Rumor: Dell considers gaming handheld

by Ross Miller { Jan 31st 2007 at 9:05PM }

Is Dell looking to take on the DS and PSP in the portable console front? Not likely, but it sounds like they might have found another option.

Dell's Global Gaming Chief Abizar Vakharia, at a European Innovation event in Marbella, Spain, was quoted as saying "you know, [a future gaming handheld is] definitely one that's on the radar screen, but we have no plans to talk about anything today."

Dell has shown great interest in touting itself as the premier hardware for PC gaming, even buying game-centric hardware company Alienware. Will Dell make a portable PC with a size similar to PSP? Probably, and they'll probably market its "awesome graphics and gaming capabilities." But it doesn't sound like that hardware will surface anytime soon, assuming it passes the prototype stage. We'll still lament the plethora of garbage-ware that they'll fill the device with.

[Via Engadget]

Tags: dell, hard ware, HardWare, umpc

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

TopaZ @ Jan 31st 2007 9:13PM

This could work really well if it had a touchscreen, with a stylus that had a rocker-button to allow for both left and right clicking (like Wacom tablets). Then with a d-pad or analog stick on the left side, you could actually control an FPS. Of course it must have a decent GeforceGo or Radeon Mobility in it to make it viable.

Mr Khan @ Jan 31st 2007 9:15PM

This makes 4; ladies and gentlemen

4 companies with a hat in the handheld arena

Kcon @ Jan 31st 2007 9:25PM

So its going to be rather similiar to the Gp2x or Zodiac.

Kinda the alternates to the mainstream handhelds.

NotWelshMan @ Jan 31st 2007 9:31PM

I imagine it'll be great, right up until the battery explodes and takes your hands off.

Yeah, I own a Dell laptop and had to send the battery back.

Rob Accomando @ Jan 31st 2007 10:12PM

Noo!! I was saving up for an Engage 2!

But seriously... why??? Unless it's good for the homebrew/emu scene.

nick @ Jan 31st 2007 10:31PM

No way this happens. Dell doesn't innovate. And they certainly don't enter small or emerging markets. They take existing, well established ideas and sell them cheaper-- although Alienware, on the otherhand, I don't believe has the same philosophy.

LongshotX @ Jan 31st 2007 10:51PM

Prediction 2010: Dell starts up cheap made to order gaming consoles. The industry responds in shock.

diskoboy @ Jan 31st 2007 10:59PM

@ #4 - Sony made the defective batteries.

Please address all complaints to Sony :)

Purple Haze @ Jan 31st 2007 11:01PM

I know theres The DS and the PSP but whats the other portable in the market?

Saint Jouten @ Jan 31st 2007 11:05PM

GP2X is the third, a linux handheld emulator...

Grunge @ Jan 31st 2007 11:32PM

Yay! Another handheld for the DS to stomp all over!

Elyscape @ Jan 31st 2007 11:53PM

I'm going to list companies that currently have handhelds, as well as those with somewhat-believable rumors of such. Here goes:
1) Nintendo (duh)
2) Sony
3) Nokia (ugh)
4) Tiger (does the Gizmondo count anymore?)
5) Apple
6) Microsoft
7) Dell
Everyone and their GRANDMOTHER is making freaking handheld systems. Don't we have enough?

Elyscape @ Jan 31st 2007 11:54PM

Ah, forgot:
8) GamePark
GURGH!

tekkenking @ Feb 1st 2007 2:53AM

it's not a bad idea, a 1Ghz proc with 512MB of ram would be pretty cheap these days, hell you wouldn't even need that much for a lot of things. One could put all those old games just collecting dust on it, load it up with emulators, and Dell could even sell casual games like solitaire, bejeweled, etc from their website. I would definitely get one if it were well designed and under $200.

Jon C @ Feb 1st 2007 4:01AM

They already have one, well sort of. The Axim X50v/X51v line running Windows Mobile. It has a dedicated graphic accelerator (which is wonderful for high bitrate full VGA size video). They even shipped it with some nice 3D games.

While not taken seriously by publishers and major developers (as they didn't market it as a games machine, just a PDA with gaming capability), there are some nice games by smaller developers like the fully optimised Quake Mobile, Stuntcar Extreme, Call of Duty and Tony Hawk. Then it is also compatible with hundreds of software based games like Snails, Worms, Fifa, Soccer Addict, Lemonade Tycoon etc as well as emulators.

Great for homebrew as well. With two memory card slots, one of which allows cheap CF cards; and WiFi, who needed a PSP.

Slaziman @ Feb 1st 2007 6:47AM

I have a Dell computer and it blows major ass.

The fans are like a helicopter taking off, so I had to void my warranty and replace the fan, because the Customer Support couldn't do shit about it. It has NO PCI-e slots or that other slot that I don't remember the name off to put graphic cards in (APG? dunno?), so I'm stuck with a motherboard built in graphics card piece of shit, with no way to upgrade. (Are there PCI (not PCI-e) graphic cards with good performance? Pls help)

FUCK Dell.

tracked @ Feb 1st 2007 7:10AM

Suicide. How many more dead bodies of handheld consoles must there be before wannabe handheld champion companies realise that Nintendo has a tight iron grip on the market? Nintendo is a dictator in this market. They have killed countless opponents. PSP is currently being raped by the DS and DS lite.

One advice to Dell. Stay away. In fact take out the word handheld out of the dictionary and replace it with "Nintendo".

I have spoken.