[handheld] Tapwave Zodiac deel 2

ill keep u posted

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Op dinsdag 25 november 2003 12:27 schreef sp3c het volgende:

[..]

maar hij had toch al een tracking number of geld dat niet voor die van jouw?

irritant

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Tapwave Zodiac Review

This is 3D. This is mobile gaming like you have never seen it before. All the potential is here, in a sleek, attractive case.

I remember when the Game Boy was released. Though it wasnt the first handheld, it was the first successful handheld console. Everyone wanted one, and yes, I succumbed. It was a big, bulky thing, but it was cool for its time. In an age before there were killer apps, Tetris was a killer app. It was addictive, and it made the Gameboy sell in droves. It drove sales, you could say.

Why am I waxing nostalgic about the original Gameboy? Well, I really havent felt compelled to buy a handheld console since then. Sure, the Game Gear looked cool. I got a Lynx for Christmas. The TurboXpress (SP) seemed interesting. None of these held my attention. None of these made me want to go out and buy them. The main reason? Games. It seems that most of the games for handhelds have been aimed at kids.

How many fricking Pokemon titles are there for Gameboy? Too many, thats how many. Between that and Yu-Gi-Oh! (I dont care if I spelled it right) and the slew of other titles aimed at kiddos, theres nothing interesting in the GB lineup for someone a bit more, um, mature. And, no matter what some people in the press are trying to say, walking around with an SP does not make you look cool; it makes you look like a geek. Not the good kind of geek, either. The kind that sits home drooling over the Gameboy Player on the Cube. The sort that doesnt get laid. Ever.

Thats all settled now. Marketers have realized there is another demographic, us older dudes, the ones who laid the God damned groundwork, the ones who forged the path that is now gaming. We bought the Ataris, and the Intellevisions, and the Colecovisions, and we drove the initial sales of the Nintendo. We deserve a handheld.

We want to play when we are not supposed to, the way we were promised in commercials for the Lynx when three kids were sitting in the school shitter linked up and playing that stupid surfing game. Nokia thought they came up with something for us. It wont do everything. Not when there is another player available, and no, it aint the Sony PSP. Its called the Zodiac, made by a startup company called Tapwave. Yes, youre skeptical. Youre worried. Let me handle that for you.

For a handheld to make it in this demographic, one littered with such perils as suspicious wives and discerning bosses, it cant just look like a toy. For Christs sake, it needs to be taken into boardrooms and faculty lounges. It needs to be inconspicuous. Tapwave came up with a good idea. They decided to make it a PDA.

Most guys need one anyway. Even if they dont, most people see the purchase of a PDA as a mans attempt to organize himself. Wives will practically go out and get their husbands one. Bosses will happily put one on the old expense account (just dont let them have a looksee at the website)

So, now we have the wolf in sheeps clothing. This doesnt mean jack without the hardware to back it up. The Zodiac is quite a powerful little number. Its got a 200MHZ ARM9 processor, an 8mb ATI Imageon video processor, stereo speakers, and a pretty 320X480 Hi-Res screen.

On top of that, and, rather inconspicuously, it has an analog controller (joystick, shh!) and two front trigger buttons, just like a console should. It runs 3D graphics with the Fathammer engine and can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode (for games) All of this sounds great on paper. Great enough, in fact, that I went ahead and ordered one.

The Zodiac comes in two models, one with 32mb of RAM, the other with 128. For the extra hundred bucks ($399 total) I opted for the higher amount of RAM. You can never have too much of a good thing, unless it is Mexican food. I preordered back in September, and, the other day, the Zodiac landed on my doorstep. I waited a long time. I had high expectations. I wanted my handheld, the handheld for the videogame generation. A handheld for the pioneers.

First impressions with the Zodiac are, well, impressive. First of all, the case is made of metal, metal. I cant remember the last electronic device I had that wasnt made of plastic. Actually, it was an Aiwa walkman that lasted near forever. The Zodiac feels substantial, it reeks of quality. Its a bit bigger than, say, a Tungsten T3, but not by much. It isnt heavy, but it feels solid. The joystick has a nice range of motion, and the buttons are responsive. Good job all around.

Hooking the Zodiac up is no different than any other Palm. You install the software, plug in the Hotsync cable, and you are ready. Its a breeze. No hassles. No problems. Ive encountered no bugs. You can transfer programs into the machines memory, or you can buy an SD card. Most programs take only 500k, so think about this before spending money on a card right away. So far, I havent come close to needing one.

What really gets you is the screen. The damn thing is so bright and so colorful. I saw pictures on the internet, but I have to say they dont do the machine any justice whatsoever. I grabbed my nephews SP (right out of his paws) to compare it. To put it plainly, there is no comparison.

I was impressed with the SP when I first saw it (despite the lack of games that interested me) but the Zodiac is twice the resolution. It looks more like three times. I didnt expect it to be this good. I mean, 320X480 made me think of the original Doom running on a 2MB card. Okay, maybe Wolfenstein 3D. On a screen this small, the graphics and text jump out at you. It is a beauty to be beheld.

The next impressive thing is the sound. I have a Dell laptop thats a few years old. It has what it claims are stereo speakers, but I have to strain to hear anything on it. The Zodiacs speakers are crisp and loud. If I took it on a bus, people would ask me to lower it, I think. I dont take buses. I dont like people. While playing MP3s, the sound is good enough to enjoy the music. With the included earbuds, it is too loud at the highest setting. My MD player isnt as loud. Not even close. Good job on the sound, Tapwave.

Of course, the important thing here is games. I have to say, this is a mixed bag, but let me explain. The Zodiac comes with Vasara Games Stuntcar Extreme. This is a basic racing game, with, surprise, a stunt car element. The graphics are great. I mean, it reminded me of second/third generation PS1 software. No, its not going to rival your desktop, and the PS2 blows it away, but, compared to the GB, it is downright phenomenal.

The colors are sharp, and the 3D software acceleration is good (think GL Quake, turned up a notch) The game itself is entertaining. You have to race and perform stunts. You can free race or you can enter a championship. You build up points to move up the ranks. Ive killed a few hours on it, and I like it. The game isnt the most exciting thing around, but it is a bundled game. I cant remember the last time I bought a console with a game included.

Heres the problem, though. Besides SCE, the other games available right now that are really optimized for the Zodiac are Spy Hunter, Warfare Incorporated, and Doom II. Ive seen Spy Hunter in action, and it looks damn good. The others dont seem to be so advanced. There are other games promised (Tony Hawk, Tomb Raider, Neverwinter Nights), and I hope these games deliver.

Ive been around gaming long enough to know that it is the titles that drive the success of a platform. Sure, you can use the Zodiac as a PDA, but, it really isnt intended to compete with the likes of the Tungsten 3. Most people buying strict PDAs will be turned off by the gaming promise of this number. The ones that want to buy it for the games, the ones like me, need, well, games.

There is a host of developers on board. They need to come through. Sure, I can go out and download one of the nearly 20,000 applications for the Palm OS. I probably will. But, I want Zodiac-enhanced games. I want 3D. I want my nephew to be jealous. (Okay, hes only four, I should go easy on him)

On the bright side, I took my Zodiac to the local EB and put it side by side the demo N-Gage they had there. People were amazed. No one gave a damn about the N-Gage after seeing the Zodiac. Its a conversation piece, my Zodiac. Everyone wants to touch it. Everyone wants to play it. I hope someone I know buys one so I can utilize the Bluetooth multiplayer capabilities. I want to kick someone elses butt, and it bothers me that I could, if I knew someone that has a unit.

The Zodiac really is more than a gaming platform. It can play videos and MP3s. It can handle all of my contacts. I can surf the web via Bluetooth. I can word process. It does all of these extremely well, I might add. Better than any other device I have used to do the same, actually. The joystick acts as a pretty good navigation tool.

Tapwave has done an incredible job of tweaking the Palm 5 OS to handle the use of the analog controller and the buttons. You dont need to touch the screen. It reminded me, in a user interface way, of the iPod. If you dont like using the joystick for navigation, you can use a stylus like every other Palmer.

The screen really makes doing all of this enjoyable. Even reading an e-book is a pleasure, something I never even thought of doing (It was one of my own e-booksI know, never read what you wrote) This thing is perfect for the guy (or gal) on the go. And it looks damn good.

If you feel that the GB doesnt cater to your tastes, the Zodiac could be the answer. The graphics are amazing with the first generation software. This thing is the 20 and over techie dream come true. It all hinges on whether the software comes through. I think it will. Some big players are on board (Sega, for instance) Thousands of independent developers have signed up to make games.

If you want to screw around during a boring presentation, if you take public transportation, or you travel a lot, this Zodiac will be a Godsend. Play music. Watch a movie youve stored on an SD card (the Zodiac has two SD slots) Play a 3D game that makes the GB green with envy, instead of the purple the thing comes in.

All I can say is that if the idea of mobile gaming interests you, along with the ability to handle multimedia and, yes, your work information, this is for you. Tell the wife you need a Palm. Tell the boss you need to get organized for work. Feel like a kid again. As Tapwaves slogan goes, Go. Do. Play. And, not necessarily in that order.

Highs: Amazing (thats right, amazing) screen and graphics, solid construction, sound, controls and well, just about everything else. This is a true adult handheld.

Lows: For most people, nothing. For nitpickers, the Hotsync cable is poo.

Final Verdict: This is it, ladies and gentlemen. Forget about rinky-dink graphics on the average Palm. Dont succumb to the kiddie Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP. This is 3D. This is mobile gaming like you have never seen before. All the potential is here, in a sleek, attractive case. It could be the next great handheld gaming platform. They say the software is coming. If it does, this could be the first salvo in the war against Nintendo. I get the feeling Sony is watching, real closely. I recommend you go to http://www.tapwave.com and get yourself one. This may be what you have been waiting for.
_bron

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