Tapwave Zodiac (formerly Helix)

I posted some of this in an N-Gage thread here, but with the release of new information on this system, it might be time to give it its own thread.

A while back, I mentioned a system called the Tapwave Helix, which is supposed to come out later this year. It has some very nice specifications--maybe not as good as Sony's PSP, but it looks like it should be pretty far ahead of the N-Gage, at least from a gaming perspective. They've also signed Activision, Midway, Atari, and Digital Eclipse for development on this system (hopefully Digital Eclipse will be doing some tasty arcade emulation :) ). Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and Neverwinter Nights have already been named as launch titles.

Despite the very impressive specs, I had heard very little about the Helix in the press. A few magazines and Web sites have made brief mentions of it, but that's about all. Today, however, this article from CNN/Money has shed some more light on the Helix...or, should I say, the Zodiac.

Here's some of the new information that was revealed:

• The name of the system was changed from Helix to Zodiac.
• It will be available starting in September, but only through online purchases. It won't be available in brick-and-mortar stores until 2004.
• 15-20 games will be available at launch, including Neverwinter Nights, Spy Hunter, Tony Hawk and Doom II. The games will cost $29.95.
• The two SD card slots can support SDIO (for wireless cards and such).
• Dual rechargeable batteries that last up to 16 hours.
• There will be two versions of the system--a version with 32 MB of RAM for $299, and a version with 128 MB for $399.

How do you think the Zodiac will fare in the market? It might eventually get squashed by the arrival of the PSP (or it might not), and I doubt it would cause massive amounts of GBA owners to throw the GBA in the trash, but could this machine at least carve out a niche?

Also, how do you think Zodiac will do going up against N-Gage? The hardware seems a lot (and by that, I mean a lot) more powerful than N-Gage as a pure gaming system, at the same price. It doesn't have the cell phone capabilities, although with the Bluetooth networking, you could hook up to a Bluetooth cell phone anyway. Just about everything else seems superior. It's got a much larger and versatile screen (480x320 resolution with landscape orientation, or 320x480 with portrait orientation), built-in stereo speakers, dual card slots (hopefully more accessible than the slot on the N-Gage), and possibly more software off the bat (not counting Palm OS games, which it can also use).

I think the initial $299 price tag is going to be hard to swallow, particularly if you can't put your hands on a demo unit at a store and try it. I was hoping that it would be closer to the rumored $199, but it wasn't. Hopefully the price will drop before the Sony PSP comes out, at which point things will get mighty interesting in this market. At that point, it will almost certainly have at least the homebrew/emulation niche community behind it (like the Game Park GP32), but they'll need to make a big push into retail quickly if they want more than niche success.

By the way, I thought that Helix was a much cooler name than Zodiac. :)

What do you think?

It certainly sounds promising. The website is all spiffy doodle too. But it doesnt really ammount to anything. I wish they would show more on thier site than they do.

Do the different memory sizes affect the games? I would hate to get it, only to find out that the games I want are on the more expensive system y'know? Anything has potential of course, but the PSP has far more potential to knock Nintendo off the hill than anyone else at this moment. I wanna see something more substantial on this little machine, though as of now, it seems cool.

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Originally Posted by Agent X

[*]15-20 games will be available at launch, including Neverwinter Nights, Spy Hunter, Tony Hawk and Doom II. The games will cost $29.95.

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NWN? weird. how yoge-tacular!

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Originally Posted by Agent X

RAM for $299, and a version with 128 MB for $399.

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oh, nothing rocks more than a console with multiple configurations. =P

and that is hella expensive. i think i'll wait for PSP.

Too expensive. Multiple versions? WTH are they thinking? That's just asking to die. Quickly.

It might JUST outsell the N-Gage (although Tapwave don't have anywhere NEAR the brand recognition of Nokia), but there's no way it'll kick GBA or PSP off. Off anything.

I'll wait for it to show up in charity stores for a fiver, and maybe buy one then. ;)

$299 is WAY too much for a handheld. For that price, it better have TV Out. I don't like the idea of a $399 upscale version either- that's going to divide the market ala 32X, especially if there's a blurb on a game box saying "For 128MB Zodiac System ONLY".

The TZ will be in jeopardy when the PSP hits the market, most likely. Price is crucial in the handheld market especially if Sony delivers the goods for $149 or less (I hope the PSP doesn't cost more than $150 at launch).

I don't think the "multiple configurations" thing is something to be worried about. Remember, this device can be also used as a PDA. I think the extra RAM is mainly for PDA applications; it'll probably be used mainly for storage, such as holding MP3 files.

I supposed it could be a concern that Zodiac games might someday require more than 32 MB of RAM, but I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future, and I doubt they would want to fragment the market.

Here is an article with more information on the Zodiac, including an artist's rendition of what the machine itself might look like. They also have links to an article on another site with screens of the user interface, and a game called Galactic Realms. The screens on that site have a rather large watermark, but here are the Galactic Realms screens without the watermark.

[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_01.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_02.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_03.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_04.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_05.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_06.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_07.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_08.jpg[/thumbnail]
[thumbnail]http://www.crimsonfire.com/gr_09.jpg[/thumbnail]

As usual, I hope that this thing does well because I am always pulling for the portable underdogs. Handheld gaming needs a kick in the arse and is ripe for competition, which is why we are seeing so many new systems in the works.

The Zodiac seems... ok.. but a bit lacklustre. My main problem with it is the price. It's way way way way too much, especially for a company with no track record and lukewarm game support so far. A big name in gaming can get away with overpricing a system, because consumers know what kind of software will be there. In this case you'd be taking a huge gamble.

I recognise how much more capable a system like this is than GBA. The games will probably be a few generations ahead. The system will probably be more ergonomic and certainly have more non-gaming features, but if the #1 feature is intended to be gaming then it needs more competitive pricing and an impressive software lineup. Personally, I would not want to spend much more than $150u on a system like this - and even then I would have to think long and hard about it and want to see some kind of killer app.

I am not terribly concerned about the 2 models, because like Agent X I would presume the extra RAM is related to the non gaming apps. Last but not least, the name "Helix" is 1000x better than "Zodiac". :\

In spite of my concerns I will be hoping that the system turns out good and sells well. I just hope that the price comes down a lot and some interesting software is in the works. :)

Brighthand just posted this new article about the Zodiac. They'll begin taking orders for it in about two weeks, and it's supposed to ship in October. There's also a picture of the device in that article.

Also, you can click here for a CNET video interview with one of the bigwigs at Tapwave. They actually demonstrate the Zodiac unit in the video. They briefly showed Spy Hunter and some bowling game that resembles a bowling game they have on Yahoo! Games (which, BTW, is quite fun). The interview is very good and worth the click; the Tapwave guy seemed to be sincere and down-to-Earth, as opposed to the usual suits who rattle off feel-good catch-phrases and take cheap pot shots at their competitors.

It's a very nice looking piece of hardware. The price is still way too high for me (drop it another $100 and then you have my interest), but for what it is, I think the hardware is much more appealing than the N-Gage at the same price. Too bad it's not being sold in stores for this holiday season--which is a real lucky break for Nokia, because if the Zodiac were sitting on the shelf next to it, then the N-Gage wouldn't stand a chance.

I would like to hear more about the games that they'll be producing, though. I assume they're saving most of the game announcements for when they begin taking orders (the video interview hinted that their site will be revamped at that time). Nokia is doing a much better job in this regard, although I'm not exactly floored by their selection.

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Originally Posted by Agent X

The price is still way too high for me (drop it another $100 and then you have my interest),

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They'd have to drop it at least $150 and probably $200 to get mine. :\

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Originally Posted by Agent X

I would like to hear more about the games that they'll be producing, though.

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Same, here. Content is always the key. If they manage to get some good games, my interest will increast tenfold. As it is right now I think it looks like nice hardware, so I hope it gets some games that make it worthwhile.

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Originally Posted by sggg

Same, here. Content is always the key. If they manage to get some good games, my interest will increast tenfold. As it is right now I think it looks like nice hardware, so I hope it gets some games that make it worthwhile.

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Well, today's the 17th and Tapwave has indeed updated their site and announced some titles. You can go to this page to start browsing the game library. They have a "featured games" section, which mostly has the big-name games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and Spy Hunter, and another page creatively titled "more games" which mostly has simpler puzzle and parlor-style games (though some of them look like fun--the bowling game was on the CNET video).

The game selection seems OK so far. N-Gage still seems to have more games than the number of Zodiac-specific titles, but the Zodiac library seems to have a better mix of ports and original games whereas N-Gage seems mostly focused on ports.

The screens of THPS4 make it look like the GBA version with its isometric perspective, although with higher resolution and more color and detail. I was hoping for the fully 3D "behind the skater" game that's on other systems--that might've made a good demonstration of the system's potential. The N-Gage THPS game is 3D, though it's also at much lower resolution.

The two models have specific names now. The 32 MB model is the Zodiac 1, and the 128 MB model is the Zodiac 2. Both come with two games: Stuntcar Extreme and AcidSolitaire.

Anyone want to share some thoughts on this system or the game library?

Game selection and pricing ($20-30, or even as low as $10 in a few cases) do not look too bad. The system remains too expensive however- the GBA won't be eating its heart out over the Helix.

Lower it to $150 and we can talk.

The games look pretty nice! They definitely need to work on the selection, but it seems the system will be quite capable. :)



There was some news today, as well:

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Zodiac primed for preorders

Tapwave makes its new handheld available for
preorder, shows off new device at the DEMOmobile conference.

Founded in May 2001, "mobile entertainment gear" startup Tapwave announced recently that its handheld console, the Zodiac, is available for preorder at its Web site.

Tapwave demonstrated the Zodiac's capabilities at the three-day DEMOmobile conference, held September 17-19 in La Jolla, California.

DEMOmobile showcases various upcoming technologies likely to impact the marketplace and displays a selected group of mobile technologies to executives, analysts, venture capitalists, product developers, and journalists.

Available in late October, the Zodiac is a multifunction device that offers games, PDA functionality, an MP3 player, and photo and video viewer.

Games scheduled to be available at launch include Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Doom II, and Midway's Spy Hunter. In the months following, Zodiac is scheduled to have Neverwinter Nights, various Sega Genesis titles, and a Duke Nukem mobile game available.

Zodiac comes bundled with two games, Stuntcar Extreme by Vasara Games and AcidSolitaire by Red Mercury.

Two models of the Zodiac are available for preorder: The Zodiac 1 has 32MB of internal RAM and is priced at $299, while the Zodiac 2 has 128MB of internal RAM and is priced at $399. Compatible with SD flash cards and offering IrDA and Bluetooth multiplayer gaming, Zodiac runs an enhanced version of the Palm OS 5.2T and is therefore compatible with 19,000 existing applications, according to Tapwave.

* http://gamespot.com/all/news/news_6075416.html

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The "Sega Genesis titles" bit is somewhat interesting. I wonder what they have up their sleeve there.

Regardless, my opinion is unchanged. I hope it does well but it's tooooo expensive and they need more appealing software. :chunobi:

The games look fantastic, barring some cheap-looking textures in SpyHunter. I'm kind of surprised at how many features it has, and I've got to give it up to Tapwave for their great site on the game, which has pics of many of the features in action, the Zodiac will also have two software titles packed in, which is a nice touch. If Tapwave sticks to this thing as a hobbyist system, and doesn't shoot just for the casual gamers, they could really have something. The price is a bit high for it to do well in the market as well.

1, Somewhat of a review:
* http://forums.pdabuzz.net/showthread...threadid=48076

2, Neat image:
http://207.44.176.77/~admin28/zodiac...lmsource03.jpg
* from: http://www.zodiacgamer.com/

That looks pretty impressive. Everything I read about the system seems pretty cool. I will be hoping it does well, maybe I'll jump on board when the price comes down (significantly). If I was the kind of person who used a PDA I'd consider getting one...

Wow, that review pretty much sold me on getting one when they come down in price. It packs a lot of punch for a portable.

While I am impressed, I'd like to see what PSP looks like before I'd commit to this system so soon. At least you can assume PSP will have a solid software lineup - while that remains to be seen with Zodiac.

I am pulling for it though. :)

It wouid be cool if you could play RoMs on it. SNES,NES,Gen,MAME that would make it worth getting

I'll be doing an article on this console shortly. Tapwave/Zodiac is supposed to cooperate with us/me as far as reviews are concerned and we might get an early console for evaluation. Look for my article in the next few days.

I look forward to seeing it, Haoh.

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Originally Posted by Jeremy

I look forward to seeing it, Haoh.

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Ditto.

The CNET video I referred to earlier, which was taken down shortly after I posted it (supposedly at Tapwave's request, since it leaked too much information too early), is now back up. You can click here to view it.

Also, here are two sites that have sprung up recently that are dedicated to the Zodiac:

http://www.tapland.com

http://www.zodiacgamer.com

GMR and/or GI, can't remember which one exactly since I got them both today, has a feature on the Zodiac. Nothing but praise for it so far, barring the price.

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Originally Posted by Agent X

The CNET video I referred to earlier, which was taken down shortly after I posted it (supposedly at Tapwave's request, since it leaked too much information too early), is now back up. You can click here to view it.

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Damn, that looks very very impressive in "real life". It looks much more stylish than it does in still photos, not that it looks bad in stills.

I dig the vid, it looks a lot smaller and more sleek in the vid than in pics. Definitely seems like something that could appeal to both tech-savy folks, and casual consumers.

I have a friend who preordered a Zodiac 2 from Tapwave's site last week. It should be shipping in a few days.

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Originally Posted by sggg

http://207.44.176.77/~admin28/zodiac...lmsource03.jpg

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Wow. :eek:
What a beautiful screen.

I'll be pulling for this one. If it stays healthy and has a decent lineup of software after a while, I might get it.

Wow, man. This thing is looking more and more nifty by the day.

ANyone know the price? I'm not about to go hunting it down.

Yea its $300 for the 32 meg model and $400 for the 128 meg. That price is actually pretty good for comparable PDAs... and Ill tell you one thing, a Tapwave Zodiac at $300-$400 is a much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much much better buy than the N-Gage for the same price.

Remember its a PDA so you can run all of the Palm software, and no doubt people are working on, or have, emulators so you can play classic titles. Its like the GamePark 32 taken to a whole new level.

I love how the Neverwinter Nights looks (remember I said that game is an 11/10):

That was about 1,000,000 too few "much"'s.

I just cannot emphasize enough how much better it is to buy this than N-Gage.

I'm really interested in the Zodiac. It just seems like they built it right, and did some thinking before throwing it out there. The CEO/representative in the CNet interview seemed very intelligent and practical, I don't understand why the N-Gage and *cough*Phantom*cough* have been handled so unprofessionally, while a tiny company like this really has it's act together.

Anyway, like everyone else, the price is just too high for me, but I really like the machine, and really hope it is successful on the scale that Tapwave expects, so that they continue to support it. If it's still around in a few months when I'm going to be in the market for a PDA, I'll certainly be heading in the Zodiac's direction.

IGN has a system launch article up - http://pocket.ign.com/articles/457/457937p1.html

Of note -

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The company has also revealed that Sega will produce emulated Genesis packs, including games such as Golden Axe 3 and Altered Beast on the Zodiac system. Commodore 64 and Atari 2600 retro packs are also in the works.

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Also, according to folks on the boards there, you can have custom soundtracks during games thanks to the mp3 playback.

Some Zodiac-related links courtesy of folks on the IGN boards:
http://www.zodiacgamer.com/
http://www.tapland.com - this one has a pic of web browsing with the Zodiac, and it looks amazing. It also has links to vids of it.

Wait... Golden Axe 3?
Wasn't that never released in America?

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

... and no doubt people are working on, or have, emulators so you can play classic titles...

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KalemSoft Nes Emu for Palm It works pretty well so far. Many of the NES games work at decent speed though the sound needs work. I use the Sony game controller and it's about as good as I could ask for when I want some River City Ransom on the go.

Looks like they're working on a GameGear emu as well...

I don't recall it ever being available in the U.S., and GameFAQs' listing for it verifies that. I'm looking at screens of it now (http://www.vgmuseum.com/pics4/golden3.html), and I must say, it looks beautiful.

I can't spend $300 on this, but if it lasts long enough to get down to $200 I think I'm gonna have to get it. I'm totally in love with the design, and the Palm compatibility (which means emus and homebrews galore) guaruntees longevity.

I've been meaning to get a PDA for my job for a while now... I can hold off for this and justify the $300 since I'll be using the PDA applications a lot.

Spiffy.

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Originally Posted by Six

KalemSoft Nes Emu for Palm It works pretty well so far. Many of the NES games work at decent speed though the sound needs work. I use the Sony game controller and it's about as good as I could ask for when I want some River City Ransom on the go.

Looks like they're working on a GameGear emu as well...

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I really don't get why the GBA has really respectable full speed NES emulation, with compatibility to rival PC emus, good mapper support, and even good sound and yet PalmOS can't even play Mario 3 yet. Can someone shed some light on this?

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Originally Posted by Frogacuda

I really don't get why the GBA has really respectable full speed NES emulation, with compatibility to rival PC emus, good mapper support, and even good sound and yet PalmOS can't even play Mario 3 yet. Can someone shed some light on this?

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The developer in charge of the Palm-based project doesn't have either the time, skills or assistance needed to finish the job.

Someone who visits the Zodiac Gamer site got his Zodiac a few days ago, and sent videos of several of the games.

Go here, scroll down a bit, look for "Updated: Christopher is baaack..." (dated 11/4). You'll see several videos in WMV format. The one called "More Spyhunter" looks particularly impressive, but all of them are worth watching. I'm curious to know what others think.

One of my friends has ordered a Zodiac 2, and should be receiving it any day now (if he hasn't gotten it already). Hopefully, I'll be able to try it soon.

Wow, this thing looks way cooler than I expected. I already think it's better than the Ngage. :lol: I want to see NWN in motion...

Impressive design. Makes me wanna reach out and hug the thing.

When it comes down to sane price range I may end up getting one.

I was checking out gamespot's feature on the Tapwave Zodiac and that thing looks quite impressive. Besides being 299 for the 32mb model i decided to plunk down the cash to get one. Only problem is that as far as i know you can only order them off Tapwave's online store and those bastards don't take Discover. Does anyone know of another place where i can purchase one?

ebay.

Why do you have a discover but not a mc or visa?

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/s...ghlight=zodiac

A Google search reveals that it will be made available in retail in mid-winter 2003/2004 or spring 2004.

http://www.nerv.us/nerv_images/misc/omfgsearch.jpg

Spy Hunter, Tony Hawk 4 and Doom II?

I'll just paint my GameCom black, mail it to myself, go "oooh, Zodiac..." then throw it back in the closet.

It'll be cheaper.

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Originally Posted by Blaine

Spy Hunter, Tony Hawk 4 and Doom II?

I'll just paint my GameCom black, mail it to myself, go "oooh, Zodiac..." then throw it back in the closet.

It'll be cheaper.

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It would be, if the GameCom supported thousands of PalmOS applications and games, an MP3 player with better quality sound than an Ipaq, multimedia features that can support entire movie-sized videos, and what will almost surely be a good sized developement community where you'll soon be able to get Atari, NES, SNES, Genesis, and even GBA emulators, etc.

Oh, and it's got color, too.

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Originally Posted by Andy

multimedia features that can support entire movie-sized videos

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Eh, it uses a video player that requires movies to be transmogrified into Cinepak files. It's not too efficient.

Although, http://www.mmplayer.com/ is a video player that can do DiVX movies on PalmOS 5 devices, so there's a chance it will work on the Tapwave and eliminate the needless format conversion.

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Originally Posted by Lhadatt

Eh, it uses a video player that requires movies to be transmogrified into Cinepak files. It's not too efficient.

Although, http://www.mmplayer.com/ is a video player that can do DiVX movies on PalmOS 5 devices, so there's a chance it will work on the Tapwave and eliminate the needless format conversion.

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Regardless, it has it's own software to convert mpegs, wmvs, and divx movies into it's native format, and apparently they have already put movie-length videos on it.

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Originally Posted by Lhadatt

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/s...ghlight=zodiac

A Google search reveals that it will be made available in retail in mid-winter 2003/2004 or spring 2004.

http://www.nerv.us/nerv_images/misc/omfgsearch.jpg

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Ummm... Dumbass I didn't need to know there was another board for it, and when the release for it is. I want to know if i can find it somewhere other than Tapwave's online store.

Next time read and comprehend before you answer and the world will be a better place

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Originally Posted by Daitokuji

Ummm... Dumbass I didn't need to know there was another board for it, and when the release for it is. I want to know if i can find it somewhere other than Tapwave's online store.

Next time read and comprehend before you answer and the world will be a better place

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Originally Posted by Andy

It would be, if the GameCom supported thousands of PalmOS applications and games, an MP3 player with better quality sound than an Ipaq, multimedia features that can support entire movie-sized videos, and what will almost surely be a good sized developement community where you'll soon be able to get Atari, NES, SNES, Genesis, and even GBA emulators, etc.

Oh, and it's got color, too.

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Not thousands of PalmOS games! You mean I get to have my choice of hundreds of Tetris, Arkanoid and Snake clones written by guys working on thier computer sci degrees?

If you have a Palm, you have a need for a Palm. And the games are a hip bonus. Who exactly buys a Palm specifically for the games?

You want one of these as a PDA? I can see that. It's like the nGage, featurewise it's a cool cellphone. It pretty much sucks as a console, specifically price and support.

If I was really interested in the handheld emulator scene, I'd just get a GP32 and save a $100+.

So...by the current looks of it, with it's spectacular line-up of games, regardless of the machine's specs, it's going to get exactly as much use as my GameCom*. Hence, paint it, ship it, put it back in the closet.

*none

I think this device has potential.

I do like the various features, but to be successful for the gaming audience, it needs more good games to be sure. It is alittle too much but as a PDA, that's not bad at all (think of the gaming feature as a bonus).

I've been looking forward to getting ahold of this thing since I first saw stuff on it months ago, the community for it seems pretty strong. www.zodiacgamer.com is a good site to go for info on it. There's another great site for it as well that I can't remember right now.

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Originally Posted by Andy

Regardless, it has it's own software to convert mpegs, wmvs, and divx movies into it's native format, and apparently they have already put movie-length videos on it.

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That's fine. It just means you cannot borrow a memory card (SD, compact flash, whatever) with Terminator 3 on it from a friend and expect it to run immediately when you put it in your Zodiac. You have to take it home, convert it into the bloatware Cinepak format, then reupload it to another memory card.

It's not that the Cinepak format is "native" to the Zodiac. That's just what Tapwave is bundling with the unit. You can run most any other Palm app on it, which includes other media format players.

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Originally Posted by Daitokuji

Ummm... Dumbass I didn't need to know there was another board for it, and when the release for it is. I want to know if i can find it somewhere other than Tapwave's online store.

Next time read and comprehend before you answer and the world will be a better place

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Follow your own advice, please.

The link I gave you was to another thread on this board about it. It is customary here at TNL to SEARCH FOR OLDER THREADS before starting a new one, so we don't have 28 different threads all saying the same thing. Got new info or a question that hasn't come up before? Resurrect the old thread -- the locals won't mind.

As to the info about the release I gave, I said that was for retail channel release (i.e. the date it gets into CompUSA), not release on Tapwave's site. "Direct from the manufacturer" does not equal "retail."

Now, kindly go back under your rock and play Yugioh on your cardboard Zodiac, as we all know you do because you can't buy one from Tapwave with your lame excuse for a credit card.

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Originally Posted by Daitokuji

Ummm... I'm missing the point

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Don't worry about it this time, but now on use the search function. You can also search threads to see if what you have to say has already been said.

The search function is your friend.

How come ppl think I'm a fucking newbie here? Just cuz I don't post 1000 times a day like other ppl who have nothing better to do? I've been on TNL for about lets see 5 years now. Now i think others shouldn't assume they friggin know all

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Originally Posted by Lhadatt

That's fine. It just means you cannot borrow a memory card (SD, compact flash, whatever) with Terminator 3 on it from a friend and expect it to run immediately when you put it in your Zodiac. You have to take it home, convert it into the bloatware Cinepak format, then reupload it to another memory card.

It's not that the Cinepak format is "native" to the Zodiac. That's just what Tapwave is bundling with the unit. You can run most any other Palm app on it, which includes other media format players.


Follow your own advice, please.

The link I gave you was to another thread on this board about it. It is customary here at TNL to SEARCH FOR OLDER THREADS before starting a new one, so we don't have 28 different threads all saying the same thing. Got new info or a question that hasn't come up before? Resurrect the old thread -- the locals won't mind.

As to the info about the release I gave, I said that was for retail channel release (i.e. the date it gets into CompUSA), not release on Tapwave's site. "Direct from the manufacturer" does not equal "retail."

Now, kindly go back under your rock and play Yugioh on your cardboard Zodiac, as we all know you do because you can't buy one from Tapwave with your lame excuse for a credit card.

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Hey dumbass no other post says what i've asked so you need to follow that advice

You could have easily searched the board for Zodiac threads, found one, and asked your question there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeremy

You could have easily searched the board for Zodiac threads, found one, and asked your question there.

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That would have helped, know one looks at old ass threads. And being the fact that no one is helping now proves so. They are giving me useless information and getting bent out of shape that there is a 2 boards with 2 different topics. Have you even looked at what i asked and what was said in the orginal one? The first guy definately didn't that's why i think he needs to learn how to comprehend

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeremy

You could have easily searched the board for Zodiac threads, found one, and asked your question there.

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Exactly. Chill out man, we are trying to help.

Reasons you may have been mistaken for a newbie:

1) You made what many percieved to be a typical newbie mistake.
2) You have no avatar or sig that would make you recognizable to the board's regulars.
3) You have a low post count.

You need to relax a little man. Just go with the flow and don't take what ANYBODY says personally.

If somebody offends you and you would like moderators to intervine, I'm sure you know what to do...

My avatar got erased when you guys changed systems long time ago. I just never bothered to send it again because i don't post as much as the average TNL board user

You can just upload an avatar from your computer. It's been that way for quite some time now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zodiacgamer.com

6) Where do I buy one(Zodiac)?

Tapwave officially launched the Zodiac on Wednesday, September 17th, 2003. Pre-orders began that day at http://www.tapwave.com, and until 2004, the only way to purchase Zodiac will be directly from Tapwave via their USA based online store. It is believed pre-ordered Zodiacs will begin shipping sometime in October, 2003. The state of international sales is yet to be clarified.

Tapwave hopes to sell Zodiac and Zodiac compatible games in traditional retail stores sometime in early 2004 as well. Games will be available as downloadable content purchased online, as well as on pre-installed dedicated SD cards, functionally similar to traditional game cartridges/cards. It should also be noted that games and applications designed for PalmOS will also work on Zodiac, including some 19,000 software titles, from games to serious business applications.

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There you are. To clear this up I did a little research and the answer is nowhere else but their online store. You should either have somebody else buy one for you, get a new credit card, or browse ebay until one pops up.

More proof as to why that site rules.

Well either i have to get a Visa or i have to wait, well i'm done