Panasonic wants the masses to ditch conventional handheld consoles like the PSPgo and DSi. The future – Panasonic believes – lies in a “device concept” specifically geared for online gaming.
“We heard [the] calls for online gaming products. Some gamers wanted a handheld, some wanted new content, others new experiences. In response, the Jungle was born,” Panasonic explained on a recently launched teaser page.
“Our mission [is to] create an ecosystem around online gaming [and the Jungle]. We’re also working with leading online game devs to [design] some exciting new content.”
So, what does the Jungle look like under the hood?
Well, although Panasonic has yet to officially reveal any details or specs, the folks at Gizmodo managed to score some basic information about the enigmatic device.
“[The] Jungle seems more like a tiny PC, with a full QWERTY keyboard and a touchpad along with the d-pad and shoulder buttons you’d expect in a tiny gaming console – so you can take online games from the PC with you,” explained Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan.
“[It] looks like almost like the original Game Boy Advance, but bulkier and more rugged, designed to withstand a hail of gunfire…It is not a dainty device. The heft is cradling a high definition screen…Also unconfirmed, we hear that Jungle runs a Linux OS.”
According to Buchanan, a Linux-powered mobile console could make content “tricky,” as many popular games will have to be ported over.
“You won’t be able to just load up World of Warcraft and be on your way, goldfarming while you’re in line at Starbucks, since WoW doesn’t run on Linux.
“It’s [certainly] gonna require partnerships and ports, to say the least, and this thing is going to live and die on the content it’s got. Or, it’s gotta run games in a browser,” he added.
