For years now, there have been rumblings about the eBox, or its other moniker, the iSec. Yet, the console was pushed back, and then it seemed to vanish completely. Well, it's back and slated to come out soon. Real soon.
Now called CT510, this is the Chinese game console the Lenovo backed and co-invested in—the first of its kind. In China, video game consoles are banned. Yet, Beijing Eedoo Technology Ltd., the company developing the CT510, said this week that the console will be released in China on April 29. It will be priced at 3,799 yuan ($600) per unit, and it comes with eight pre-installed games.
Last fall, it was priced at 3,000 yuan, which was then $470.
Like Kinect, the CT510 features control-free motion-controls. According to Eedoo head Jack Luo, the CT510 is only the second home console to feature an entirely controller-free home console. The console is targeting casual players and not hardcore gamers. It also seems to be targeting people with $600 to spare.
China Daily reported that the console was delayed for about a year because, as Luo said, Eedoo required more time to "further improve the product and provide a better user experience".
Even though the console is slated to come out, it's unclear how this machine can bypass the Chinese game console ban, which outlaws "game boxes", and be legally sold in China.
And once it does go on sale, does that mean that Japanese and American console companies can legally sell their hardware in China?
The PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii are widely sold throughout China, but via the country's gray market.
Chinese game console about to hit market [China Daily]