Rumor: Zune HD is a 'digital entertainment handheld' that does ... everything

by Alexander Sliwinski on May 15th 2009 10:15AM

TeamXbox has posted a story about the Zune HD, written this past January, using information going back to August 2008. The lengthy piece makes the Zune HD sound like an integration marvel -- something we're not exactly used to seeing from Redmond.

The Zune HD will allegedly be "a portable game console and media player," with the ability to link Microsoft's Skybox and integrate the current Zune and Xbox marketplaces. Something similar to the NXE will apparently function as the interface on the handheld. Zune HD will also allow users to play Xbox Live Arcade games either on their Xbox or on the handheld.

It all sounds so magical, Toto. When can we go to OZ?

[Via Engadget]

Source

Tags: microsoft, Xbox-360, zune, zune-hd

Reader Comments (107)

Sooo...it's like a Xbox branded PSP?

I just hope if that pic is real, there is slide out buttons or something, because i dont want to play games on a touch screen only, it just doesnt work.

iPhone and it's 400 million sold games say hey.

iPhone and it's Millions of shovelware games say "Oh noes!!!"

Whatever, dude. I've already got as many games worth playing on my iPhone than I do for my PSP, or DS for that matter.

And they're a hell of a lot cheaper, to boot.

In the words of Greg Miller "Quality before Quantity" Followed by lost of yelling...

BEYOND!

@baby sea tuna

The comment refers to the enormous amount of crap on the app store. They're a good games on the app store but I think if MS really pushed this thing some of those games might even end up on the Zune along original titles. I still think the PSP and DS will reign supreme though gaming wise.

"The comment refers to the enormous amount of crap on the app store."

There's no denying that. The App Store is filled with it's share of horse dung, however there are definitely games on the App Store that rival DS games in terms of quality.

Really, the iPhone/iPod Touch is much like the DS and Wii in that many developers dump crap on there hoping for a sucker. But then there are the few good devs that really put out fantastic stuff.

I said "I", you can have your opinion, and ill have mine, i just prefer using tactile buttons.

To all the iphone naysayers, I ask that you just try Wolfenstein 3D on the iphone. It totally changed my mind from "it's all junk and flash games" to "this could really be something".

@Damian: what wasn't considered is the fact that the Xbox wireless controllers should be able to be synced with the new device, if it has the same wireless technology. If they can't, it'll be a travesty. Because with the likelihood of an HDMI connection, you would be able to game most anywhere. I can totally see packing a controller for a trip! It's a pain to pack an entire Xbox though. Although I've done that too..

The simple fact remains that not all games can be played with only a touch screen. If you're going to call yourself a gaming device (not saying this Zune will be called one) you NEED buttons. Period.

If you want to be called a multimedia device that also happens to play games, then it can be touch screen only.

Actually, I don't mind iPhone gaming, providing the devs don't try to shoehorn virtual buttons and joystiqs onto that thing. There are games that do well on iPhone(Peggle) and games that plainly suck ass(Megaman).

The sooner the developers realise the strengths and weaknesses of the platform the better off iPhone gaming will be. Right now, I wouldn't compare it to the DS, but I am extremely satisfied with Peggle and if more devs actually got it right, we could talk about iPhone without all the flamewars we got now.

I just want to know the entry-level price point. If the thing costs $300, I'll just go ahead and pick up an iPod Touch.

Actually, if there was support for 360 controllers, how cool would it be if they included a mount to hold the zune on the controller? That'd be pretty cool.

Portable Geometry Wars...

...Please be less than 200,000 MS Points.

@Levi:
That would be awesome, maybe they could make a sized down version of the 360 controller instead, but have functionality with the normal one also.

Also i would like the 4 rings of light as the button to start it up, and it does that thing the 360 does when you start it up, with the 4 lights.

Also microsoft has said, june will be a big month for zune users, and since e3 is in june, i think there might be something announced then.

And I expect christmas presents right around the end of December. Just going with my gut feeling though.

Go to CNET and check out the other fan render. Looks more suited for gaming, but a bit uglier.

This one isn't a fan render, it's a leak.

And Microsoft enters the handheld arena - competing with the DS, PSP, and iPhone in one go. This could be good.

Especially with the Tegra tech. I am fascinated by what they have shown the Tegra devices to be able to do and think that MS could be in a really good spot to harness it and merge the gaming side of things with it.

i agree the tegra tech is looking really sweet! But i would need more than 30gb to store movies and music and games!

@atx
You do realize they have 120GB Zunes right?

Tegra Tech? Is that the Nvidia chip?

Would you rather we said "NVIDIA Tegra processor architecture" each time we referred to it? I think you could gather what we meant.

The iphone hardly counts as game system, but whatever makes you happy.

Good luck to them, cause they are gonna have one hellofa time catching the DS.

I don't think the name of the handheld is called, Zune HD. I thought they didn't have a name for it yet. They called it, "xyz" until they come up with an actual name for the handheld.

Its not supposed to exist yet.

Yeah I agree. It would be silly for them to forgo the Xbox name for Zune. Zune HD is a fine name and all, but Xbox is damn near a household name. Surely a "Xbox-boy" would sell much more.

"Xbox" doesn't exactly convey portability though. You don't put boxes in your pocket, you lug them around.

Something derivative of Xbox (the X stays) would be my guess if they were to name this rumored product. I agree though. The "Zune" name is a tough sell to a wider market, especially when it is already a tough sell to PMP consumers.

The "Zune" brand is rather tarnished anyway. They might as well call it a "TandyVision".

Yeah, apparently something along the lines of xYz is the name of the project. The device is the Y, bridging the gap between the x (Xbox360) and the z (Zune).

ZuneHDii

I think George McBain is seeing the right idea.

just as long as they don't make the first one brown

Why not Xune?

castle crashers mobile? sign me up.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 mobile? sign me up.

was thinking the same thing....

Marvel vs Capcom 2 "mobile" on THAT? -_-'

Keep dreaming..

@Infamous1

What's your problem?

you REALLY think you would be able to play that on there??? I mean seriously....

Why not? It's a pretty old game, so it's not like the hardware couldn't run it...it just might be very, very small.

nothing I mean I can see a mobile version of a game but MvC2? If you want you can play MVC 1 on PSP

As enticing as this sounds, I don't trust Microsoft hardware anymore. I'll wait to see what Sony comes up with in terms of a PSP phone, but if the Zune double as a phone with WinMo on it (which at v6.5 is awesome) I might get it.

Someone didn't read the article.

So... it's an iPod Touch then? And before you fanboys start bawwwing, it's a fair comparison. Aside from the fact it can play media and games and hax0rs your wi-fis...

Skybox = Mobile Me
Marketplace = iTunes App Store

Colour me very interested in this.

NVIDIA Tegra. :D

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Rumor: Zune HD is a 'digital entertainment handheld' that does ... everything

Reader Comments (107)

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