Could a little-known company from the UK swoop in and change the way we play, create, and sell games forever. utilizing a device that looks like a super-sized Game Boy Micro? Probably not, but their heart is in the right place.
This is the GameGadget, a vague little Linux-based device that debuted today alongside an equally vague press release talking about a machine that can run any game, any time. Going on sale early next year for £99.99 (roughly $160), the GameGadget will be the hardware side of a GameGadgetGames platform, where developers old and new will be able to sell their games old and new in a safe and user-friendly environment, with proprietary DRM preventing players from doing anything funny with the goods.
"GameGadget has been designed with the ultimate goal of playing every game on a single device, just as the "iPod" was for music. Hundreds of thousands of games are currently "archived" and no longer being enjoyed by Gamers, with no value being generated for the Developers and Publishers. The launch of GameGadget creates a market for gamers to play the games they want to play. The GameGadgetGames service, just like "Apple's App Store", allows the owners of these games, to re-market their back catalogue, in their original format, set the appropriate pricing and gain incremental revenue, BUT with no additional investment".
And there really isn't that much more than that. There are no specifications or statistics, no game list or promises of hit titles; just a website where you can politely register your interest and a series of blurry photos of white device with red and blue accents. I think I see an SD card slot in there as well. It's very...white? Yes. It gleams.
This feels nothing like the debut of a device that will change the way we game forever. I'm also highly doubtful the future of gaming is coming from Blaze Interactive, the folks that have made a living off of creating dedicated handheld versions of old Sega Genesis games. Next year when we're all eagerly following the latest GameGadgetGames releases you can all point at me and laugh about my shortsightedness.
Hit up the link below for not much more on this slightly interesting device.
GameGadget [Official Website]
You can contact Michael Fahey, the author of this post, at fahey@kotaku.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.