E3 2004: 'Gizmondo' and games glimpsed

New handheld system confirmed along with first title

No, its nothing to do with the Japanese version of Gremlins, in fact 'Gizmondo' is the new title given to Gametrac Europe's new forthcoming handheld console - yes, another one - which will be launching later this year, after legal wrangling over the name delayed an originally planned E3 launch. The more savvy among you may recognise that the Gizmondo has actually been sighted before, under the name Gametrac - which has now changed.

Anyway, whilst the product's further tentative steps into the world may have been disturbed somewhat with the company Gametrak and their legal assault upon the handheld's name, one of the first innovative titles based on the Gizmondo's features has been revealed at E3.

An end of year release has been confirmed for this plucky upstart, and the following features confirmed at the manufacturer's E3 showcase: "powered by a Microsoft Windows CE.net platform, boasting a 2.8-inch TFT color screen with an ARM9 400Mhz processor and incorporating a 64-bit graphics accelerator. It provides cutting-edge gaming, multimedia messaging, an MP3 music player, MPEG 4 movie playing capability, a digital camera and a GPRS network link to allow wide-area network gaming. Additionally, it contains a GPS chip for location-based services, is equipped with Bluetooth for use in multi-player gaming and accepts MMC card accessories." Crikey. Even Sony might be paying some attention to those specifications, particularly the communications-based technology.

"The Gizmondo is changing the way consumers access multi-media entertainment by providing users with the ability to play video games, listen to music, take pictures, view movies and music videos all from one device that fits in the palm of their hand," commented Carl Freer, MD of (the newly renamed) Gizmondo Europe. "In addition to its multi-media capabilities, Gizmondo is also the first handheld device to provide GPS and GPRS technologies - extending the reach of gamers to a virtual level never experienced before."

As hinted at, E3 has also been the platform from which Gizmondo and their parent company Tiger Telematics have unveiled their baby's first game, 'Colors', a GPS-enabled urban warfare game created by Indie Studios of Sweden. This multiplayer game promises to incorporate the player's setting and surrounds into the experience, creating a unique virtual world which apparently extends offline too.

Colors leverages the Gizmondo's GPS-capabilities and messaging over GPRS, creating a game in which sparring multiplayer gamers must battle for dominance of the landscape. The built in camera will allow further customisation, and Bluetooth will be used to trade items. Community will be encouraged in the game in which teams can be formed.

"Like the handheld Gizmondo device, 'Colors' truly takes portable gaming to the next level. This is a game for the mobile console era that utilizes every aspect of the Gizmondo functionality and will likely set a new standard for innovative games on this platform," enthused Mikael Åström, Executive Producer at Indie Studios.

More on the Gizmondo and its games as we get it.

By Luke Guttridge