However the is not the only new kid on the block. Hidden away in a small room in a far corner of the show was another pretender to the handheld title, the Zodiac, made by Tapwave. Feature wise it's similar to the Gizmondo in many ways, offering an enhanced PalmOS and the usual PDA features. The screen on the Zodiac was noticeably of a high quality and the games were instantly impressive. Along with a large collection of retro classics from Missile Command and Asteroids to Pong and Centipede, more modern games were also featured including II and Tony Hawks. The quality seemed to vary a lot from the incredibly choppy port of the Megadrive version of Altered Beast to the technically impressive Galactic Realms. GR is a space akin to a somewhat less frantic Jedi Starfighter. Featuring great explosions, high quality voice samples and lovely crisp 3D graphics it certainly showed off the potential of the platform. The high number of games included in the package was also a real plus.

Technically 2 memory card slots allow for easy memory expansion. Included is a USB port, stereo speakers, a touch sensitive screen (which is already usable on some of the titles), analogue stick and a great quality 480x320 backlit screen. Also supported is the usual MP3 and video playback, with a 256mb card able to store up to 2 hours of high quality video. Weighing in at a very reasonable 178 grams, the unit's curved compact appearance is certainly sleek if a little unexciting. Bluetooth is also present and allows you to hook up with other units for gaming or with a mobile phone for messaging features. Duel lithium batteries offer 4-5 hours games playing or over 10 hours when listening to music. Content is expected to be available exclusively through download, and along with the 50 titles currently available another 50 are hoped to be ready for the launch at the end of the year. Of course, all existing Palm compatible software will be fully usable. The price is currently yet to be confirmed, though expect to pay around the same or a bit more than the Gizmondo.

The question is though, with the and to hit the market at the same time how does either device hope to penetrate. Both companies dismiss the N-Gage's failure as somewhat irrelevant, but they would be foolish not to be concerned. Occupying the ambiguous middle ground between games consoles and PDAs, it's yet to be seen whether either handheld with have a strong enough pull to firstly lure gamers away from the recognized brands or techno buffs away from their more dedicated computing devices. It's a shame because both units are of a high quality, but as the Dreamcast and Saturn have proved in the past, a great machine does not necessarily a success make.

By Ben Parfitt