Gizmodo
In a surprising turn of events, UK-based firm Plextek has confirmed today what we thought was impossible yesterday: they are working with Carl Freer to bring the infamous Gizmondo back to life. Knowing that the original Gizmondo was a front to defraud investors, don't hold your breath on this one. Things still look quite muddy and mysterious at the moment:
"There are a few things to do, and it will be a while before that happens," Plextek's technical director Ian Murphy said to gaming site Eurogamer, "but yes, the product has been recovered from the liquidators and we are bringing it back to market."
Furthermore, Murphy said that he believes that the damned handheld will succeed this time because "the only reason Gizmondo was not a success last time round was because it was not fully brought into the market." He could have said that "the only reason Gizmondo was not a success last time round was because it wasn't painted in bright pink and decorated with lolcats" and it would have had the same effect on us. Absolute puzzlement.
We are still asking ourselves the same questions: How can anyone expect that a previously-failed, ultra-hyped product is going succeed in a second introduction against all probability? Specially, how is that going to happen when mighty and actually credible companies—like Nokia, Sega or Atari—have tried and failed miserably?
And what's worse: how can any company get associated with a man that was convicted for fraud in his teens; fined more than a quarter million dollars in 2005 for issuing rubber checks as a car dealer during the 90s; and arrested for illegal guns possession and impersonating a law enforcement agent this year in the US? What is going to make things different from the first time?
It all will remain a mystery for the time being. However, we stand corrected: that company exists and they are going ahead with a plan to revive a handheld console that exploded in a puff of smelly smoke. [Plextek via Eurogamer]
Comments
Head for the hills!
Well, except you, Dietrich.
he is one slick character.
There are pictures floating around of the WS Gizmondo. They are on godmode.com
do a search for gizmondo
...I have a feeling this will not end anytime soon.
And I'm already annoyed by the guy.
Won't somebody PLEASE think of the Enzos!
@MagnoliaBoy: damn, beat me to it.
SAVE THE ENZOS!
The Gizmondo had potential. Halfway between the Zodiac and the Cybiko, sadly polishing neither of the qualities it stole from each of those products. And damn, was that thing ugly. I liked the idea, if it wasn't for the horrific design I would have bought one (plus I didn't want to replace my Zodiac, the sexiest device in the world).
I always loved my Cybiko Xtreme, I thought it was a great idea with loads of potential... IMO it just wasn't marketed properly. The Gizmondo was just like that...only it was a little crap altogether (to me it never seemed like much thought had gone into any of it). The Zodiac just couldn't find the right market.
If they bought the Gizmondo back with a real name (they could call it the Gizmondo *something*, then we could just refer to it as the *something*), gave it a real design, real operating system (none of this Windows CE crap) something like Windows Mobile, Symbian or LINUX FOR GAWDS SAKE. And kept the price low, then I think this product could work...intergrate it with Facebook, Myspace or make a new social networking site for Gizmondo users - that would add 'sellability'.
But, if they just re-release the exact same product, then I think we have to (thankfully) accept that the Gizmondo is doomed to the crap pile for ever...
Does anyone else find it hilarious that the guy's name is Murphy?
If you'd have asked me last week "name one thing that WILL NOT happen next week", I probably would have said "Gizmondo coming back".
Did someone involved in an actual business just say that the reason the product failed was because it was never brought into the market?
"The company would like to point out that its hot dog-flavored paper clips would have enjoyed record sales numbers had any actual product been made and sold in stores. So it's not our fault. Blame the guys who never made them and didn't put them up for sale."
I could think of a number of products that could have succeeded had I actually made them. But then again, I am not a business.
Oh fukryin out... Make up your mind already!
Seriously, If I was a kid and asked my parents for a PSP or Nintendo DS, but instead got a knock-off Gizmondo. I would be as pissed as that Spanish kid who tried to strangle his dad with the Gamepad cable. That is unless they make a Gizmondo game where you are Swedish mobster who can crash an Enzo at 200+ (while drunk) walk away, and then elude the cops through a series of elaborate schemes. Now that would be a cool game...
I would rather wait for the "Pandora" coming in the Spring of this year. Details are here:
[pandora.bluwiki.org]
@funtasticguy: I was thinking real hard about getting a GP2X last year but just couldn't get my cash past the lack of specks. This looks way cooler, thanks man, can't wait to hear more about it.
So the suggestions are:
1. Change the name
2. Change the OS
3. Change the Price
4. Change the function
5. Change the manufacturer
6. Change the design
That leaves what? The idea to create a craptastic game system? I love it when businesses xerox their ideas from others.
Gizmondo was a great idea at the time (still is - sort of...)
I wanted to buy one when EB-Gamez announced that they'd sell
them in their stores here in Denmark, but all of a sudden Nintendo DS came onto the marked - and EB-Gamez decided to ditch the Gizmondo - reason: The price tag was upped to 3200,- Danish Crowns (DKK) about 632 US Dollars, needless to say - no one in their right mind would pay over 600 bucks for a portable games console - no matter HOW cool it would be. (Ok...maybe I'd be geeky enough if there where at all stores around here to sell them...but there weren't so - EOD).
The design needs to be more functional and sleeker too - kind of sleek like the PSP and functional like the DS lite, and add the versatility of a PDA and you've probably got yourself a winner. In order to win though...you'd need a SERIOUS *SS user base to fanboy it up to heaven and above...to do that...you'd have to lose money first...and get the money to lose, and then watch the fanboys enjoy it so much that they'll practially develop anything for it...and make the "idiot-geeks" that can't code but love to use gadgets...buy it because there are so many nerdy fanboys that have one and thus produce heaps of software for free for it...kind of like LINUX and its APPS...
And then...BOOM! Something wonderful happens.
Now...if you go something crappy like doubling the price, overcharging for games, dropping proprietary support, promising stuff you can't possibly keep (such as worldwide support in every store etc.) not to mention makes development internal only, or a select few or by registration only etc. etc...then you WILL lose BIG TIME and go broke before you can even spell Gizmondo.
Good luck
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