J Allard Working on iPod Slayer
And it could be here quite soon. The real question is whether it plays games or not.
It's the rumour that just won't die: Microsoft is working on a new handheld that brings the fight not just to Nintendo and Sony in the games space but also Apple in the portable music player market.
According to a report at news service Bloomberg, the WiFi-equipped, music-and-movie-playing iPod killer will be out this Christmas.
The games angle of the portable comes courtesy of the men reportedly behind the new device: Robbie Bach and J Allard, two of the big pushers of the Xbox. Allard has been rumoured to be involved in building a new portable games machine for some time.
The report specifically talks of Microsoft's attempts to cosy up to music and movie providers. The big advantage the rumoured device has over the iPod is that it has WiFi and would thus be able to pull down content from the internet.
It's not clear whether this is the same game device that Allard is rumoured to be working on. Even if it is, Microsoft isn't telling. The company refused to comment on what it called speculation in the Bloomberg article.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games