Here we go (again)

Here we go again, some company thinks it can beat Nintendo on the handheld market. This time, it's aimed for the elderly gamers (as was the SP).

Here we go again, some company thinks it can beat Nintendo on the handheld market. This time, it's aimed for the elderly gamers (as was the SP).

Tapwave is the name of the company, a start-up company from the heart of Silicon Valley. Today, they're supposed to announce a new competitor for Nintendo's GBA and GBA SP, and Nokia's NGage: The Helix device.

The Helix device will be a new handheld entertainment device, which is also capable of running Palm-based software. This makes the device a game-machine with organizer-options, aimed for the "older gamers who have outgrown Nintendo's GBA and also want the basic functions of a handheld organizer". Whether there are people like that, remains the question.

Tough competition from Nintendo and Nokia are expected, Tapwave however hopes to beat their rivals with superior technology, and a focus on gaming (like Nintendo isn't focussed on gaming)...

The Helix will play games, MP3 audio files and feature films, display photos and run Palm applications such as the calendar and address book. It won't be capable of 3D rendering, however some 3D software from Fathammer will be included to emulate 3D rendering on the 3.8 inch (diagonally measured) screen.

According to our source, the Helix will also feature a built-in analog joystick and a screen with a higher resolution and more colors than the GBA SP and the NGAge. Trigger buttons on the sides, built in stereo sound and a headphone jack will also be part of the machinery.

Tapwave's news does come with a bang. Especially because they also announced that they've already got some interesting game-publishing partners: Activision, Midway, Infogrames and Digital Eclipse are all big names that were mentioned.

src: The Mercury News

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