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Games for Zune by July 2008 photo

Looks like Microsoft is getting more and more ambitious by the day. According to Bloomberg, they are now looking to enter the handheld gaming market.

Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, will introduce video games for its Zune music player within 18 months to match features available on Apple Computer Inc.'s dominant iPod.

Peter Moore, a vice president in the company's Xbox video- game business, confirmed the plan yesterday, saying the Zune's large screen will offer a better way to play handheld games. He didn't specify what games would be offered.

I didn't think people cared much for the Zune, but if Microsoft manages to introduce some decent apps on the device, Apple might just find themselves facing serious competition. Although, I have to say, it looks like Microsoft is trying to compete with Apple, Nintendo and Sony all at the same time and depending on what they have in mind for the Zune, stretching themselves too thin may not be a very good idea. Live on the Zune would be awesome, though. Also, well-functioning and useful 360 compatibility is a must.

What do you guys think?

[Thanks to Chris Taran for the tip!] 


Continue: More Zune stories





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29 comments | showing # 1 to 29

chado53's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:07
chado53
*yawn*

if i wanted to play games on the go i don't bother with music devices...how about you have a psp that has homebrew/games/+your music.
chado53's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:08
chado53
*yawn*

if i wanted to play games on the go i don't bother with music devices...how about you have a psp that has homebrew/games/+your music.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:09
Dexter345
If it's going for iPod-caliber games, then I don't think it really counts as "entering the handheld gaming market."

But then, there are always rumors that they're working on a separate handheld gaming device...
Snaileb 's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:10
Snaileb
What do I think? I think.. that you look at that picture of Peter Moore too much, and now force that unhealthy addiction on us.
Lezbro's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:13
Lezbro
Bitch, please.

Jobs is announcing the iPhone right now.

Zune is already DOA.
galagabug 's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:13
galagabug
there's room in the market for the zune, but the lifespan of the DAP is limited.

with flash mem reaching into the 10's of gigs, we're less than 2 years away from affordable phones with substantial hard drive space. phones are very capable of gaming, music playback, and limited web functionality. zunes control scheme unfortunately limits its potential as a gaming device. gimmie a decent cell with wifi and make live easily accessible to mobile users, imo, a better stragtegy than designing hardware destined to be obsolete.


Toneman's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:14
Toneman
Has Microsoft seen the new iPhone? They should probably just give up.
dprime's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:14
dprime
The Zune is only going to have games as a gag like a cell phone. "Mp3 player with game feature." It's not going to be a DS-killer or anything.

I'd really love it if they released an "X-Boy," a full-fledged portable system, with XB1 graphics and a Halo port. That would make me swoon.
Lezbro's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:14
Lezbro
This?



Or Zune?
Lezbro's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:15
Lezbro
iPod killer? DS killer?

Shit.

The Zune isn't even the N-Gage killer.
dorock's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:22
dorock
[img]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/doroc/docbro.jpg[img]

Everytime I see that picture I think of the doctor who where its just a bunch of reality shows..

Zune is just a media player, I don't see it taking off even if they add games. Unless of coarse the games are 100x better than those on the Ipod, and the Ipod games are just a tiny bit better than the mobile games I play when I'm hiding in the bathroom at work...
dprime's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:23
dprime
Being the "iPod killer" quality-wise (not market-wise) wouldn't mean shit. The iPod is over-priced (you can get video mp3 players of equal capacity with more features and a much bigger screen for cheaper) and its target demographic is made up of angry leftists who hate Microsoft, and teenage girls who want to be trendy.

I don't know much about the Zune, though it looks fine as a simple hard drive mp3 player. But it's not going to accomplish much in the gaming game, except maybe making those looking for a music player a bit more interested for the little gag.
Namelessted's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:24
Namelessted
Jesus Christ Ishaan, you really been posting like a fucking machine. A MACHINE. Good job picking up the stories while the others get awesome swag and talk with all the cool people from M$. I am awaiting pictures of prostitutes and Peter Moore... together. Maybe get the dtoid helmet on Moore now too, that would be bomb. Who know, maybe even Bill Gates.
Sienar's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 13:43
Sienar
I bet you'll be able to play doom on the iphone.

OSX FTW!
Namelessted's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 14:11
Namelessted
This is sweet news though. They should try to roll it out sooner though. From what I have seen of the Zune, i want one more than my iPod. Sure its a bit bigger but who cares. It works nicely, i don't have to use iTunes (Zune software is sweet) andthe screen is bigger. Has wifi (this is gonna get a nice hack at some point). And if they add XBLA games of sorts with LIVE everywhere its gonna take out iTunes little games for sure. They aren't going after the Gameboyd or DS of PSP with this, this is directly after Apple iPod.
Namelessted's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 14:21
Namelessted
sort of on topic. I think the new iPhone looks cool but they tried to do too much with it. I did not expect this with Apple. the reason their iPod has been so successful is that is plays music very well, and that is all it does. They made it small, they made huge capapcity, but it all remained the same. great music playback. Yes they added video recently but most people still only use the music, Nano sell more than the big 30gb videos. This new device is so far off of the reason the iPod exists. Any item that tries to do everything like the iPhone does will not be hugely successful. If they want to sell as many iPhones as iPod, the price is going to have to come way down, and in order to do that they need to get rid of some stuff. I was almost interested in it until they started adding more features, i thought this might detract me from wantin a Zune but it doesn't.
daCuk's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 14:53
daCuk
Another soon-to-be-victim for DS.
JamesSorensen's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:01
JamesSorensen
iPhone > Zune


I am getting one ASAP
Topher Cantler's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:12
Topher Cantler
iPhone so secksaay.
Lezbro's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:14
Lezbro
The Zune is brown.

That's about it.
Kif 's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:31
Kif
Microsoft should at least hold off until the 360 is more popular. It doesn't make sense to invest so much into a handheld that will be destroyed by Nintendo without a bit more credability.
Namelessted's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:40
Namelessted
First of all the iPhone isn't greater than the Zune. The 8GB iPhone cost 600 FUCKING dollars WITH a cingular 2 year plan. It isn't available on any other service providers yet.

secondly, M$ isn't trying to compete with DS you motherfuckers. They are putting casual games on the Zune and shit like that, they aren't making a gaming handheld, they are just putting some games on the Zune.
JamesSorensen's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:49
JamesSorensen
k then namelessted,

ipod 5g > zune

already has casual games
Snaileb 's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 15:50
Snaileb
Tell em Ted!! TELL EM!!!
Namelessted's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 16:00
Namelessted
I would give you the iPod 5g argument. Obviously it comes down to preference but the iPod videos are nice and extremely popular. Its going to be harder to get those people that bought all the iPods for about $250-300 to get rid of that and spend $600
ChrisFurniss's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 18:35
ChrisFurniss
The ipod games are casual and silly. The Zune's games can only also be casual and silly. Therefore: who cares? OMG IN A YEAR I CAN PLAY BEJEWELED ON MY ZUNE!!!!!!!!!1111
Ignignokt01's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 19:23
Ignignokt01
I don't see why people bash the Zune so much? Is it worse than an iPod? Not really, so why bash it?

I'm also of the opinion that by games they mean very casual games, like tetris, card games, etc. Not like Halo portable or anything. (how would you control it!?)

Oh and the iPod phone is the most overhyped product of the year, seriously. Its like 500 dollars, for 8GB flash memory. Sure, its huge, but seriously... just buy a god damn psp. Who wants a phone that can do all that? Its just an accident waiting to happen. I for one don't want all media devices in a single piece of hardware. I just want a phone to work well as a phone, and maybe take some pics and play some mp3s. I don't need a gigantic widescreen video phone with internet browser and shit.

Plus I'd have to switch to Cingular, and I still like verizon's In-network stuff. So no deal, sorry Apple.
ttaylor's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 19:48
ttaylor
I just watched the Macworld Keynote.. The iPhone is pretty impressive but for the price and the storage I don't think it will take off right away. They're going to have to wait until the next generation iPhone until they have bigger drives and come down in price to make any sales. I think a stand alone iPod with that scrolling technology would be fucking sw33t though.
plyr3005's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/09/2007 19:54
plyr3005
hmm, I always wondered why the Zune had a dispay in my local game store.

That iPhone looks really sweet. it's a definite Razr killer. man, I want one.

Quality doesn't matter when it comes to iPod, it's brand recognition. look at the Dell DJ Ditty, competing against the Shuffle. the DJ completely owned the shuffle with it's screen, larger memory, and cheapness. the Ditty was pulled because it didn't sell. iPods won't die any time soon.

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