A new challenger has entered the videogame handheld arena: Panasonic’s Jungle.
A new gaming handheld from Panasonic seemingly came out of nowhere this evening after rumors were flying that a mysterious piece of electronics would be revealed on MTV. These rumors turned out to be true with the reveal of Panasonic’s Jungle.
After the star of Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory had explained the double-hand pervert wave and dressed up as a rideable human skateboard, his desire to be a jingle writer brought Panasonic to reveal the Jungle through the show, which might be a product not even in the same class as the DS, PSP, or upcoming 3DS. The Jungle is billed specifically as a handheld device for online games.
Details are still sparse, but the Jungle’s website reveals that it’ll be playing titles like the previously revealed Battlestar Galactica MMO, so PC-centric titles are in the cards. Whether it just plays browser-based MMOs or can handle the stronger stuff like World of Warcraft remains to be seen. Either way, it could fill a unique space in the gaming industry, if it doesn’t go down like Panasonic’s 3DO.
The Jungle has a clamshell design like a Nintendo DS, but incorporates a full keyboard below a touch pad and what look like two D-pads on its lower half. The upper half holds a screen that looks quite large for a handheld. It apparently has various slots in the front for possible memory cards or perhaps a video-out.
More information should be out on the device soon, hopefully including technical specifications, price, and what exactly it’ll be able to handle. Hey, wait, are my eyes deceiving me or is that a picture of World of Warcraft being shown on the system in this accompanying screen grab from a promo video? Edit: No, the image is artwork from Runescape. Wishful thinking.
Published: Oct 5, 2010 02:40 am