Hey Microsoft! Forget the Zune, how about a Handheld instead?

Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 05:56

Your IT - Entertainment

It will be a couple of years before the UMPC Origami project hits a perpetual motion stride.  So in the meantime, let’s crank out a gaming hand held device, a grown up one aimed at gamers beyond the casual, but with all the casual requirements.

Microsoft already has a stated online direction for its gaming focus, the hand held market is one area it is yet to tackle.  Here is my MS Xbox Portable wish list in no particular order;

Sophistic Adult Styling – I don’t want to be laughed at on the commuter train.

Decent sized screen.

Decent capacity – at least 10G.

WiFi connectivity to Internet. Allow browsing as well as firmware upgrades.

WiFi connectivity to Xbox360.

WiFi connectivity to other MS Xbox Portables.

Integration with Xbox 360 software.  Obviously Xbox Live will be part of this.

None – Or at least very little DRM.

Ability to play wide range of file formats.

Integration with other apps, yep even Media Player.

Developer support from day one.

Power, Graphics, Sound, Processing.  But with decent battery time.

Is it possible?  Surely, just move those developers fruitlessly banging away at the iPod killer into a deeper darker dungeon to produce a drool worthy little white and green hand held.  At least have somebody start working on a cool name.  The Xmike maybe ?