Yet another Microsoft portable media / gaming device rumor

Now, you're gonna have to take this with a relatively large grain of salt, but Dean Takahashi of The Mercury News is reporting with some amount of certainty that Microsoft is, in fact, developing a portable multimedia and gaming device (that ain't the Origami), and that they're aiming to take over the world of portable devices. No, not "portable media devices" or "portable gaming devices." They're going after portable devices straight up, supposedly expecting to go head to head with the DS (Lite), PSP, and iPod -- three of the biggest brands in the (youth) consumer electronics market -- all at once. Takahashi also cites other examples of the project's progress, which is supposedly being led by J Allard, and designed by by Xbox system designer Greg Gibson, including some 30 supposed Transmeta engineers assigned to work on a secret MS project, which he speculates could hit in 2007.

[Via Joystiq]

[EnricoFermi @ Mar 20th 2006 10:05AM]

Transmeta's Efficeon makes sense for this project. Being an x86 processor and capable of conserving power and board space, it is ideal for bringing back XBox titles, which would be easily adopted to this handheld. This is similar to the PSP which used MIPS32 instructions allowing it to more easily run existing Playstation titles. If Microsoft does in fact use Efficeon, it won't take long to have a plethora of games available.

[redpill @ Mar 20th 2006 10:12AM]

COOL a portable xbox that needs a truck to carry the power supply in and boy will that be HOT!!!!!!!!

Also do we really need this ????

The PSP has proved that all this cool video mp3 and gaming just doesnt really fit if you dont have decent games for it!!!

But it could be a great way to interact with your xbox 360 by downloading video from it and music or even control media center from it!

But isnt that what the psp is supposed to be doing with the ps3??

[Germ @ Mar 20th 2006 10:12AM]

It looks kinda neat, I guess. Nice touch putting the two joysticks on it. The screen might be a bit too small compaired to the PSP. I just see one bitty problem:is it able to go up against the PSP AND the Ipod? I don't think so. I love Microsoft and everything, but I think that their expectations are a bit too high. Hey, this might just be a hoax anyway.

[Jonathan Keim @ Mar 20th 2006 10:18AM]

I think that other then games this thing could be pretty awesome as a multifunction device. The DS sucks at this and the psp can do it all, but not as nicley as a windows device with Portable media center.

[darthbane2k @ Mar 20th 2006 10:33AM]

This is just arrogance on MS's part. This product is a disaster in the making, just like PSP - Cram in as many useless features as possible and lets storm the market! No this approach does not work. And why are you guys comparing this to PSP - the PSP is NOT the leading, largests selling games handheld - the Nintendo DS and GBA are.
The only thing this device can force out of the market is the Sony PSP. Nintendo WONT be touched...

[nial @ Mar 20th 2006 10:37AM]

If you didn't get it the first time around, that's a photoshopped 360 controller. You will never see anything looking like that.

[historyfool24 @ Mar 20th 2006 11:07AM]

Yeah, and Apple is going to bring out a new version of the Newton. Only in our dreams will this happen

[James @ Mar 20th 2006 11:08AM]

Go up against the DS, the PSP and the iPod at the same time?

Sounds like: "Jack of all trades, master of none"

[Darth Pelican @ Mar 20th 2006 11:13AM]

I just got one thing to say to microsoft, bring it on. Nendo has the monopoly on portables with every game publisher making games for them. Microsoft would a great device with no hardware problems, a good selection of games and a cheap price because anyone who wants a portable has already spent they're large amount of money and a DS or PSP. This is gonna be bad unless they think this through for a long time and get the game publishers behind them.

[wxrman @ Mar 20th 2006 11:15AM]

Lemme guess... Special XBOX ported edition of Tablet XP with some mobile flavor nvidia or ati chipset...

If we're lucky, it'll have "Plays For Sure" on it...

[sMoRTy71 @ Mar 20th 2006 11:35AM]

I am excited about this from an integration standpoint. Sure, Nintendo and Sony and Apple have portable devices. Problem is that none of them want to play nice with each other.

I would love to complement the multimedia functions of my Windows Media PC and XBOX 360 with a handheld device that allows me to stream TV or movies or music to it. My 5G iPod can't do that. A DS or PSP can't do it either.

So while it would be great to be able to use an existing portable device to accomplish the same goals, it isn't an option.

[o0joshua0o @ Mar 20th 2006 11:42AM]

MS: "Good luck. Yooooooou'll need it!"

[PEZ @ Mar 20th 2006 11:47AM]

MS bought the hardware property of the Gizmondo WIDESCREEN gaming device. It runs on WinCE variant, so it was an obvious move.

Of course, this is only a rumor.

[Vincent @ Mar 20th 2006 12:00PM]

"This is just arrogance on MS's part. This product is a disaster in the making, just like PSP - Cram in as many useless features as possible and lets storm the market! No this approach does not work. And why are you guys comparing this to PSP - the PSP is NOT the leading, largests selling games handheld - the Nintendo DS and GBA are.
The only thing this device can force out of the market is the Sony PSP. Nintendo WONT be touched..."


So very true. The Microsoft is going to be a more expesnisve PSP

[Yrian @ Mar 20th 2006 12:10PM]

And I thought I was the only one left in this world that skips the text and only looks at the pictures. . .

[WGIII @ Mar 20th 2006 12:28PM]

Wasn't MS supposed to support the Zodiac Tapwave? Well now the Tapwave is dead. MS to support the Gizmondo? I don't think even they (MS) are that stupid as Tiger Telematics was/are. =@

On January 23, 2006, the UK based arm, Gizmondo Europe (GE) decided to enter into administration. However, on February 1st, a SEC filing reveals that Gizmondo parent company Tiger Telematics has managed to obtain a $5 million lending agreement with Laffitte Partners. [1]

On February 21, 2006, Stefan Eriksson, the former Gizmondo executive who stepped down amidst allegations of his involvement in the Uppsala Mafia Swedish organized crime ring, lost control of a million dollar Ferrari Enzo sports car which he illegally drove on the road in California, car was claimed by Bank of Scotland during the bankruptcy of the Gizmondo. The car careered off an embankment on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and hit a pole at about 162MPH, which split the car in half. Mr. Eriksson claimed a German man named Deitrich was behind the wheel, but a search for the driver came up empty.[2] [3] The embattled Gizmondo hand held gaming device hemorrhaged hundreds millions of dollars last year before filing for bankruptcy: between January and September of 2005 Tiger Telematics lost �140m (about $244 million).

[dan @ Mar 20th 2006 12:39PM]

So their magic box is setting out to be the DS and the iPod all in one.

Prediction - the jobs that the DS and the iPod manage separately and efficiently, the XPodDS will do poorly, in punitively constricting ways, at a grossly prohibitive cost to the consumer.

You can have that one for free, you don't even have to thank me or anything.

But really, it's starting to be about the point where Microsoft needs to ask why keeps paying J. Allard money.

[Scott @ Mar 20th 2006 2:40PM]

Why does every tech reporter that sees or heres of a new handheld gaming device immediately think it will be an iPod killer?

Do 11 year old boys spend all their free time listening to music? Do 16 year old girls wander around staring into their PSPs and furiously pressing buttons? Do adults want to strap a PSP to their bodies while they're working out? Would you really want to play Halo on a 2.5" screen? Proficiency in one market, necessarily cripples it the other.

While a little cross-over is fun, these are two totally different markets.

[the_king @ Mar 20th 2006 3:10PM]

this better have two joysticks!!

[johnny Won @ Mar 20th 2006 3:38PM]

let's play MS MadLibs! A game where you fill in the blanks: Microsoft is aiming to take over the world of _______________ as alleged by ____________. The new ____________ will displace (pick two: Apple, iPod, Sony, PSP, Dell, Nintendo, China, Google, Craigslist, Air).

I'm so tired of these stories. Comon MS, show up or shut up.

[Jimmy @ Mar 20th 2006 5:52PM]

I think MS will find that Nintendo (the only real competition) are well on their way with the design of the next Gameboy (Gameboy Ultra anyone?), which they probably will not announce until 2 months before the launch. You can bet your bottom dollar that Ninty will be introducing analogue control, possibly dual analogue control, and great games. If MS can launch a compelling device with a price point to boot, they may be able to steal some of Ninty's thunder. I won't be holding my breath.

[AutoDas @ Mar 20th 2006 5:58PM]

lol You Apple/Sony fanboys do realize that the picture there isn't the real MicroSoft portable. kekeke

When you take the PSP and Ipod side-by-side the Ipod doesn't have anything that the PSP has to offer except a name. A lot of Apple boys seem to crap their pants when something might kill off their beloved Ipod.

Why are people so pissy at MS saying they should "show up or shut up"? lol This isn't a MS press release its just a rumor.

[Flint @ Mar 20th 2006 8:02PM]

I'd love to see somebody try and slip this thing into a pocket!

It'd take about 5 minutes for those two joysticks to snag on something and get ripped off.

Yes - a wonderful design...

[Mike I @ Mar 20th 2006 8:23PM]

Wow guys, you gotta be kidding me. That is just a mock-up of the design. I can't believe some of you think that's the final design, Microsoft isn't THAT stupid... Well, maybe they are...

[Jack @ Mar 20th 2006 9:21PM]

you guys REALLY need to read the previous posts or you'll sound just plain dumb. ~THE PICTURE IS NOT REAL~

[Spooky @ Mar 20th 2006 10:41PM]

I made this mock up of the xbox mobile system. I think it looks cool.
http://tinyurl.com/h36ll

[x23 @ Mar 20th 2006 11:01PM]

"When you take the PSP and Ipod side-by-side the Ipod doesn't have anything that the PSP has to offer except a name."

well nothing accept being about 1/10th the size and costing half the price. PSP + 1GB MS vs. 1GB iPod Nano. and actually being decent for playing music with a well thought out interface designed specifically for playing music not tacked on as "feature #17" on some jack-of-all spec sheet. this isn't 1998 anymore... afraid all my baggy ass cargo pants have gone bye-bye. i'd have to get a man purse or a fanny pack to even carry a PSP... no thanks. and what's that battery life like on that PSP? 12-16 hours like a Nano? afraid not.

but yeah... you're right... the PSP is clearly superior... *eyes roll so hard they pop out of their sockets*

[OddManOut @ Mar 21st 2006 12:51AM]

Make it modular. If MS really wants ONE device to hit all those spots it needs to be modular. And I mean right down to the bone.

The Core : CPU, batter+power supply, Chassis, cleverly designed controls, CF slot, SD slot, basic sound system.

MS would need all of these features to compete against so many disparate competitors. Now the trick would then be to design a series of central modules (including the screen) that are each swapable, and oriented to a more specific purpose.

One for gaming with a high rez touch screen (just one would do), wifi, a gig or two of flash, and a high end portable video processor. Maybe if you really want to get fancy a second CPU of either equivalent or complimentary power/ability as the primary.

One for Media with a good screen (probably the same as the gaming rig but without the touch sensitivity), a good but perhaps different video system as it doesn't really need to be as powerful as the gaming one would be expected to be, a 5gb - 60gb hdd, good sound processor. Pack in remote control (IR ?) and proprietary video out cable.

One for Music, inexpensive, monochrome display, 5gb - 40gb hdd, excellent sound processor. Pack in remote control.

One for Power users. Basically the gaming rig with a more internet/PDA oriented OS and probably at least 5gb of HDD or Flash, and GPS and/or bluetooth support as well. Pack in a longer life battery.

Now by swapping out so many critical components you could argue they are really different devices. Probably true, but the core unit would of course come with a rudimentary insert (the cheapest model available) that could at least play mp3s and would probably run the longest (as the sceen would be very basic). And I would assume they could/would also sell bundles with each of the different modules. And with MP3 as the lowest common deonimator, all the different configurations have some functionality crossover.
But aside from this approach you can't meet or exceed the performance of ANY of the other PURPOSE BUILT devices out there while even comming close to the others. As "Scott" so eloquently put it...

" Proficiency in one market, necessarily cripples it the other."

Basically the only really compelling thing you could offer the consumer is the chance to make that trade off choice on a day to day basis (ie whenever you go our, you decide how best to oufit you device for the occasion) instead of just once at the time of purchase (ie do you buy an iPod, a PSP, or a DS...).

Now before any of you jump on me about how stupid this idea is and how it will never happen, let me say I agree. It won't. It would still give you a cumbersome slightly ineffectual device (but for slightly different reasons), not mention the fact that making it, puchasing it, making+purchasing all the required accessories would cost a mint. But there is no other way to make a single device that does all these things even as well as it's competitors and can still be defined as vauguely portable (as is I doubt even my fantasy device would realisticaly be any smaller than the PSP...probably more like a Nokia 770 to be honest...)

But it would be cool...

[3D @ Mar 21st 2006 1:01AM]

"some amount of certainty" -- only certain thing about it is that I am sure that MS is looking at the portable market and thinking about how to exploit it. 100% sure they are researching it, but if they will enter it depends on so many factors and the success of other consoles and market growth and x360 success etc.

[RK_DK66 @ Jun 10th 2007 10:22PM]

I think this is a great idea I mean come on the DS PSP and the Ipod all in 1 that would be the best handheld gameing system of all time. If MS can pull this off and put it at a reasonable price( a little lower than the PSP's price) they would blow away the DS and the PSP.

[Beast @ Nov 19th 2007 11:43AM]

I love the psp, and to date it is the best portable devise. microsoft will have a hard time trying to beat the psp, but with games like halo they might just do it. I will definatly buy the xbox portable when it comes out.

[john @ Oct 17th 2008 12:40PM]

x box portable is a great idea.