GSL 2004: Battle for your Pocket

Ben gives us the run down of smaller handheld devices, from the ECTS and EGN show floors

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It's common knowledge that come Christmas a new battleground will have been forged in the handheld arena. However, what you may not be aware of is that Nintendo and Sony are not the only companies set for the brawl. With the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP disappointingly absent from EGN and Game Stars Live, the opportunity has arisen for two of the lesser contenders to make their voices heard.

A few months ago you may have been aware of a handheld device named the Gametrack doing the rounds. Well, for various reasons, not least of which being that the name has now been copyrighted by a new motion capture device due to launch shortly on the PS2, what was once the Gametrack is now the Gizmondo. Yes, you heard me correctly, the Gizmondo.

I spoke to Paul Hilton, Head of Games for Gizmondo, who was happy to demo the device for me. Due to launch at the end of the year at a price point between £229 and £250, depending on who you ask, the Gizmondo is yet another device that fits into the hazy no-mans land that lies between the world of handheld gaming and PDAs. Under the hood hides a Windows operating system and the various media functions work through Windows Media Player 9.

When asked whether the device is to be marketed as a games console or a PDA, Paul was quick to assure me that its main focus was gaming, though was also keen to list all of the other functions that will be offered. Techincally, the 3D acceleration offered by the device means that on paper it can even outperform the PSP, though in reality the nature of its internal make-up means that actual performance will be somewhat more comparable to the DS. The screen is good quality offering a resolution of 640x480 supported by 128mb of RAM, 64mb of which is specifically dedicated to gaming.

The system itself is a very slick piece of kit, and whilst maybe not quite as striking as the PSP to behold it certainly has a curvy, streamlined appeal. The most prominent part of the design is the two large shoulder buttons which protrude at the top of the system, though their sleek silver appearance is quite attractive. The unit is comfortable to hold, though the large circular d-pad lacks precision when used, though it least it is 8-way. It's also possible that the d-pad may be altered before the official launch.

Although no existing IPs have been officially announced, Paul assures me that a couple of what he describes as "major players" are shortly to be confirmed as on board, which will help bolster the small line up of original IPs currently in development for the system. The one game I was able to demo was a 3D racing game. Graphically it was akin to an N64 title, though with higher quality textures. The frame rate was high and the picture smooth, but the title itself was desperately disinteresting and a world away from the sophistication of modern titles.

More worrying was talk of Smart Ads; adverts will be uploaded onto the system overnight and will greet you the next time you play. Though I was told it will theoretically be possible to opt out of the system, when purchasing the unit you are automatically signed up to receive the ads. I saw a couple of apparently light hearted examples, and whilst being of a very high video quality and looking good on the screen, there's no escaping that if you shell out the money needed to buy a system the last thing you want to use it for is watching adverts. Using GPS some companies are currently planning to use the device to send out offers to any Gizmondo users in the area. So in theory you could be walking down the street when suddenly a Pizza Hut ad appears on your screen, offering a price discount for Gizmondo users and automatically putting a map on the screen orientated from your current position. Good technology? Undoubtedly. Is it what you want from a handheld gaming system? Absolutely not.