a common and cheap storage medium that can be transferred from one piece of equipment to another is certainly preferable to expensive and bespoke. So, yes, this is one area where Gizmondo will step ahead of the competition.[br][br]The teaser advertising campaign for Gizmondo has raised a few eyebrows over here. What were your goals with the campaign?[br][br]CARL FREER: Initially, to spark people's interest and get them to 'discover' the Gizmondo. As the campaign unfolds from March, you'll see the communication start to unveil each aspect of the Gizmondo and what it can do in more direct terms.[br][br]With the launch of a Gizmondo store in London's fashionable Carnaby Street and your slick, multimedia website, it seems you're aiming for an iPod-esque feel and response from consumers. How do you react to this?[br][br]Carl Freer: I actually have an update on this. We have just signed the lease for a store at 175 Regent Street, which will be the new address of this flagship store. The Carnaby Street address ultimately proved too small to accommodate what we want to do as a brand experience. The store will be over two floors with... I'll save that for another time.[br][br]The iPod comparison has been mentioned before, and it's not something we'd complain about. Incidentally, we can obtain a 20% better bit rate on music than an iPod.[br][br]The UK advertising campaign, the opening of the Gizmondo store in London and the early UK limited release of the system suggest that you're concentrating on the UK territory, at least initially. Is this true?[br][br]Carl Freer: Initially, yes. The UK is a great market to launch into. Early adopters here have a very keen eye for what works, the UK has turned out some of the best games in history, there's a long heritage of pioneering technology, so it's amazing the UK hasn't been chosen before as a launch platform. [br][br]Have you made a conscious decision to promote Gizmondo as a multimedia platform rather than a handheld gaming system?[br][br]Carl Freer: No, gaming comes first. As a form of entertainment, gaming takes all your attention, movies are a more passive form of entertainment, and music is usually listened to when doing something else, so it makes sense for gaming to be the primary function we promote. [br][br]That said, this is an important point. How do you promote something that does so much? I think our advertising campaign that you'll be seeing soon will answer that.[br][br]Do you think there's a prejudice against handheld gaming platforms amongst consumers who may otherwise purchase gadgets like iPods and top-spec cellular phones, and do you think a product like Gizmondo can conquer this negative perception?[br][br]Carl Freer: That sounds like the old Hi-Fi separates argument. It certainly used to be true, but not in this case. Like I said, we can achieve a 20% bit rate improvement over an iPod, which relates directly to sound quality, and the versatility of having Windows Media Player onboard is an added bonus. [br][br]I must point out, though, that this is not a phone replacement. It's deliberately limited to SMS, MMS and email. No voice calls. Quite simply, mobile phones need to be a certain size to be practical, and that makes it too small to be a competent handheld games console.[br][br]There's definitely been some surprise within the industry about the strength of the developer and publisher involvement you've announced. Do you think this is justified and have you enjoyed that degree of surprise?[br][br]Carl Freer: Admittedly, we have had to play our cards very close to our chests, but that's all about to change. You can expect plenty more surprises![br][br]How important do you see the game launch line-up is for Gizmondo?[br][br]Carl Freer: The launch line up is important in that you must provide enough variety to suit every prospective consumer, whilst giving a taste of what's possible on the new format. We've got some great games already, and there are already loads more in development.[br][br]What game titles are you particularly proud of having signed for Gizmondo?[br][br]Carl Freer: Colors is certainly the most innovative, being the first game to utilise GPS hardware in the game engine. The Sega pack is also a great signing because almost two generations have missed out on games like Sonic the Hedgehog, and to have the 16-bit original on a portable format is fantastic. The SCi titles are very strong, Richard Burns Rally looks and feels amazing. The list goes on...[br][br]Where would you like to see Gizmondo in a year's time?[br][br]Carl Freer: In a year's time, we will be established as one of the three handheld gaming formats.[br][br]And what do you see in the long term future for Gizmondo?[br][br]Carl Freer: The long term is already in development. We have a number of handheld consoles that we will be announcing and releasing over the next two years, one of which is a business device called the Altio, with Wi-Fi, gaming, multimedia, email, voice and message communications, and potentially voice-over-IP.

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