Best of British: Gizmondo Doomed To Fail?

The Gizmondo combined media player, phone and gaming gadget went on sale in the last month for £229. The device sports an impressive spec: - It can be used to play games, music tracks and movies, it can take and store digital photos and can send SMS, MMS and emails, GPS, GPRS and Bluetooth for multi-player gaming.

From April 22nd you'll be able to buy a Gizmondo for £100 less - a cool 44% saving. In return, for this discount, Gizmondo users will have to watch three "Smart Adds" per day.

The Smart Adds will mainly consist of video clips and small games that come with redemption codes or barcodes that are wirelessly delivered to your Gizmondo over its GPRS connection.

I'm not so sure that this option is cheaper....Ok, 44% less but who pays the data cost for downloading the ad? Even if each ad is only 100Kb (I'm guessing they'll be more but I'm being generous) then on my network (Vodafone) at £2.35/Mb these ads would cost me £257!!!

Other reasons why I think the Gizmondo is destined for failure are:

- It costs £229. Nintendo's DS handheld costs £99, and a PSP is expected to cost £129 - far less than the cost of a Gizmondo

- The DS already has a pool of fans of earlier Nintendo handhelds to draw on (87,000 DS handhelds were sold in the first two days in Europe) and the PSP is also likely to have a strong following

- Most importantly, it doesn't have a killer game for launch

I'd love to be able to 'Buy British' but I think the Gizmondo will go the way of the C5, Sedgeway etc. May be worth buying one as I bet it will be worth a bit in 10 years!

Maybe in a year I'll be proven wrong.

The author runs a blog following developments in the internet and mobile internet sectors. With over 10 years experience in strategy consulting and business development, and has seen and lived through the highs, and the lows of the industry.

Based in London, the author can be contacted on admin@connectedinternet.co.uk and his blog can be found at http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk

In The News:

---

Malicious Advertising

Advertising is a necessary irritant in the world today. You... Read More

Downloadable Game Review: Diner Dash

Playvue.com Editor's Rating: 8.0StorylineDiner Dash brings us the story of... Read More

Review: Samurai Jack -- Code of the Samurai

Fans of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Samurai Jack," which wrapped last year... Read More

A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 1)

It's been about 5 years since we have seen a... Read More

SMS Gaming - Text Paging Games that can be Played by Anyone

Using the Physical World as a Game Board: This is... Read More

Are You A PC Gamer And Want The Best Out Of Your Graphics Card?

IntroductionIn this article you will learn how to get the... Read More

Best Space Themed Games - Part I

Space? How much we can place where? Incredible words, unknown... Read More

UAV; Hunter II and RQ-1A Predator UAVs Needs Additional Modifications

Since the Predator has inverted "V" shaped stabilizers these stabilizers... Read More

Laying Smart Dust With Smart Munitions

We believe that we need to make the Smart Munitions... Read More

Review - Sony PSP

I'm fairly certain there are folks at Nintendo feeling some... Read More

Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution

As I think most of gamers who play in shareware... Read More

UAV GeoBat Balloon Radar Decoy Strategies

A GeoBat small UAV might be the perfect platform for... Read More

How to Write a Business Plan While Playing

BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance... Read More

Theories Behind Magic Trinkets in Video Game and Virtual Reality

In Gaming we deal between Simulation, Augmented Reality, Fantasy and... Read More

Cloud Laser Art

A new art form in the future will be CLA.... Read More

How To Save Time, Energy, and Money by Renting Your DVDs and Games Online

As a bit of a movie buff I recently discovered... Read More

A Parents Guide to Online Gaming, Part 1

The internet touches every aspect of your children's lives. Where... Read More

Evolution of Gaming : Graphics vs Gameplay

If you are old enough to remember the early days... Read More

Blast From The Past - Retro Games Are Hot Again

Miss the brainlessly simple and extremely addictive games from the... Read More

Ten Things You Should Know in Video Games

Bloodborne | It's Zero Hour | Star Wars: Battlefront |... Read More

Why We Play Games, Part 1

There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the... Read More

Sega Dreamcasts Cause of Death?

What ever happened to that game console we used to... Read More

Top 10 Dumbest Game Titles

You may not agree with the order in which they... Read More

XBOX 360 vs. PS3: an in Depth Look

All gamers are awaiting the release of the Xbox 360... Read More

Popular Electronic Games - They Are Not Just For Kids Anymore

Superheroes battle monsters and space invaders in fast action games.... Read More

Play a Cool Jeep Game Online

If there were anything that could excite a Jeep enthusiast... Read More

Aerial Blimp Refueling of UAVs

Aerial refueling from blimps might be easier than we think.... Read More

Flying an MAV Through Fan Blades to Attain Target

Flying an MAV Through Rotating Fan Blades ? It maybe... Read More

Rome Total War: Battle Strategy Guide

A. FormationsIt's pretty much common sense to come up with... Read More

Sony PSP

The period of the greatest portable console has finally arrived.... Read More

Indie Games that Made It to the Tops of the Charts this Year

Platypus is one of the most unique looking games ever... Read More

Drawing Hand Held Surface to Air Missile Fire at Night Using UAVs

One of the easiest ways to draw shoulder launched missiles... Read More

Best of British: Gizmondo Doomed To Fail?

The Gizmondo combined media player, phone and gaming gadget went... Read More