Motorola and Sega Sign Wireless Agreement

Telecommunications giant Motorola and Sega Enterprises announced a strategic alliance today that will partner the two companies in the creation of entertainment software for wireless phones, pagers, and personal digital appliances (PDA). The optimized suite of games, produced by Sega, will incorporate the J2ME Java 2 platform, developed for Motorola and Sun Microsystems. The J2ME platform is designed to help create software applications for a wider range of wireless devices by creating a standard, eliminating the need for re-writing and re-compilation for different devices. This software can run on any wireless device equipped with the J2ME platform, which Motorola hopes will span an overwhelming percentage of the total wireless market.

Under the agreement, Sega and Motorola plan to develop entertainment software, as well as application program interfaces (API) that allow application programs to access operating systems and other services. Using the technology, the companies are looking into developing wireless products that will let consumers retrieve video games directly from the Internet. Sega Enterprises spokesperson Hyroyuki Mori commented that consumers can expect to see golf, puzzle, and Sonic the Hedgehog games to be made available.

"Motorola's strong position as a world leader in embedded computing is an excellent complement to Sega's long legacy as the leader in embedded systems entertainment," said Hideki Sato, corporate senior vice president of Sega Japan. "Coupled with Motorola's immense experience in Java and its background in innovative wireless technology and products, Motorola is an ideal company for Sega to align with in order to realize our goal of owning a significant share of the wireless entertainment market."

Don't expect graphically primitive handheld games to arise from this agreement either. Anticipating the introduction of broadband wireless solutions like the general pocket radio system and the international mobile telecommunications 2000, Motorola feels that the J2ME platform will provide high-speed image processing that will take advantage of Sega's advanced graphics technology. The first device to ship using the J2ME Java 2 technology will be the iDEN platform, a device that combines a wireless phone, two-way radio, and text pager. It will ship by the end of the year. Devices incorporating Sega gaming software will be available in 2001.

"We are extremely pleased that Sega has chosen to work with Motorola to deploy their world-class entertainment software and create wireless entertainment solutions," said Anne-Marie Larkin, vice president and director of wireless software applications and services at Motorola Semiconductor. "Sega's strength in content and its unique competencies from a long history in the entertainment area will deliver unparalleled, innovative content for the J2ME platform and the millions of J2ME-equipped phones Motorola will ship."

GameSpot will bring you the latest details as the story develops, including specific information on game releases and pricing.