Hwrd
Member
from http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973...,1365126,00.asp
Review: Tapwave Zodiac PDA
Final Thoughts
Tapwave has their work cut out for them. They need to drive the Zodiac's price down to something gamers will be comfortable paying (perhaps by implementing a more aggressive software royalty structure to offset the loss on hardware). They need to strike deals with more top-tier game publishers -- or at least announce the deals they have made -- because the appearance of broad support is very important to early adopters. Most of all, they need to greatly increase the size of the "only on Zodiac" game library. We're encouraged by the swelling of game industry support Tapwave has told us about but, until we see some actual games and game announcements, it's no incentive to buy the device.
If you're looking for the next great portable game platform, the Zodiac isn't it – not yet, anyway. The hardware is there but the software has a long, long way to go. If all you care about is a great Palm-based PDA, there are more useful and economical solutions, such as the Clie PEG-TJ35 or the PalmOne Tungsten E. What the Zodiac delivers is something wholly unique: a full-fledged PDA with the hardware tweaks, form factor, and controls to play games well. The overall quality and potential of this device only further embarrasses the terrible Nokia N-Gage, which costs about the same but, even with cell-phone capability, is inferior in almost every way.
Zodiac models are shipping this month, but it's a bit of a "soft launch." Tapwave plans to have retail availability between mid-winter and spring, including a presence in game stores such as GameStop and Electronics Boutique, as well as electronics stores.. The goal is to have many more AAA games from many more large-scale publishers by then. We don't review based on potential so, for now, the Zodiac's poor software support is a real Achilles' heel.
Review: Tapwave Zodiac PDA
Final Thoughts
Tapwave has their work cut out for them. They need to drive the Zodiac's price down to something gamers will be comfortable paying (perhaps by implementing a more aggressive software royalty structure to offset the loss on hardware). They need to strike deals with more top-tier game publishers -- or at least announce the deals they have made -- because the appearance of broad support is very important to early adopters. Most of all, they need to greatly increase the size of the "only on Zodiac" game library. We're encouraged by the swelling of game industry support Tapwave has told us about but, until we see some actual games and game announcements, it's no incentive to buy the device.
If you're looking for the next great portable game platform, the Zodiac isn't it – not yet, anyway. The hardware is there but the software has a long, long way to go. If all you care about is a great Palm-based PDA, there are more useful and economical solutions, such as the Clie PEG-TJ35 or the PalmOne Tungsten E. What the Zodiac delivers is something wholly unique: a full-fledged PDA with the hardware tweaks, form factor, and controls to play games well. The overall quality and potential of this device only further embarrasses the terrible Nokia N-Gage, which costs about the same but, even with cell-phone capability, is inferior in almost every way.
Zodiac models are shipping this month, but it's a bit of a "soft launch." Tapwave plans to have retail availability between mid-winter and spring, including a presence in game stores such as GameStop and Electronics Boutique, as well as electronics stores.. The goal is to have many more AAA games from many more large-scale publishers by then. We don't review based on potential so, for now, the Zodiac's poor software support is a real Achilles' heel.