Raising the game: Console makes a play for emerging markets

San Francisco – A new games console aimed at the BRIC economies offers an affordable way of gaming that dispenses of the need for discs or cartridges. Built from mobile phone parts, the Zeebo console, unveiled at the Game Developers Conference, features a free wireless connection that allows players to download their games, rather than travel to a nearby shanty town for pirated software.

Zeebo will launch in Brazil in May at a retail price of $200 – some $800 less than an illegally traded Wii or new PlayStation 3. Games will be available to download for just $2 more than a pirated title, but can be easily obtained without having to leave the comfort of the home.

San Diego-based firm Zeebo Inc. hopes to profit from the emerging BRIC economies: Brazil, Russia, India and China represent markets that will number 800m in consumers over the next decade, and that have often been ignored by the major gaming companies of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft because of issues concerning piracy. By offering an affordable console for the BRIC populations, Zeebo aims to transform the landscape of interactive entertainment.