Tendo City

Quote:iRiver to Rain on PSP's Parade?

There are many gadgets being unveiled at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but the one that we (and Sony) should all be keeping a close eye on is the iRiver G10. New pictures and specifications about this device were released today, sporting many features that might make the PSP start shakin' in its boots... or PlayGear Pocket... or whatever your PSP uses for footware. Here's a look:

Windows Mobile 5 Operating System
4 and 8 Gigabytes of storage space
3D Graphics Rendering
WVGA Screen w/800x400 Resolution
WiBro Support (Wireless Broadband, faster than standard WiFi)

It looks slick! I never thought about the slider controls but it totally owns.

Well, first of all the d-pad looks terrible. Second of all, both of those shots feature the exact same picture from the game. Third, it's unlikely to get an major developer support since the market is already split between the DS and the PSP. Finally, it will probably be very expensive given that this company will not be able to swallow as big a loss per unit as Sony can.

Other than that, it doesn't look too bad.

Other than the fact that no one will ever buy one I dont see why it wont be able to niche out its own market somewhere inbetween the Paris Hilton/P. Diddy demographic and fecal porn.

Watch out PSP, there's a new failure in town.

The portable device market is said to experience explosive growth over the next five to ten years. Who says that only Nintendo and Sony can have a piece of the pie?

If the people behind iRiver are smart then they'll market it as a media device leaning more towards music and movies, and keep the games as a bonus. I think we'll see more devices like this very soon...

Who says only Nintendo and Sony have a piece of the pie? Try Nintendo, Sony, Apple, and all the other companies that make portable mp3 players, cellphones, and video players.

If the market expands then there is room for competitors. The handheld video game market is almost as large as the home console market, and it will probably surpass it in the near future. There is most likely room for a third handheld to enter and be successful.

iRiver, in case you didn't know, is quite successful in the mp3 player market. This isn't just some new device out of nowhere.

Quote:iRiver, in case you didn't know, is quite successful in the mp3 player market. This isn't just some new device out of nowhere.

And Nokia was very successful at making cellphones.

Kart Kartoon Racing
We play test the iRiver's killer app
by Anoop Gantayat

January 3, 2006 - iRiver G10, an adventurous little handheld from Reigncom is set to offer an overly expensive product line that is ready to gain little to no interest among anyone.

We sat down with senior VP in marketing and sales for Reigncom, Dr. Shitbomb, who gave us a tour of the iRiver's launch title ,Kartoon Kart Racing.

"It's like licking your grandmother" Said Dr. Shitbomb, "It (the system) is conducive to gaming, and by conducive, I refer directly to abortion." Dr. Shitbomb knows what he's talking about as he's had many years experience with the ideal of abortions. He explains; "Every time I get a girl pregnant she screams get it it out, get it out. God, all the crying."

Kartoon Kart Racing opens up with a screen apologizing to people who bought the handheld devise and showcases a nifty start-up screen which bears the mark of the beast. Shitbomb made refference to this as "How the 7 headed beast will find its followers.". Once the main menu kicked on, we were ready to give our souls up for grabs.

First off, the characters all range in size and ability much like Mario Kart, having a balance of top speed and acceleration. "We didn't want to do any actual work" said Shitbomb, "It's like every Kart game you ever played, except, again." He then went on how certain elements of gameplay are used to highten the sense of making the purchase of the iRiver G10 feel validated when in reality you just bought another MP3 player. "But not just any mp3 player!" Said the doctor, "This one's expensive!".

Other game mechanics were explained as we tried to have fun with the amazingly below average kart racer, Dr. Shitbomb explained each aspect thusly:

"Turning and banking is done through the specialized 'Retardo pad' or R-Pad which is built to look and feel just like buttons, go ahead, TRY to perform a diagonal move!"











"In this shot, notice the girl who's hands we used to show off the size of the giant expensive screen, which allows you to see many more mp3 titles at once, instead of pesky scrolling."









"This is my favorite part, everything you play on the iRiver is in 16:9 widescreen, all we had to do is stretch the image to fit! It takes a little getting used to, but this method of widescreen presentations is not only confusing, but also pointless."











"Uh oh! watch out Kumquat Head! You're in 4th! Just like our expectations of our market share with this handheld!"











"The Onion Face Sisters show off Kartoon kart's massively complicated AI schemes; if they drive off the track they try to get back on."









"This shot showcases the multiplayer aspect of the game using iRiver's 'Hand the system to the next player' technology."







Kartoon Kart is slated for a next summer/never release and will probably look really nice on display behind glass next to a pamplet of the store chain's 'Major Purchase Plan' options.

link? ;)

Sony isn't having the best success in the portable market so I doubt very much that a company know for MP3 players can have a successful portable system.

What any good system needs is DEVELOPERS. They've got to convince developers that their system is worth taking time and resources away from not only TWO other handhelds, but THREE home consoles. I imagine a lot of developers are already being stretched thin.

The simple fact is that devs will only go after a system that has a large demographic, i'm sure all the large devs are looking at iRiver (whatever the hell that name is supposed to mean) as a possibility with a wait and see mentality. Obviously if the handheld gained a market more devs would be attracted to it and willing to throw time and money in to it.

Unfortunately for iRiver, that market is completely inaccesable to any company that doesn't have millions of dollars of seed money for developers to generate interest in the handheld. It's just not going to take shape until a company is willing to sink millions in to a POSSIBILITY with nothing gauranteed.

No one thought my IGN mock review was funny. I soak my head. *soak*

iRiver's are some of the best reviewed MP3 players on the market, some being touted as having higher quality playback than iPods.

We'll know more at CES just how far they plan to go with this thing. I'd be happy if all it did was allow emulation, or had some type of service like gametap that simply allowed the player to download games.

There is alot of potential in the MP3 and cell phone market for game integration. I don't think we'll see developers making RPG type games or high-production racing games, more like the content you'd find on Yahoo! Games. Something quick and simple. I know I'd buy it. I'd rather carry around a MP3 player that I can watch tv shows or videos on, and play a quick puzzle game or something similar, than a sole game device. That's why I was a little enthusiastic about the prospect of it, and what it may bring.

Competition for the Gizmondo, GP32 (import only, but hey...), and that thing that failed... oh right, these things always fail... those twenty portable gaming devices that all failed? :) Why do they even try anymore?

Well, I think that the problem is that those earlier devices tried to target Nintendo's market of games. They need to create their own market, or try to improve on another handheld market. Don't you think that there is a potential for a device that combines MP3, video, and game playback? The popularity of the new MP3 players offering video playback is amazing, as well as the amount of downloads of tv shows like Lost down to the small devices. The popularity of Sony's UMD's have shown that there is certainly a growing interest in media on the go. How is it a far fetch to add gaming to the roster of MP3 player capabilities?

Paco Wrote:Well, I think that the problem is that those earlier devices tried to target Nintendo's market of games. They need to create their own market, or try to improve on another handheld market. Don't you think that there is a potential for a device that combines MP3, video, and game playback? The popularity of the new MP3 players offering video playback is amazing, as well as the amount of downloads of tv shows like Lost down to the small devices.

What you are describing is the iPod. The closest competitor, which I believe is iRiver, has something like 3% of the market. If Apple were to introduce a device like what you are describing it may be successful, but I don't think any other player in the MP3 market could succeed introducing a handheld like that. No one has the cache of Apple to introduce a gaming function to their MP3 player and make it competitive with Nintendo.

lazyfatbum Wrote:No one thought my IGN mock review was funny. I soak my head. *soak*

I thought it was hilarious. I think we are just all accustomed to the crazy stuff that you post that we don't feel the need to make a public note of it's greatness anymore.

Media on the go is already pinned down by Apple and to a lesser extent Sony.

Quote:Well, I think that the problem is that those earlier devices tried to target Nintendo's market of games. They need to create their own market, or try to improve on another handheld market. Don't you think that there is a potential for a device that combines MP3, video, and game playback? The popularity of the new MP3 players offering video playback is amazing, as well as the amount of downloads of tv shows like Lost down to the small devices. The popularity of Sony's UMD's have shown that there is certainly a growing interest in media on the go. How is it a far fetch to add gaming to the roster of MP3 player capabilities?

Gizmondo has a GPS addon! :) N-Gage is also a cellphone, this thing is really a PDA (like the Tapwave Zodiac... a decent idea which failed and died...)... doesn't mean that any of them actually have a chance of success. :) The problem is that this 'convergence' thing... how much do people actually want it? Yes, perhaps it is easier to only have one thing that does a bunch of stuff... but so far, that doesn't seem to have translated to a whole lot of success... maybe a few cases have something with multiple successful functions (perhaps the PS2 as a DVD player?), but usually...

As for the PSP, it has benefitted from the movies and stuff mainly because the actual game lineup is so thin, I'd say... and most of the games it does have are PS2 ports. Yay. (but really, I don't get the UMD movie thing. They can only be played in that one format! On a tiny screen! It just seems like a waste of money...)

As for the PSP being competition for the iPod, um, I don't think so...

Quote:What you are describing is the iPod. The closest competitor, which I believe is iRiver, has something like 3% of the market. If Apple were to introduce a device like what you are describing it may be successful, but I don't think any other player in the MP3 market could succeed introducing a handheld like that. No one has the cache of Apple to introduce a gaming function to their MP3 player and make it competitive with Nintendo.

Yes, because videogaming on Apple platforms is such a vibrant, growing field... :D

Sorry, but no. This is about as likely as those rumors of an Apple videogame console, and about as likely to be successful as this iRiver thing.

A Black Falcon Wrote:Gizmondo has a GPS addon! :) N-Gage is also a cellphone, this thing is really a PDA (like the Tapwave Zodiac... a decent idea which failed and died...)... doesn't mean that any of them actually have a chance of success. :) The problem is that this 'convergence' thing... how much do people actually want it? Yes, perhaps it is easier to only have one thing that does a bunch of stuff... but so far, that doesn't seem to have translated to a whole lot of success... maybe a few cases have something with multiple successful functions (perhaps the PS2 as a DVD player?), but usually...

The new MP3 players with music AND video playback have been selling like hotcakes.

I haven't heard much word on how successful, if they were at all, the cell phone + MP3 players have been. They seem to have fallen off the map since the videoplay back in the other devices came about.

Quote:As for the PSP, it has benefitted from the movies and stuff mainly because the actual game lineup is so thin, I'd say... and most of the games it does have are PS2 ports. Yay. (but really, I don't get the UMD movie thing. They can only be played in that one format! On a tiny screen! It just seems like a waste of money...)

That's exactly why I don't want one, the whole UMD thing. However, it's not the only way to watch movies on your PSP. There are programs you can buy that allow you to copy DVD's to UMDs or memory sticks. The same can be said for the emulation and homebrew scene. I still say it's popular because it's a multi-media device.

Quote:As for the PSP being competition for the iPod, um, I don't think so...

No, I don't think so either. The fact that the PSP relies on memory sticks and UMDs for storage really puts a kink in that comparison. However, a iPod or other MP3 device with gigabytes of storage space available for music, movies, and games...I can see the potential.

Quote:Yes, because videogaming on Apple platforms is such a vibrant, growing field... :D

Didn't say it was.

Quote:Sorry, but no. This is about as likely as those rumors of an Apple videogame console, and about as likely to be successful as this iRiver thing.

Stop looking at this from a video game perspective and more as a multi-media device. You simply can't deny the popularity of MP3 players, and now the more recent video playback. The fact that UMD's sell is also a testament to notion that people do want media capabilities on the go.

Also, ever play a short game of bejeweled on your cell phone? I know I have quite often. Nobody said videogames had to be the primary function of the device, but as a bonus they are nice.

well in my business I need to show off a video to a customer, I use a laptop so i can edit it on the spot as well. But i could see how a small portable video player could help out my presentations and what not but I've never been interested in being able to take movies or TV shows with me anywhere; i'm a film school grad, so movies on a tiny crappy screen with headphones or tinny loud speakers doesn't interest me in the slightest. And when i want to play video games on the go, I use one of the GB incarnates or the DS... there's really no other option for portable gaming and it's definitely not a bad thing. *points to nine trillion AAA games*

The only thing that really interests me is a portable music player capable of perfect retention of the quality of music with the ability to pop a mic in and record voice, sound effects, etc profressionally. Unfortunately that's called a Digital Nagra and they're thousands of dollars. :D

But as far as my entertainment needs are concerned, a cheap MP3 player is all I need. I'm not even interested in the music/video player adapter for the DS. I'd rather leave it open for video games.

DMiller! *hump hump hump hump hump*

oops, hold on, the wig fell off. Okay.

*hump hump hump hump hump hump*

Quote:there's really no other option for portable gaming and it's definitely not a bad thing.

I suppose that depends who you talk to. Myself, I'd opt for a good all in one device, with some more casual games than those I find on GBA. Not to mention it's appealing to be able to download them and keep them all in one place with my music and video. I'm not saying this G10 device is going to be all that, but it's a nice idea. I certainly think there's a market for it if executed properly.

i would agree except the constant is that ALL third parties develop for Nintendo handhelds and all the current gen handhelds have an online network to which both companies have stated the ideal of d/l content for the system.

You can download PSP games for 20 bucks a month but none of them excite me enough to warrant the major purchase. Getting this device or something like it would mean that the games available for it, especially from an open-sourced download network, are going to home brew games, or on the same quality level of cell phone games which as you can imagine on a system with high-end 3-D capability will look and play suckingly just like 3-D cell phones games now and at best, would be ports of games released on PSP or DS.

The GB systems and DS have casual and more in depth games, RPG's, puzzlers, racers, fighters, etc. What is it you're looking for? You can get a nifty gadget for your DS that allows you to use SD cards to play videos, mp3's and view pictures. And the future holds an online network for DS where downloading patches or entire games will be possible. Wouldn't you be more interested to spend the 40 bucks on such a gadget as apposed to getting a completely new system with sub-par games and lack of any real support?

I guess i dont understand what you're saying, you say that the GBA doesnt have the games you're looking for but it has.... all of them. :D Even the uber krap cell phone games and little 'play me for 30 seconds at a time' games are there.

lazyfatbum Wrote:i would agree except the constant is that ALL third parties develop for Nintendo handhelds and all the current gen handhelds have an online network to which both companies have stated the ideal of d/l content for the system.

You can download PSP games for 20 bucks a month but none of them excite me enough to warrant the major purchase. Getting this device or something like it would mean that the games available for it, especially from an open-sourced download network, are going to home brew games, or on the same quality level of cell phone games which as you can imagine on a system with high-end 3-D capability will look and play suckingly just like 3-D cell phones games now and at best, would be ports of games released on PSP or DS.

The GB systems and DS have casual and more in depth games, RPG's, puzzlers, racers, fighters, etc. What is it you're looking for? You can get a nifty gadget for your DS that allows you to use SD cards to play videos, mp3's and view pictures. And the future holds an online network for DS where downloading patches or entire games will be possible. Wouldn't you be more interested to spend the 40 bucks on such a gadget as apposed to getting a completely new system with sub-par games and lack of any real support?

I guess i dont understand what you're saying, you say that the GBA doesnt have the games you're looking for but it has.... all of them. :D Even the uber krap cell phone games and little 'play me for 30 seconds at a time' games are there.

Most of the GBA games I'm interested in I have for my GB Player on my Gamecube. They are great games, just not something I prefer to play on a tiny screen or on the go. Metroid Fusion, Kirby, Final Fantasy Tactics, Klonoa, Yoshi's Island, and more. I like playing those kinds of games sitting on my couch or floor.

What I'm looking for is a device where I don't need add-ons, additional memory cards, or cartridges to carry around. I want a singular device for music and video, and some really casual type games. I don't want to exchange cartridges or anything like that. What I'm looking for is a multi-media device that also plays games. Music must be the primary function and it must do it very well, video should be great, and then games is the last concern but I'd like some fun and simple ones to pass a little bit of time as I sit inbetween classes or ride the bus home.

So basically you want an Ipod with cellphone-style games?

Great Rumbler Wrote:So basically you want an Ipod with cellphone-style games?

Yes, but perhaps better games. I'd fall head over heels for an iPod that allowed me to play Tetrisphere.

Quote:That's exactly why I don't want one, the whole UMD thing. However, it's not the only way to watch movies on your PSP. There are programs you can buy that allow you to copy DVD's to UMDs or memory sticks. The same can be said for the emulation and homebrew scene. I still say it's popular because it's a multi-media device.

Sony would rather you didn't, though... :) (all that stuff about Sony fighting back against homebrew, etc... yes some things are built in, but it shows a general attitude.)

Quote:Didn't say it was.

Um, that part was a response to DMiller...

Quote:Stop looking at this from a video game perspective and more as a multi-media device. You simply can't deny the popularity of MP3 players, and now the more recent video playback. The fact that UMD's sell is also a testament to notion that people do want media capabilities on the go.

Also, ever play a short game of bejeweled on your cell phone? I know I have quite often. Nobody said videogames had to be the primary function of the device, but as a bonus they are nice.

I don't know if portable video playback things are successful... I know UMD movies initially did well, but have they kept selling? I'm not sure...

Cell phones... I used one, once or twice... have absolutely no interest in getting one. I don't use phones much... cell phone or PDA gaming is a form of gaming, though, even if the games are extremely short and simple. But that simplicity means that they aren't really competing with the real handheld gaming consoles in the handheld gaming market, not really...

Quote:Most of the GBA games I'm interested in I have for my GB Player on my Gamecube. They are great games, just not something I prefer to play on a tiny screen or on the go. Metroid Fusion, Kirby, Final Fantasy Tactics, Klonoa, Yoshi's Island, and more. I like playing those kinds of games sitting on my couch or floor.

They're just as fun on a GBA, even if the GB Player's potential screen size is nice...

Quote:What I'm looking for is a device where I don't need add-ons, additional memory cards, or cartridges to carry around. I want a singular device for music and video, and some really casual type games. I don't want to exchange cartridges or anything like that. What I'm looking for is a multi-media device that also plays games. Music must be the primary function and it must do it very well, video should be great, and then games is the last concern but I'd like some fun and simple ones to pass a little bit of time as I sit inbetween classes or ride the bus home.

With the DS you can have both a GBA and a DS game loaded... :)

Quote:What I'm looking for is a device where I don't need add-ons, additional memory cards, or cartridges to carry around. I want a singular device for music and video, and some really casual type games. I don't want to exchange cartridges or anything like that. What I'm looking for is a multi-media device that also plays games. Music must be the primary function and it must do it very well, video should be great, and then games is the last concern but I'd like some fun and simple ones to pass a little bit of time as I sit inbetween classes or ride the bus home.

Sounds like a PDA/MP3 player... don't such things exist?

Quote:Sounds like a PDA/MP3 player... don't such things exist?

Yes, but the games aren't there yet. That's why this particular device interested me. However, I've come to find out that the G10 will never release outside of Korea. The game you see pictured with it is supposedly one of the most popular online titles in that region right now.

In other news, Toshiba just announced the Gigabeat S that will integrate music, video, games, and other media. No price or availability was mentioned.