Zeebo



Zeebo, the so-called "Brazilian console" (co-developed by TecToy and Qualcomm), can be summarized by the phrase: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." And it's quite logical: take the BREW platform, get rid of the "make phone calls" bit, and the result is a device that can play cell phone games, bought and downloaded off the 3G network. Instant low-cost console with a huge library for the emerging markets! Trouble is, what makes high-tech products so expensive in third world countries is mostly cascading high taxes, which they had to pay anyway. So ultimately you have a machine with the power of a 5th gen console, for the price of a 6th gen console, at a time when 7th gen consoles were available. Not surprisingly, it didn't really fly off the shelves.