Guess there is less room now among the home videogame console market players as there is a new kid on the block to challenge the current dominance of the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Sony PS3. Zeebo will be the latest wireless videogame console to join the fray, shipping in Brazil first from next month onwards. This will not target the high end segment that are currently being dominated by the Xbox 360 and PS3, but will instead concentrate its efforts on emerging global markets by being the first affordable 3D game console that boasts secure 3G wireless game delivery while addressing the special requirements of these regions. All Zeebo systems will ship with a quartet of pre-loaded games, while owners have the option to download the fifth for free.

No console would be able to survive unless they have a bunch of reliable developers backing them up, and it is good to see Zeebo grabbing the attention of leading game publishers and developers such as Capcom, Com2uS, Digital Chocolate, EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu, Id Software, Machineworks Northwest LLC, Namco Networks and THQ, where these companies will be porting over a wide array of console, PC, dedicated handheld and high-end mobile titles to the Zeebo platform.

It will retail for $199 in Brazil – roughly one-fifth the price of mainstream leading consoles. We find that a bit hard to swallow, as that would mean the prices of mainstream consoles have been inflated greatly in Brazil – after all, isn’t the Wii a mainstream console and does it not retail for just $249 locally here? For those who are rather tight on their budget at this point in time, the Zeebo is tipped to retail for under $179 later this year while dropping to $149 or less sometime next year if the volume sold is high.

Press Release