Zeebo



"Gaming for the next billion."

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.

The console has been discontinued and it is no longer possible to buy games for it; however, the Open Zeebo project has managed to unlock the console (soldering skills required).