Gizmondo Portable Set For Release In UK

Tiger Telematics subsidiary Gizmondo Europe has announced that the Gizmondo portable console will launch in the UK on 29th October. Further roll-outs will follow in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. "Our intention is to bring our device to markets worldwide," says MD Carl Freer. "The launch and arrival of Gizmondo starting in the UK signifies a new era in portable entertainment. The timing also means that the highly anticipated multi-entertainer will be available in time for the Christmas trade, and positions us well ahead of our nearest competitors." This moves comes after Tapwave announced plans to launch the Zodiac handheld range in the UK and Europe before Christmas. The release of Gizmondo at the same time is likely to confuse the handheld market even further, especially taking into account the already-launched N-Gage and future launches of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. It may be possible for Gizmondo to eke a reasonable market share in the UK, where the Game Boy Advance has, proportional to other home consoles, fared worse than in other territories, but its game line-up, largely unrevealed as yet, will help decide its success. As well as playing games, the device itself also encompasses an MP3 player, SMS and MMS communication, GPS navigation (to be integrated into some games) and a high resolution digital camera. An official retail price has not been announced, but a figure of around £229 ($420) has been informally mentioned. Around eleven software titles are expected to be available at launch, costing between £19.99 and £29.99 ($37 to $55).