It appears a new war may be brewing concerning hand-held games consoles.
Those tech savvy people at Microsoft have been long rumored to be developing a portable ‘I-pod killer‘ to compete against Apples dominant share of this lucrative market, but that’s not all. It now appears that alongside the portable systems functionality to play MP3’s and video, the media device will literally be running head to head against both the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP in what’s set to be a vicious battle set to take place over the Christmas period.
This rumor has stemmed from a journalist who writes for the respected news publication, the Seattle Times. The journalist in question is columnist Brier Dudley who wrote:
“…This is more than just another MP3 player. It will also compete with game players from Sony and Nintendo that have long had Wi–Fi and work as media players, Internet terminals and communication devices.”
Now it has been speculated for a while that Microsoft have expressed interest in the portable gaming market, and it’s widely been expected to use the company’s infamous Xbox brand to entice gamers. In a market where Nintendo have often been seen as pioneers of the scene, and with Sony fast barking at the company’s heels this move by Microsoft is certainly going to shake the portable games market up.
The questions you have to ask yourself in regards to this speculated move is; will the machine appeal to the mainstream? Microsoft is rarely regarded as a ‘trendy’ company, so will this device appeal to the more image conscious youth? Another important question which is being raised is price. With all these ‘extra’ features built in and widely expected to be high class components, will the average consumer be able to afford what is presumed to be a costly piece of kit?
Hopefully these questions and more will be answered when Microsoft decides to finally shed some light on what exactly the company plans are…
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