handheld-devices
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MMO to go: Panasonic designing a handheld online gaming machine
While game studios are slowly forging a path to bringing MMOs to established handheld devices like the iPhone, Panasonic is looking to flip that paradigm on its head. Eurogamer reports that the company has been developing a handheld device specifically for MMOs and is poised for a major reveal. Called "The Jungle," this clamshell unit boasts a high-resolution screen, keyboard, touchpad, directional pad and several input ports. It is rumored to run the Linux OS and could work with MMO titles such as Battlestar Galactica Online and RuneScape, according to the company. The Jungle's website is scarce on content at the moment, but on its Manifesto page the developers state: "Our mission: Create an ecosystem around online gaming. At the core is a new mobile device concept designed specifically for online gamers. We're also working with leading online game developers to create some exciting new content." Whether there is a significant demand for such a product is up in the air, but this is intriguing enough to follow for the time being.
NPD: Handheld gaming growing in popularity among children
New data from the NPD shows that portable game systems are increasing in popularity among kids aged 4 to 14. 44% of kids in the U.S. between these ages use a handheld, up eight percent from a similar study in 2005. What happened since 2005? Oh, right, the PSP and DS Lite. And the iPhone, for that matter. Just eight percent? According to the report, more kids own portable game systems than other types of devices. In addition, NPD noted that many of these handhelds were acquired used, with more kids receiving used game systems in 2009 than in 2008. "Kids ages 14 and under were the primary recipient of 37 percent of hardware unit sales for the 12 months ending March 2010," NPD analyst Anita Frazier told IndustryGamers, also noting that the amount of kid-targeted digital content being downloaded is on the rise, suggesting that kids are open to the transition to digital distribution.
