Wireless Zeebo Brings Gaming to Emerging Markets
A new wireless video game console is debuting in Brazil. Dubbed Zeebo, its makers are billing it as the first affordable 3-D game console designed specifically for emerging global markets — and it’s backed by Qualcomm.
Secure 3G wireless game delivery is one of Zeebo’s hallmarks. The console fills a gap in emerging markets where content for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony PlayStation 3 is too expensive for the middle class, or is not culturally or locally relevant. Software piracy also makes these markets unattractive for content providers.
“The Zeebo console will deliver a truly engaging and entertaining gaming experience to a potential billion new consumers around the world, many of whom have never experienced gaming in the home,” said John Rizzo, CEO of Zeebo. “The system provides an intuitive, quick and easy-to-use home-shopping user experience featuring popular, culturally optimized content from leading game publishers and developers around the world. It also delivers high value and warranty protection compared to gray-market products, with no need for a separate wireless access plan.”
Untapped Consumer Markets
The Zeebo system ships with four embedded games and gives users the ability to download a fifth title free. It carries a suggested retail price of US$199 in Brazil. That’s nearly one-fifth the price of mainstream leading consoles. In other international markets, Zeebo is expected to retail for less than US$179 this year and well below US$149 in volume next year.
Game publishers and developers like Capcom, Com2uS, Digital Chocolate, EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu, Id Software, Machineworks Northwest, Namco Networks and THQ are porting console, PC, dedicated handheld, and high-end mobile titles to the Zeebo platform.
“Zeebo is bringing an innovative console and distribution model to untapped consumer markets with significant potential,” said Michael Pachter, director of research for Wedbush Morgan Securities.
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