Panasonic Cloud Entertainment heard your pleas for a dedicated portable online gaming device and has designed a solution that has been dubbed the Jungle. (What’s that? You didn’t ask for it? Well apparently someone did…)
Just announced on Monday of this week, the Jungle so far seems to be big on hype, light on details, and has several tech review websites asking, “Why?”
According to the official Jungle website, “this mean little machine features a kick ass display, touch pad, keyboard, and other gaming controls that we'll be saying more about soon. “
Everything else we know about the hardware is what people have been able to see in the few pictures released of the device. There appears to be 3.5mm jack, a micro-USB port, a mini HDMI port, and possibly a volume adjustment and SD card expansion slot. Of course Wi-Fi would have to be part of the package, and possibly 3G, though nothing is yet confirmed.
Since the Jungle has made its debut broadcast appearance on MTV’s Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, we’re able to tell that the display is approximately 5”-6”, while the device itself is about 7”-8” wide. The chassis itself seems a bit clunky and thick for a modern portable.
The Jungle’s operating system is also not confirmed, though rumor has it the device will run on some form of Linux. This means that some of the more popular MMO’s, like World of Warcraft, won’t run on the system without a Windows emulator. While it would seem that the device should be designed to play existing games, the website is promoting, “An upcoming browser-based MMO, Battlestar Galactica Online.”
There is no official word on a release date or pricing for the Jungle.
What anyone seems to be failing to comprehend is what the need for this device might be. Hopefully, Panasonic has some great games and a low price planned or else the Jungle could end up as successful as the company’s last contribution to the gaming world, the ill-fated 3DO.
