iRiver tries to 'Wing' it with portable gaming device, still facing delays
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ May 23rd 2006 at 2:25PM }
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Engadget brings word of iRiver's WiBro gaming device, the Wing (previously known as the G10). The portable underdog is again facing delays that will likely push its launch to year's end and limit its release to Korea.The Wing is packed with some impressive features, including a 4-inch LCD, compatibility with most common audio and video formats, WiFi, WiBro, and 6GB NAND flash memory, but it's crippled by a $315 price tag. iRiver is desperate for a consumer hit, but the Wing is up against stiff (and cheaper) competition.
[Via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GL @ May 23rd 2006 2:36PM
Looks exactly like my Verizon XV6700!
Gonzo @ May 23rd 2006 2:37PM
Wow that's steeper than the psp at launch. If microsoft really is thinking about coming out with a Xpod or something like that, this iRiver is going to be dead in the water.
Andrew @ May 23rd 2006 2:37PM
it looks cool though.
neale @ May 23rd 2006 2:45PM
very smart device. buyable? thats the question
Mark Sumner @ May 23rd 2006 2:49PM
Good luck to them.
When I first saw the TapWave Zodiac, it seemed like a near perfect device to me -- compatible with all the Palm software, but with a big screen, a graphics processor, and a thumbstick. I could have one machine for taking notes, keeping data, playing music, watching movies, and playing games. And you know what, it worked darn well. Mine is still loaded up with games, while the twin SD slots hold music and movies.
Unfortunately, what it never got was support from any of the game makers. So the choice was between barely enhanced for the larger screen Palm software, or a handful of Tapwave games that were slow to come to market and often didn't live up to the expectations generated by the first couple of games that showcased the GPU.
Unless iRiver has some way of luring the big names in games down to their machine, it's hard to see how they avoid joining TapWave on the discount racks.
Jay @ May 23rd 2006 2:50PM
"Looks cool"? you clearly have not looked at the DPad. oh dear.
epobirs @ May 23rd 2006 2:53PM
Well, from the specs it certainly qualifies its price. 800x480 resolution! Thats a sharp little screen. And the built-in 6 GB of flash (plus mini-SD for further capacity) is pretty nifty, too. The $115 premium compared to a $200 PSP plus Memory Stick comes out pretty favorably.
But the same question that doomed the GamePark line for mainstream use is still there. Will there be any games worth mentioning, especially in a language I can understand without years of study?
It's the same old problem. Any group of good engineers can put together a pretty nice game platform for very litle money from off the shelf parts. It's geting a strong software operation going and marketing the thing that costs a billion dollars minimum to have a shot at cracking the US market.
A talented group creating a cool product from available parts = cheap.
Producing a mainstream game platform = very expensive.
Jay @ May 23rd 2006 2:55PM
Forgot to mention. It looks a little similar to the OQO. It's not a bad looking machine either, very stylish like. But that Dpad. No thanks. Thats like using dual dpads to play FPS games on the PSP or DS. It just won't work.
I do like the sliding controller. So you could just watch films without the obtrusive joypad getting in the way. The only problem here is the game development list. What's coming out for it? Is it destined to be the next N-Gage, frankly I think so. But I hope it does well. It's small, it's smart, it needs a new dpad.
SuicideNinja @ May 23rd 2006 2:56PM
It looks to be a better deal than the PSP at that price. If you think about it, a PSP + 4GB is about $400. Sony's all about the over-charging...
I wish the PSP would get 6GB. It needs it.
epobirs @ May 23rd 2006 3:02PM
The comemnts on the d-pad remind me of when people first saw the original PS1 controller so long ago. Nobody seemed to understand that a digital joystick or d-pad is just a set of switches that are elctronically identical to the buttons.
If I can play games on my PSP, which has a set of beveled buttons for a d-pad, I can surely do just as well on this device.
Lenbot @ May 23rd 2006 3:09PM
Music, Games, Movies, nice resolution and 6GB well the only other thing it could do is have a cell phone usage also (Joking). Nice system for a high $315, the fact I can encode my movies to dvix would make this system well worth it especially long road trips. Multi purpose usage devices are always useful. If you honestly just used it as a MP3 player it would be almost worth it and it has so much more!
Blue Spotted Frog @ May 23rd 2006 3:20PM
The Wing is "crippled by a $315 price tag" in the same way PS3 is crippled by a $499-599 price tag, IMO. The Wing is a good value for $315 considering just the flash memory alone. It features 6GB of internal flash memory versus the PSP Gigapack which comes with a 1 GB Memory Stick Duo card and sells for $300. But the problem lies in the price, not the value. $315 is just too high of an entry price for any portable game system no matter what features it comes with. And the given that PSP starts at $199 and the DS at $129, the Wing will never be able break into the crowded market of portable game systems. N-Gage, Tapwave, Gizmondo ...... when will they learn?
ResidentGamer.com @ May 23rd 2006 3:26PM
I like the design. It just needs to be at one of the the majors so that it can have the software and marketing support. Microsoft should buy them up, rebrand it, and enter the portable gaming space.
DinnyHoon @ May 23rd 2006 3:41PM
As with the PS3, we just have to forget about price until we see the quality of the launch games.
narius @ May 23rd 2006 4:09PM
My concern is that no games have been anounced. A piece of hardware, no matter how good or valued, is not a game system without games.
Since this thing is from Korea, I doubt they can sign up major Japanese or US developers.
Given the bad financial performance of the parent company of iRiver, I doubt they have enough capital to jump start the 3rd party support of this thing.
Brian @ May 23rd 2006 4:43PM
I think they should make two versions, one with a pda/cell phone in it for $400. Sell the game only version for dirt cheap. Hit two markets with a shared gaming platform. Once they have some success in the market, they can increase the price.
Amos @ May 23rd 2006 5:20PM
I wanna know what game that is on there, because it looks purty as hell. This thing is probably gonna fail due to lack of support, true, but it sure would be nice if someone other than Sony outputted a damn nice device like it with support that could easily trump their sub-par, overpriced PSP.
Neogin @ May 23rd 2006 5:28PM
Honestly, I just may consider getting one..
Edmund @ May 23rd 2006 10:24PM
Does this thing just play games? Is it an MP3 or video player too?
Seth @ May 24th 2006 3:28AM
@ Edmund,
I would say 6GB is a little too much just for game saves...
Stu L Tissimus @ May 24th 2006 9:35AM
I am an owner of an iRiver MP3 player (iHP-120, to be specific), and god damnit, I love the thing. I sincerely think that this Wing gadget actually has a chance in the market... But not if they focus on making it a games machine.
Consider this: If they added a touch screen, I doubt that the price would be anywhere over $400. With an amazing screen resolution, presumably good hardware, a touch screen, and wireless capabilites.... would this not make the perfect PDA?
Lionel @ May 25th 2006 2:40AM
I think they should just stick to mp3, maybe go into instant messaging at the most. Most owners of a PS2 own a separate DVD player. Unless the game support and hardware is up to par with the high price, people will stick to separate systems for mp3 players and prtable gaming devices.