'ZuneX' gaming portable/cell phone in the works?

Source: The blog of underground German game and puppet crossover Web show Mimbee.tv.What we heard: It's not every day a German Web show starring a horny hand puppet makes game-industry headlines. But that's exactly what happened when the host of site Mimbee.tv posted a story with the headline...

Source: The blog of underground German game and puppet crossover Web show Mimbee.tv.

What we heard: It's not every day a German Web show starring a horny hand puppet makes game-industry headlines. But that's exactly what happened when the host of site Mimbee.tv posted a story with the headline "World Exclusive: ZuneX - The Microsoft Handheld!!!" on May 7.

After discussing the vast numbers of booth babes that will be at the expo, the author claims to have been present at a product presentation during a two-day event at Microsoft. Referencing a Twitter post by Germany's Xbox product manager, which teases a major announcement after his company's June 1 E3 press conference, "Mimbee" touts that only he can reveal that "the inventor of the Red Ring of Death is working on a new handheld! No s***!"

As proof, Mimbee offers up two photos--one of a presentation, another of a prototype--showcasing the handheld, called the "ZuneX." The following day, he posted what looked like slides showing a close-up of and logo for the handheld. Then, on May 12, a story bearing the headline "Hard facts about the Zunex!" appeared with scans purportedly from the handheld's instruction manual. The specs they outline point to a fully stocked multimedia handheld with gaming and cellular phone capabilities:

ZuneX specs (rumored)
--32GB flash drive
--Lithium ion battery with 9 hours of gaming time
--4-inch, 640x363 pixel multitouch display with 160 ppi resolution
--4 analog buttons--X, Y, A, B
--2 shoulder buttons
--D pad and optional thumbstick attachment
--Compatibility with Xbox Live Arcade games and "ZuneX© originals" (sic)
--Compatibility with the just-announced OnLive game-streaming service.
--MicroSD slot
--Built-in microphone
--Tray for cell phone SIM chips
--Bluetooth 2.1
--802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi with wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing
--Video: WMV, H.624, MPEG-4, DiVX 3.1
--Audio: AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, MP3 VBR

The official story: "Regarding the Zune rumors, we have been saying since January that we will deliver progress this calendar year on both hardware and software, so stay tuned. However, we haven't confirmed any details regarding devices, features, or timing and don't comment on rumor and speculation."--Microsoft rep.

Bogus or not bogus?: As one might expect with any theory sourced to a muppet, the ZuneX claims have been greeted with skepticism. A reader of tech-blog Gizmodo sent in a detailed analysis of how the grainy presentation slide was faked with Photoshop. Also, the supposed Microsoft insider Mimbee.tv touted as giving "an official company tweet" confirming a device reveal at E3 now claims to merely be a "Zune fanboy."

GameSpot hardware editor Sarju Shah is another Doubting Thomas. "The battery life claims are stunning," he explained. "Nine hours of gaming? No full netbook can pull that off--let alone at full tilt while gaming--and this is considerably smaller in every respect including battery size. The 32GB of flash is also awfully expensive; at retail its $75 alone."

But if the Mimbee.tv posts are bogus then what exactly is Microsoft's Zune game plan? The company has been teasing portable gaming since the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo and promised it would arrive on the Zune by 2008. So far, though, the device only boasts a selection of five casual games, despite Microsoft's showing of the Galaga clone "Xuna" at the 2008 Game Developers Conference.

That said, there are some interesting elements to this rumor. In 2007, Microsoft filed a US patent for a "multi-component gaming system", which described console-to-handheld functions much like game transfers from the PlayStation 3 to the PSP. Many of those downloadable offerings are original PlayStation titles reformatted for Sony's portable.

The ZuneX logo also features the old "X" from the original Xbox logo, which Microsoft hasn't used for anything other than Xbox Originals--digital downloadable editions of games from the first Xbox. The mention of the copyrighted titled "ZuneX Originals" might hint at original Xbox games reworked for the ZuneX--if the device actually exists. And given that Microsoft hasn't copyrighted or trademarked the title "Zune X" or "ZuneX" or "ZuneX Originals" with the US Patent and Trademark Office, it doesn't look like it does.

187 Comments

  • Flint247

    Posted Jul 22, 2009 10:01 am PT

    I'ma stick to my regular zune.

  • JunkyMcMuffin

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 6:52 pm PT

    Definately fake...there is no way anyone would buy that ugly ass little thing. Here are some way better looking fakes....
    http://www.concept-phones.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/xbox_portable_2.jpg
    http://www.gizmowatch.com/images/xbox_handheld.jpg
    http://www.mobilemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/image_5216_largeimagefile.jpg

  • jimy1475

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 8:51 am PT

    this is fake right?

  • T0012

    Posted Jun 20, 2009 2:19 pm PT

    Idk how i feel about this, i do know it would certainly hurt microsoft and bring up a lot of lost respect for microsoft as it would seem they copied sony but i would still buy one because i rly do not like the psp, there cheap looking and not durable and the games arn't that good. So i could be wrong and it might be a break through for Microsoft.

  • shani_boy101

    Posted Jun 10, 2009 11:52 pm PT

    i wonder how many of these will RRoD? lol.

    theres no way another portable would work. no one has been waiting for an M$$$ handheld and all it would have would be an array of milked Halo games. if anyone really wanted a handheld, they would've gotten a DS or PSP by now.

    Max no. of consoles= 3
    Max No. of Portables= 2.

  • thpghalo3

    Posted Jun 10, 2009 1:24 pm PT

    WOW!!!

  • D3A7HJ0K3R

    Posted Jun 1, 2009 3:44 pm PT

    Another attempt by microsoft to milk money, jumpin into the portable biz late will cost them big money tho if its real. will they have you pay 50 buckz a year, probably. no hate on the pc cuz im usin one right now.

  • Heffe2020

    Posted May 31, 2009 11:28 pm PT

    I just want to see a devise revealed tomorrow with two analog sticks.

  • Sambone757

    Posted May 31, 2009 2:04 pm PT

    too many xbox arcade games rely on that second analog... I call shenanigans

  • AcidBurnZer0

    Posted May 31, 2009 9:42 am PT

    This would be a great device to take my XBL arcade games on the go.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted May 31, 2009 3:28 am PT

    Well whatever you may think, we'll all find out tomorrow : )

  • kevin8se7en

    Posted May 29, 2009 11:31 pm PT

    FAKE... here's why...

    1st off it's a phone with no touch screen or keyboard so how would anyone text? lol
    1b... if it's not a phone then why bluetooth, microphone or many other features listed...???
    2nd.. nothing like this has/needs 32gb PLUS a microSD card slot...
    3rd.. it looks photoshopped and the guy is playing a game on it... how would he be playing a game on it if M$ hasn't even relvealed it yet>!

  • darkl0h

    Posted May 29, 2009 8:25 pm PT

    lol.... I think half of its fake... Why would microsoft relase a gaming handheld that supports on live which one day be their competition.... Dosn't make sense to me. So i say FAKE.

  • mattcarlo

    Posted May 28, 2009 8:56 pm PT

    I doubt I would get it.

  • mossongreens

    Posted May 28, 2009 5:58 pm PT

    dumb...would be great...but it would suffer the from same reason psp isnt doing well...you need two analog sticks...its what the people want...this looks like some poor gba knock off...either gimic like nintendo with a great touch screen or get dbl analog sticks...hello there wouldnt be a point to an xbox handheld if you couldnt play a halo game or a gears game...and im not really fans of either but its just so obvious that those names are cash cows and you couldnt do it right if you didnt have the right control setup...but theres always the reduce yourself to wasting more money route...

    ps. it would probably overheat in your hand and leave a permanent xbox logo on you hand...good times...ring of death part two?!

  • _LiquidFlame_

    Posted May 28, 2009 2:30 pm PT

    I wish this wasn't so fake looking...
    32GB Flash drive, 9 Hours of game time, OnLive service, phone?!?!

    DO WANT!

  • Mr_Unko

    Posted May 28, 2009 2:20 pm PT

    OMG! this certainly is too good to be true, but I bet it is true! on top of that, i bet the truth is ever better!!! *drool*

  • Zero9698

    Posted May 28, 2009 1:56 pm PT

    .......................................COOL. NOW IF SONY WOULD JUST DO THAT............

  • Vinolence

    Posted May 28, 2009 1:53 pm PT

    No analog stick...?

    Move along, people.

  • pagla07

    Posted May 28, 2009 12:07 pm PT

    Looks too good to be true!!! 9 hours, 32gigs, Xbox live, Onlive!!! n to top it all off its a phone!!! all they left out is the kitchen sink... lol...

  • totaleklypse

    Posted May 28, 2009 11:14 am PT

    shoulda been on april first. woulda made a good gag for sure.

  • totaleklypse

    Posted May 28, 2009 11:13 am PT

    fake. nice try though

  • riariases

    Posted May 28, 2009 9:49 am PT

    All in all, if in someway this was real, it would be so extremely costly.

  • riariases

    Posted May 28, 2009 9:38 am PT

    @Reusaat Its actually got an 0.3 megapixel camera on the inside and a 3.0 integrated megapixel camera on the outter shell. Anyways, its kind of obvious 2/3's of the world likes the DS more. The DS has over twice as much sales with one model alone(DS Lite), which the PSP has over 50 million with all three models. Not to mention the PSP has been called "dead" because of a terrible library of games. The noly ones at fault are those who hack the PSP and steal games. Game dev's then neglect the system altogether. Anyways, the touch screen gaming aspect is amazing. Critics have even gone as far to say "After playing with touchscreen controls, I realized I never wanted to go back to buttons and joypads ever again." Either way, if this ZuneX comes out with the specs listed there, it technologically beats all. We'll have to see the variety of games that come.

  • Reuwsaat

    Posted May 28, 2009 8:40 am PT

    @ ocdog45
    "fall to the mighty DS"...? you're kinding right? DS it's a childish video game, that touch screen thing it's a total fail. I completely agreed with ali-009. PSP is the best! it can even emulate GB/GBA games, the new DSi can't even do that, because the put a -1 pixel camera.

  • AvengedBullet

    Posted May 28, 2009 5:09 am PT

    Wow This might be great it could go either way! and it is kinda big and doesnt really have next gen looks just like the zune itself but its a work in progress it can only get better from here. i cant wait to see what it can really do in videos and when they show it off at E3. Interesting

  • neoand12

    Posted May 28, 2009 12:05 am PT

    N gage....Thats all I can think about. look at how huge ZuneX is I highly doubt I will have that next to my face as a cell phone and holding my head down playing Halo all day isn't my thing. with ZuneHD coming out why would they make this?

  • jazzbrownie

    Posted May 27, 2009 11:35 pm PT

    The Zune X - featuring blue screens, random crashes, and explorer.exe!

  • auron_16

    Posted May 27, 2009 10:32 pm PT

    fake.

  • ali-009

    Posted May 27, 2009 9:30 pm PT

    why would should somebody buy a childish DS??!!!,i want god of war,tekken,burnout,mgs,what ds can do is very childish,like playing with your pictures that are captured with a 0.3 megapixel,my cell phone is even ten times better,or play only aac music,but i want to buy my music freely,even DS has advantage thanks to the new look using two screens and a touch screen,and more,psp needs:

    1-a high resulotion screen.
    2-hard disc at least 20GB.
    3-toch screen.
    4-motion controlls.
    5-more buttons.
    6-a new look,because psp has a very boring look.
    7-better speakers,psp have super low voice even with headest.
    8-a new disc,just like DVD. 9-thousands of ways to communicate,using playstation home,bluetooth,3G,WI-FI,messenger,skype.
    10-built in camera,and they should make it at least 3.2 megapixels,with thousands of choices,using eye create.

    apple made thier iphone super slim,and have most of the things i said,and even more.

  • Sarcian

    Posted May 26, 2009 11:55 am PT

    @glade_gnarr: Agreed.the market right now wont handle a microsoft handheld. the only way this would make them money is if they spent the time and money to do it RIGHT and give consumers what they've been begging for, AKA a shooter platform portable. If microsoft does another 'we're gonna throw crap together and sell it with our brandname', nobody's gonna buy it. the only thing that could save something like this would be some awesome games. even awesome games only go so far.

    the ipod touch is winning for gaming right now, and it was built as multimedia...

  • necronaux

    Posted May 26, 2009 10:25 am PT

    Surprized they didn't include a touch-screen and camera.

  • stewie342

    Posted May 25, 2009 1:44 pm PT

    Boonnnerrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on the Goooooooo Castle Crashers and Dishwarsher also Watchmen

  • Glade_Gnarr

    Posted May 24, 2009 7:13 pm PT

    I don't think microsoft would be stupid enough to enter the handheld market the way it is right now. When they made the xbox nintendo was going down and Sega was already out so their only competitor was the PS but in the handhelds the DS is crushing the PSP, which isn't doing bad either, and now the phone got into gaming also so it's to hot to introduce a whole new product.

  • Killerapp1023

    Posted May 24, 2009 6:29 pm PT

    That is definately fake. If you look at the d-pad, it's the same exact one as the on on the PSP!

  • Wildboy124

    Posted May 24, 2009 4:08 am PT

    If its anything like my buddy's Zune, it will constantly be swarming with glitches and breakdowns. Even if it all is fixed... I mean, just out of interest, who remembers the N-Gage? Cause this may be going down the same road...

  • gnrlstuart

    Posted May 23, 2009 2:23 pm PT

    w analog nubs would have made this thing. the sim tray sounds fantastic though, x live everywhere.

  • Gringohater

    Posted May 23, 2009 6:56 am PT

    I've been waiting for this for a long time,and and it's about frickin' time! (I've always wanted Halo on the go)

  • X-RS

    Posted May 22, 2009 9:32 pm PT

    or maybe couz its not an XBOX360 (hence x on a silver ball, if it is to have a touch screen).
    neway i think 32 gb of flash is the max size for a microsd.

    its about time microsoft tried something in the portable gaming section, if it fails for games it can be a cell/media device.

  • tekken220

    Posted May 22, 2009 11:28 am PT

    Zune X? they should change the name to 360 portable because it will have the mini RROD

  • Linkman0714

    Posted May 22, 2009 9:22 am PT

    completely bogus...why whould they call it ZuneX. Stpid. and there is no way microsoft could ever dethrone or even compete with the DS. they might as well not even try

  • VenezuelanGamer

    Posted May 21, 2009 6:18 pm PT

    I don't like... I think is so ugly... Really ugly...

  • Darth-Sifh

    Posted May 21, 2009 7:08 am PT

    It looks like a Game Boy Micro with 4 buttons. I'll wait for E3 to make any decisions

  • hannify

    Posted May 21, 2009 4:54 am PT

    ahhaahah microsoft think they can mess with the big N with their handheld console?

    They have firmly sat on their king of the handheld console hill for a good while now

  • ocdog45

    Posted May 21, 2009 4:12 am PT

    another handheld console that will fall to the mighty DS.

  • ralphikari

    Posted May 20, 2009 11:21 pm PT

    The 360 reminded me of my short-lived Dreamcast. This, my beloved Atari Lynx. If the speaker is loud as the Lynx'(you can hear Blue Lightning or California Games three cars away on a train!) I'm getting it on day one.

  • KingJduro

    Posted May 20, 2009 8:48 pm PT

    We will see what happens with this

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted May 20, 2009 4:51 pm PT

    "While windows was not stolen per-se, the GUI and many other components of Windows were copied from Apples OS design. People that think the contrary need only watch Pirates of Silicon Valley, a pretty good movie."

    Sorry, i couldn't help myself replying to this comment.

    Do you know what 99% of OSX is? It's Unix. Linux. An otherwise free OS. Apple have taken Linux and added a slightly different interface, tarted it up a bit, done a few tweaks over the years, then stuck a huge price tag on it. Don't believe me? Look where OSX is based. Look at the Apple menu designs then look at something like Ubuntu. Apple took a free OS, did very little work, and then profiteer on it. Apple also stole their original Ipod menu design from Creative, got sued for it too. So to all those out there making Apple out to be gods-gift-to-man, do your homework.

    Microsoft ain't no saint, they've done some low stuff in their time, however they can at least claim most of their OS is built from grassroots, not someone else's core.

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted May 20, 2009 4:46 pm PT

    I don't get what all the idiocy is about "Baww, this will suck" Urm, no it won't! WiFi enabled portable Xbox console with Live Arcade games, sounds win!

    Some of the comments here are hilarious, especially the ones bawing about Nintendo owning the portables market. Yes exactly, and they just released a new DS with a couple of lousy webcams and slightly improved feature-set, then halved again the price. They need some decent competition.

    HOWEVER!

    I believe this report is fake.

  • kastilho

    Posted May 20, 2009 2:12 pm PT

    Microsoft, think about it...it is not necessary.
    Try to focus on the 360

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