Panasonic shelves their Portable Gaming Device!

[kurasakiichimaru]

What with the 3DS, the Xperia Play, Sony’s upcoming NGP (aka the PSP2), and the myriad of tablets and smartphones out there, the portable gaming console market is a tank full of sharks these days. While most companies would understandably be intimidated when entering such a stiff competition, it seems Panasonic has decided to steer clear altogether. The company has decided to shelve the portable games console it announced last October. Dubbed Jungle, the device was supposed to be exclusively for online gaming and MMORPG and packed a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad along with the d-pad and shoulder buttons. At the time, Panasonic seemed pretty pumped about the console, however, it seems to have gone off the device for now.

Reuters cites a statement released by the company that blames changes in the market for the axing of the Jungle. "Panasonic decided to suspend further development due to changes in the market and in our own strategic direction." Panasonic said. Of course, it’s important to note that the company was careful to use the word “suspend” so it’s possible we may see another iteration of the Jungle at some point in the future, when Panasonic next reevaluates its strategic direction. Who knows?

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Panasonic-Jungle-Cancel-Suspend-Axe-Portable-Console,news-10299.html