The Gizmondo was a portable gaming console developed by Tiger Telematics. Over 5,000 units were sold in the United Kingdom, and a few more thousand, in the United States. Compared to the Nintendo DS, and PSP, it was a commercial failure. It was out in the market for about 8 months before Tiger Telematics went bankrupts.
http://www.answers.com/Gizmondo
So, why exactly did the console fail? Was the console itself a horrible console? Or did the company, Tiger Telematics, not know how to market it properly? Well, since most of the reasons why the console failed was the fault of Tiger Telematics, and not the console itself, I think it's unfair to criticise the console as a failure.
How do you determine if something is a failure? I think there is no such thing as a video game console, or portable, that is a failure. The only time something appears to be a failure, is if it is compared to something more successful. For example, the Sega Gamegear would be considered a success if compared to the Atari Lynx, but would be considered a failure if compared to the Playstation Portable. The Playstation Portable would be considered a success if compared to the Gameboy Micro, but would be considered a failure if compared to the Nintendo DS. The Gizmondo would be considered a success if compared to the Sega Neptune, or Atari Cosmos, but would be considered a failure if compared to the Nokia N-Gage. Even the Playstation 2 would be considered a failure if compared to all other consoles combined, or many other things not associated with the video game industry. If you don't compare one console, with another, and look at the console itself, for what it is, then I think you could agree that every single console is a marvel of genius. It's only when you start comparing consoles with other consoles, does the inferior one appear to be a failure.
If the Gizmondo went back in time a few thousand years, the Gizmondo would be best thing man had ever seen. Then again, with today's technology, practically anything would amaze people of thousands of years ago. But would the Gizmondo need to be sent back into time to appear to be a success? Absolutely not. Although the Gizmondo did not sell nearly as many consoles as its competitors, the Nintendo DS, and the Playstation Portable, the hardware in the console exceeds both the Nintendo DS, and the Playstation Portable.
Take a look at this comparison chart of video game handhelds:
http://www.answers.com/topic/comparison-of-handheld-gaming-consoles
Can the Playstation Portable do this?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfp8id6bpDU
So why did the console fail? Is the Gizmondo to blame, or is Tiger Telematics to blame? Well, most of the reasons that lead to end of the console's short reign having nothing to do with the console itself.
For example, the price of the Gizmondo retailed for $229.99 U.S., slightly more expensive than the Playstation Portable. However, you were forced to view up to three advertismenets a day. But, there was also one, that didn't make you view advertisements at all, for $399.99 U.S., far more expensive than the Playstation Portable. However, the price of a console has absolutely nothing to do with the console itself. The price of a console only serves as a barrier between you, and the console. The console is not inside the barrier (the price), it is simply behind it. For example, the price of a diamond would not decrease because there was more rock that needed to be removed, between you, and the diamond. In fact, the amount of rock between you and the diamond, would only increase the diamond's price. Because you are paying more for the portable you are getting more value in exchange. In fact, a superior portable costs more to buy. You get what you pay for. Even better, the console only costs approximately $50-$80 U.S., far lower than it was ever before.
Another factor would be the way the company advertised the portable. I don't know about you, but I would much rather pay $229.99 U.S. for the one that played three advertisements a day. I would just put the Gizmondo down for a while, and return later, when it was finished playing the advertisements. And since Tiger Telematics went bankrupt, no Gizmondo plays the advertisements anymore, anyways. However, outside the console itself, there were very little advertisements done by the company. Is this the portable's fault? Does this fact make the portable inferior to the Nintendo DS? No. This is the company's fault, and has nothing to do with the portable itself.
Those are the two main reasons why the Gizmondo failed, and none of them had to do with the Gizmondo itself. However, there are a few reasons why the Gizmondo failed, which had nothing to do with the price, or advertisments, but because of the Gizmondo itself.
For one, the screen of the Gizmondo was much smaller than the Playstation Portable, and was even slightly smaller than one Nintendo DS screen (by the way, when you add both the Nintendo DS's screens together, they are almost equivilent to one Playstation Portable screen; a little bigger, or a little smaller), and the Gameboy Advance screen. However, the screen is bigger than the Gameboy Micro's screen, but then again, because the Gameboy Micro was so small, most of it was a screen (about 80% I'm assuming), and since the Gizmondo is so much larger, even though it has a bigger screen, most of it was not the screen (I'm assuming 45% of the portable, was the screen, but the rubbery material it was made out of. However, I viewed the exact same picture on the Playstation Portable, as I did on my Gizmondo, and I must say, the clearity on the Gizmondo far surpassed the Playstation Portable's, and the screen is almost as bright as the Playstation Portable's.
Battery life also plagued the portable. However, battery life plagued almost every single portable, electronic device. Therefore, the question isn't, "Is the battery life bad?," but, "How bad?" Well, the battery life is about equivilent to the battery life of a Playstation Portable, and might be slightly worse than the Nintendo DS. Therefore, to criticise the Gizmondo on this one fault simply does not class the console as inferior to its competitors.
The most important rule in game consoles, and portables, are the games. Pictures, movies, and music (three of the most typical things that companies throw into their game consoles, or other electronics). The Gizmondo was technically far superior than the Playstation Portable, and Nintendo DS. However, the reason why it was doomed, and also, practically the only reason why all of the other portables, and consoles, failed, was its lack of games. The Gameboy beat the Sega Gamegear almost mainly because it had far better games, and slightly because it was smaller, and didn't have that bad of a battery life. The Nintendo DS is beating the Playstation Portable for practically the exact same reasons. The Gizmondo has almost everything, except for the games. With only about 9 games out in the United States (I believe there were about 6 others in the United Kingdom), it couldn't touch the Nintendo DS, and Playstation Portable. However, it was not doomed from the beginning. Every single portable, and console, has potenitial, at the beginning. For example, it's impossible to tell which baby will become richer when he, or she, grows up. Depending on what route in life that baby will take, will most certainly decide his or her out come in life. Depending on what route a portable gaming console takes, will also determine its out come.
Every single console's, or portable's weakness can be battled out with something stronger. The Gameboy was very weak compared to the Gamegear, yet it battled it out with the games, which was one of the only things it had against the Gamegear. If the Gizmondo had better games, its out come would have been different. The judge a portable, or console, at launch, is pure hatred. Anyways, you can download Gizmondo games for free now. There are about 35 Gizmondo games you can download now, since many games, never released, are now available for download. Also, the Gizmondo can play every single Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, Playstation, and many other games, via emulation. I don't think you could hate any portable that can play Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Sure, the portable was pretty bad then, but look at it now! No more advertisements that you have to watch every day. They cost a considerable amount cheaper. You can download 35 Gizmondo games, for free. You can download almost every other game, from any other system, in history. They are a collector's item. Not many people have them. They can now explore the Internet, and do many other things. Check it out for yourself:
http://www.giz.stu.ac/homebrew_main.asp
Even back then, the portable had its advantages. It's the first portable in gaming history to have a built in camera, and augmented reality technology (as you may have seen in the provided video). It's the most technologically advanced, easiest homebrew capabilities, most comfortable design to hold (at least I personally think so), made from a near scratchless, rubbery material (which means they wont end up looking like garbage, ten years down the road, unlike the Playstation 3, which scratches like an iPod Nano), extremely durable, and has movie quality, sound quality, and picture quality, that surpasses the Playstation Portable, and its graphics, far suprass the Nintendo DS, and rival the Playstation Portable. In fact, some of the games on the Gizmondo look better than some of the games on the Playstation Portable. Although the Gizmondo does not have very many games, the games it does have, got pretty good reviews. And besides, most people who own a portable, or console, have no more than 9 games for it (the number of games released in the United States, or the number of outstanding games ever released for the console). Check out Trailblazers, and Richard Burns Rally:
http://www.gizmondoforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3107
http://www.gizmondoforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3114
Anyone who classes the Gizmondo as the worst gaming console in history has absolutely no idea the potential that the console still has, and the supremecy it possesses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z2NOsqdXro
Notice how almost all of the negative information on the Gizmondo itself has nothing to do with the Gizmondo, but the company itself. Okay, so the company that developed the Gizmondo was not successful. That doesn't make the Gizmondo a bad console. For example, some people don't like Leonardo Dicaprio, but just because he starred in the movie, "Titanic," doesn't mean that the movie sucks. The company, Tiger Telematics, and the Gizmondo, are two different things. Tiger Telematics made some bad decisions, yet the Gizmondo is a monument of technology. It has the best graphics seen in a portable, next to the Playstation Portable. And like I said before, some of the games on the Gizmondo, are better than some of the games on the Playstation Portable.
Why is it that almost everthing good, on a hated console, or portable, is ignored? Those who don't like the Gizmondo, don't want to like it. People want other consoles, or portables, to be failures, to make the consoles, or portables, that they own, seem more superior. If this is not the case, then how come those who own Gizmondos aren't complaining about it nearly as much as those who don't?
There are many other, great things that the Gizmondo can do, that is not listed in this thread. Look into it yourself, in other places in the Internet. You'll be surprised on how under rated the Gizmondo is. In fact, I think that the Gizmondo may be, "The most under rated gaming portable of all time."
So like I said, a console is only considered to be a failure if comared to a more successful console. Well, I own a Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance SP, Gameboy Micro, Nintendo DS Lite, Game Gear, Playstation Portable, and the Gizmondo, and I view the Gizmondo as a marvelous piece of technology, and not a failure, even if I compare it to its competitors. The company who developed the Gizmondo was not successful, but the Gizmondo itself, is a high class piece of engineering. Only after the demise of Tiger, has the Gizmondo shown its true power.
