Portable 3DO on the way!
 

But seriously, Panasonic is making a new handheld called...THE JUNGLE! Apparently there's a lot of focus on it being used for online games, specifically MMO's...on the go. Seems really really strange. It's got a full QWERTY keyboard and touch sensitive d-pad and buttons.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.c...ungle530px.jpg

Just looking at it brings to mind something as clunky as the N-Gage and as wrist-shattering as the DS phat. I see this being an immediate failure, but what are your thoughts? If we see a new remake of BALLZ and the rebirth of the FMV I'll be all over it!

Slighty more info.

Sounds like its another Nintendo DS wanna be.

Which part makes it seem that way? The fact that it's got a keyboard, no dual/touch screens, or the fact that it's online focused?

Looks great. Can't wait to not line up in the non-existant preorder line. :)

Looks fugly. Also looks like a ripoff of the Pandora which.... you know, actually released. Have one sitting on my desk. It's pretty much just a Linux rom box, but it serves well as a portable SNES/Genesis/N64/CPSII rig. The QWERTY keyboard is extremely usable and the D-pad/analog stick/buttons are as good as the Sega Saturn. I love the thing.

http://openpandora.org/images/stories/pandastart.jpg

Apparently the Jungle runs on a modified Linux setup as well, so the similarities are pretty striking.

Yeah, they keep sounding more and more similar. Honestly, the Pandora isn't a bad little portable computer. I had to use it for a two week span when my laptop and PC went down at the same time. I was actually able to use it comfortably as a work computer. The ten hour battery certainly helped.

It is finally out? I got to get my hands on this thing, I was following it when they were still making the boards for it. So it all around works great? And surprised it was usable as a computer as well, pretty neat.