One of Gaming's Biggest Companies Is Behind This New Console

Riot Games owner Tencent has announced a new console called the Tencent Games Platform (TGP) Box at CES Asia (via AllChinaTech).

The TGP Box is powered by a sixth-generation Intel core processor and runs Windows 10 and a "TGP Box mode." While in the TGP Box mode, it can download and stream games to the console. It can run games like League of Legends, FIFA Online 3, NBA 2K Online, Monster Hunter Online, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Tournament, all of which Tencent previously helped bring to Asia by partnering with the repsective developers. It's expected to have more games from third-party developers this year.

Video game industry analyst ZhugeEX has said that "[i]t's basically a Windows 10-powered gaming console but with smart features designed to transcend traditional gaming."

It's unclear if the TGP Box will come to the West, but Tencent is a major player in Asia, which is a huge, mostly untapped market when it comes to consoles. China lifted its ban on console gaming last year. The ban started in 2000.

Tencent is an investment holding company that doesn't solely focus on games. It's most well known for its Chinese instant messenger software, Tencent QQ, but it has subsidiaries in music, social media, television, and online shopping as well. It bought the majority stake in League of Legends developer Riot in 2011 and acquired a minority stake in Gears of War developer Epic Games in 2012. Tencent Games is China's largest online game community.