A gaming iPod? UK’s Blaze to launch new handheld GameGadget early 2012

By Jeff Hughes November 21, 2011

A company from the UK named Blaze has announced a handheld Linux-based device called GameGadget. The new device will be retailing for £99.99 (about $160) and will be making its debut in January of 2012. The creator says GameGadget will be to games what the iPod was for music.

Retro-gaming Blaze Interactive is known best for reviving SEGA video games as dedicated handheld versions. The new GameGadget mobile gaming console, retailing for slightly less than the price of a 3DS, will support 32-bit games according to T3, but will be optimized for 16-bit. It will have 2GB of on-board memory, but will also allow use of SD cards.

Creator Jason Cooper has created a service he compares to the Apple App Store, saying: “GameGadget has been designed with the ultimate goal of playing every game on a single device, just as the ‘iPod’ was for music.”

Coopers’ GameGadgetGames service is looking to gain access to the “hundreds of thousands of games” that are currently archived. Owners of those games would upload their back catalog, in the games’ original format, and gain a revenue stream without any further work. The services’ proprietary DRM system would ensure that the games would not be messed with.

xl_GameGadget_box_1 via T3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Besides older games from forgotten consoles, GameGadget hopes to attract new developers even if they have no real experience creating games. The product doubles as an Open Source development platform and provides start-up guides, documentation and lists of libraries for aspiring developers.

An interesting retro-gaming novelty, but the new device aims to break into an already crowded gaming market. The big mobile players include Nintendos DS and 3DS and Sony’s PSP, with the PS Vita on its way. Then there’s the Android and iOS platforms which have mobile games sales that generate close to $500 million more in revenue than Nintendo and Sony’s handheld games.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.

Gaming

Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works

Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Gaming

Surfaced patent shows what an Xbox streaming console would’ve looked like

An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

There have been a few Xbox devices that have never come to fruition, one of which was Keystone, a prototype for an affordable game streaming device you could hook up to your TV or monitor. Thanks to a surfaced patent, we've gotten an even closer look at what it would've potentially looked like.

The patent, first spotted by Windows Central, gives us a more complete view of the device. We've previously seen the Keystone in the flesh. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is known for hiding teases and interesting collectibles on the shelf in his office. In a 2022 X (formerly Twitter) post congratulating Bethesda on Fallout's 25th anniversary, you can see a small white device on the top shelf that's actually a Keystone prototype. Xbox told Digital Trends that it was a version of the device made before it decided to "refocus our efforts on a new approach.”

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.