Zeebo: New Game Console Called is Backed by Qualcomm

The newest game console to come out called the Zeebo will be backed by Qualcomm. This new console however, is not intended for head to head competition with the X-Box 360, the Nintendo Wii or even the Sony PlayStation 3. In fact, it is not even intended for the United States at all. What it is intended for though is finding its very own niche in emerging markets of other countries (source: tech.yahoo.com).

The Zeebo console will differ from the traditional consoles as there will be no game discs or cartridges to buy. Instead, the company plans to let customers digitally download the games through cell phone networks that consumers won't even have to subscribe to. In doing so, the company will create an affordable way to be a gamer and because there is no physical copy of the game, make it harder for piracy to occur (source: tech.yahoo.com).

The plan of the Zeebo is a simple one. Provide a game console to different parts of the world that are craving one, but that will never be able to afford the high end ones. The company plans on selling the Zeebo in countries like Brazil for $199 later this month and plans a further roll out down the road to places like China, Eastern Europe and India for $179. It is in these markets that the company feels that there is an adequate demand for a decent gaming console at an affordable price (source: tech.yahjoo.com).

The Zeebo is said to be somewhere between the original Sony PlayStation and the PlayStation 2 when it comes to graphics and effects. While this may seem like no big deal to the gamers of America that are already enjoying consoles far more advanced, in a country where the gamers have never played the higher end consoles, it may be a very big deal. In Brazil for example, a twenty year old system called the Mega Drive (AKA the Sega Genesis here in the United States) continues to enjoy a health sales record (source: tech.yahoo.com). The Zeebo will be far advanced to such a system and probably be a welcomed change for the gamers of Brazil.

If all goes well the company plans to lower the price of the console to $149 by next year making it even more affordable for the masses (source: tech.yahoo.com). Whether or not the roll-out will work is anyone's guess. But the company knows that to be successful in the video game industry, it has to find the untapped market, which it feels and hopes it has found in these various other emerging market countries.