Panasonic Beginning Public Testing For Jungle Portable System

Panasonic has begun inviting registered users in the United States to try out its upcoming Jungle portable game system, according to reports. Users that signed up for updates on the official Jungle site were contacted with an e-mail offer to sign up and test the still-mysterious handheld device, Bloomberg reports. “We know other companies out there have traditional hand-held gaming covered,” Panasonic said in the e-mail. “We’re doing something very different.” First unveiled last month, the Jungle sports a full QWERTY keyboard, a touchpad, dual d-pad controls, shoulder buttons and a high-resolution display in a clamshell design, according to a video announcement. More detailed specifications for the device are not known, but Panasonic says the unit will be focused on online gaming, with support for Bigpoint's upcoming Battlestar Galactica MMO and Runescape being promoted on the system's official web site. In the U.S., the Jungle is being pushed by Panasonic Cloud Entertainment Company, an offshoot of the Japanese electronics giant that released the ill-fated 3DO home console in 1993. In a recent opinion piece, Gamasutra's Chris Morris predicted the Jungle would compare unfavorably to existing laptops and netbooks for gamers looking to play online games on the go.