Zeebo lands in Brazil, inspires revolutionary fervor in the hearts of gamers worldwide
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted May 26th 2009 1:39PM
posted May 26th 2009 1:39PM
According to UOL Tecnologia, Tectoy's Zeebo game console is on sale now in the city of Rio de Janeiro, with availability to spread across the Brazilian countryside later this year. As expected, the system is going for a MSRP of R$499 (that's about $299) and ships with three games in memory: FIFA 2009, Need For Speed Carbon, and Brain Training, all in Portuguese. Additionally, the device ships with credit for three free downloads: Prey Evil, Quake, and Quake II. And as expected, this bad boy includes a free 3G connection via Claro, enabling additional game downloads in the R$7-30 ($3-13) range. Video after the break.
Seems to be a damn good leadership from my point of view. They managed to maintain fiscal and commercial surpluses even during this time of crisis. Plus, free hearth care, education, oil and energy autonomy and no invaded countries lately.
Engadget Brazil FTW!!!!! Cmon guys!!
second that!
[3]!
I'm from Brasil and I'd like to say that here a PS3 costs R$1800,00 and a XBOX360 costs R$1600,00 at MercadoLivre (one afiliate of e-bay here), but a PS2 costs R$480,00 with 2 controllers and at least one pirate game (yes, here the piracy rules game market). I doubt a lot tha a newcomer can fight again the PS2 force here, because who don't have enough money to buy a console of the new generation buy a PS2, and ist the most sold console in Brasil. A game in the black market costs R$5,00 (U$ 2,00), against the zeebos R$20,00 or R$30,00. TecToy shold leave the market... i don't know how can this company survive yet...
Guys.. c`mon... why is it so expensive there? In Colombia you can find a XBOX 360 for near 300 usd in the retail chains... (EXITO (local retailer), CARREFOUR, etc)
taxes, taxes, taxes, that's why.
...and black tar for under a dollar.
I have family who lives over in Brazil, not to mention another uncle who was there for over a year due to his job. A game console for the people who live there is very much needed considering how absurdly expensive it is to get electronics from other countries. Most of the time when family form Brazil visits, they go crazy and buy at least 2k worth of electronics and bring them back home. So to those who are trying to shit on the system, try to realize people ion other parts of the world can not take the simply things for granted like we do. Support the system and people who make it for giving an opportunity Brazil and other Latin American countries.
I think this is going to be a great business. There are more than 150 million brazilians that can't afford any other over priced console. If you never had your own console, even an Atari 2600 is a good start. Besides, it doesn't have CD/DVD and R$7,00 games are almost the same price as pirate games for any other console. What can go wrong?
If they can afford a R$499,00 Zeebo console with R$7,00-R$15,00 downloadable games, they can afford a R$499,00 modded PS2 with R$10,00 CDs... And just like Verythrax said below your post, you are comparing a HTC Diamond vs.a PS2 Emotion Engine... that's what can go wrong.
Some info: the zeebo have exactly the same hardware as the HTC touch Diamond, with the difference that the phone have the double of memory.
Anyone have a better idea what it's capable of?
this thing can barely run quake without hiccups... how the hell is that a good deal or even a remotely smart business venture. I could see may $99. But $300 for games that you could play on a 5 year old computer? Yeah... not interested. You can keep it Brazil.
Quake seems fluid enough... but Tekken 2... very, very sluggish.
Still nice idea! I just love how my 3 months in Portuguese lessons are starting to pay out, very clear in the video :D
Isn't it a real shame that the countries involved charge such high taxes and import fees to simple products that their people may enjoy? I live in the USA but have been to Brazil about 5 times now with work; I have found that most everyone I have met there is really friendly (and I love Brazil, it is such a beautiful country!). A real shame that some of my Brazilian friends can't log into Live or the PSN to play along with me--all because of bureaucratic greed :(
Sorry for my soapbox ramble, but I felt the need to say it.
Weird thing is... Claro was renamed after some guy bought part of Latin America from Verizon Wireless... yet I don't think a company alone as "Claro" can give those 3G demands Verizon had here (Specially in Puerto Rico). Now that mades me wonder... is Claro still not Verizon?
Claro belongs to América Movil that belongs to Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the planet! And, sure 3G is still new here, but we already have started out 4G (WiMax) commercial testing, and Claro has one of the best 3G coverage here. Plus as the guy said on video (in Portuguese) the console also supports EDGE. Hope I answered your question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claro_(mobile_phone_network)
Yeah, the 3G coverage is far from perfect, but it's one of the best (if not the best) in the country actually.
Nice, and I actually feel good that brazil got this , seems Europe gets everything first all the damn time. Glad to see the tables have turned
Game consoles are very expansive here, that's why I buy all my consoles and games on Ebay :).
Never paid a single tax.
AAA I love brazil....
Just to be clear to everyone. Nobody in brazil is going to buy zeebo, period!
That really dosen't exist, is nice because is the first console build in brazil, and is the first to use 3g network and whatever, but every brazilian dude know that tectoy consoles is for 5,6 yo poor kids, that wants to play Sonic. But when the kid gets older, the first thing that he ask he's mom is a zeebo? Of course not, it's a cheap playstation 2 with 200 games 2 controllers and 1 MS, he wants more games? He go the news stand next to his house and buy 2 games for 15 reais.
Why in the name of God! I would buy a zeebo?
Se yah
So, its a phantom gaming console, except its ugly...
Probably have DNF as one of its launch titles too...
Atari called, they want their system back.
too much "Maria Joana"
System hacked in 3,2,1...
Is there a hidden Che behind the console?
That's not smart.
For the smart buyers, this Zeebo isn't going to be sold. Just compare: a modded PS2 here in Brazil costs R$450, with pirated games ranging from R$5 - R$10, or may even be free, in case you download them from the net and burn the iso images on a blank DVD. And I'm talking about a library of more than 1900 games to date, and they're quality games made by the major developers, not some cheap ports made by some third-party subsidiaries of the big softhouses.
What Zeebo has to offer? Console for R$500, games from PS1/N64 generation for R$20, and very few games by now. Even my PSP can do better graphics and has a bigger library of games than this thing!
The only ones who gonna buy this are the "consummers by impulse", and that only later will realize that there was something better and cheaper to spend their money with.
Here in Brazil, our taxes are "1st world" worthy, but what the government has to offer for us is something worthy of "3rd world". At least in countrys like Canada, that also have very high taxes, the population can fell this sacrifice pays off!
Let's hope it would be successful and piracy would go down (hey a guy can dream can't he?).
Lets hope we have some very bloody coup d'etat here in Brazil, so we can kill every corrupt politician, then took over proper control over our economy and lower the taxes of electronics so we can heat the market, create incentives and start a real eletronic entertainment marketing, not that sorry ass charity cheap "console", that will help the local big picture of gaming/software market/production in absolutely nothing (hey a guy can dream can't he?[2])