Hot on the heels of the Origami Ultra Mobile PC comes the unsurprising announcement that Microsoft are now working on a handheld version of their successful Xbox games console. At least according to Dean Takahashi, author of a book about the launch of the Xbox 360
According to the
gamesindustry.biz site the handheld will be designed purely to deliver entertainment applications and so therefore will be competing in the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS space:
In an article for the San Jose Mercury, Takashi claims that "sources familiar with the project" have revealed that the new device will allow users to watch movies and listen to music as well as play games. Unlike the recently announced Origami tablet PC, the handheld's focus will be solely to deliver entertainment.
Takahasi said that Xbox executive J Allard is heading up the project together with Greg Gibson, who was system designer for the Xbox 360. Finance chief Bryan Lee will oversee the business side.
Takahashi also claimed that chip manufacturer Transmeta has already assigned 30 engineers to work on a "secret project" with Microsoft, and that Transmeta has experience of reducing chip power so that they can be used in handheld machines without causing too much of a drain on battery life.
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One wonders whether some of this technology might find it's way into an Origami mkII given the way that Origami has been so poorly received thus far based on it's size, weight, battery life and cost.
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