The Tapwave Zodiac has been discontinued following nine months of nobody buying it. From what SPOnG can tell, nobody bought it because it cost £300 and didn’t have any good games. And, again from what we can see, the reason there weren’t any good games is because the platform was widely considered less than stable.
It must be stated however, that it was super-amazing for the reprehensible and rightly illegal use of MAME and other emulators.
The company issued the following statement on its website:
It must be stated however, that it was super-amazing for the reprehensible and rightly illegal use of MAME and other emulators.
The company issued the following statement on its website:
We are sorry to inform you that the Zodiac business was discontinued and service and support are no longer available as of July 25th 2005.
Resources that may still be helpful to you can be found at http://www.tapwave.com/resources and http://www.tapwave.com/support. This includes links to websites where you can find a variety of useful tips and information as well as purchase e-books, audible books and magazines, Palm OS applications, Zodiac skins, and third party Tapwave Certified games.
Additional products, accessories, and game cards may still be available from COMPUSA, Fry's, and J&R while supplies last.
We thank you for your past interest and support and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. If you have an outstanding claim with the company, Ueker and Associates will be contacting you shortly.
Sincerely,
The Tapwave Team
Resources that may still be helpful to you can be found at http://www.tapwave.com/resources and http://www.tapwave.com/support. This includes links to websites where you can find a variety of useful tips and information as well as purchase e-books, audible books and magazines, Palm OS applications, Zodiac skins, and third party Tapwave Certified games.
Additional products, accessories, and game cards may still be available from COMPUSA, Fry's, and J&R while supplies last.
We thank you for your past interest and support and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. If you have an outstanding claim with the company, Ueker and Associates will be contacting you shortly.
Sincerely,
The Tapwave Team
Companies:
Zodiac
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Comments
way 29 Jul 2005 13:42
1/9
Ohh, yeah, they all know better than us, well see what happens with the Next gen Lynx, I mean a few renames, what is it called, now being put forth by the ever, who said they were a video game maker, Tiger, oh yes Gizmondo. Then there's the Nokia, and the others, Too little, too much, toooooooooo predictable. Where can I get one for $50 to play Palm games.
Cheap or good, most of these things are predictably neither.
The DS, another one, it should have had at least resolution like the ancient GP32 (and some of it's features) much faster processor, and proper 3D hardware, instead of that ridiculous dual screen that barely touches the resolution of a single PSP screen. A cheap bigger better GBA like machine with 4 times the battery life than the PSP.
I have seen it advocated, a portable games machine based on cheap universal standards like Java mobile technology (or Linux) with hi-res screen, and capabilities listed above, for the price of the GBA. Such a thing would be good, and compatible with the Mobile games base. Lets get rid of these expensive priority systems, get something universal, like Linux, Java, or PC is.
Yes I just bagged every one of them except the Game Park, but I am not happy with them either, why didn't it get released universally and take the market, what about higher speed, what about a bit of very basic 3D acceleration support.
The reality is things on the level of GBA canbe sold very cheap, things on the level of the GP32, DS, and soon even the Zod, can be released very cheaply. 2 years Zod like capabilities $50, possible, even one year, even 3D.
Cheap or good, most of these things are predictably neither.
The DS, another one, it should have had at least resolution like the ancient GP32 (and some of it's features) much faster processor, and proper 3D hardware, instead of that ridiculous dual screen that barely touches the resolution of a single PSP screen. A cheap bigger better GBA like machine with 4 times the battery life than the PSP.
I have seen it advocated, a portable games machine based on cheap universal standards like Java mobile technology (or Linux) with hi-res screen, and capabilities listed above, for the price of the GBA. Such a thing would be good, and compatible with the Mobile games base. Lets get rid of these expensive priority systems, get something universal, like Linux, Java, or PC is.
Yes I just bagged every one of them except the Game Park, but I am not happy with them either, why didn't it get released universally and take the market, what about higher speed, what about a bit of very basic 3D acceleration support.
The reality is things on the level of GBA canbe sold very cheap, things on the level of the GP32, DS, and soon even the Zod, can be released very cheaply. 2 years Zod like capabilities $50, possible, even one year, even 3D.
DoctorDee 29 Jul 2005 14:07
2/9
Anyone care for a sweepstake on when Gizmondo will be making a similar declaration.
Maybe not in terms of time, maybe number of games released for that doomed platform before it throws in the towel.
Maybe not in terms of time, maybe number of games released for that doomed platform before it throws in the towel.
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fluffstardx 29 Jul 2005 21:30
3/9
Na na, nananana, hey hey hey, gooodbye...
Hope to pick one up for cheap because it is a nice PDA. But as a games machine? Nah. It plays DOOM, I suppose, but still, no.
Hope to pick one up for cheap because it is a nice PDA. But as a games machine? Nah. It plays DOOM, I suppose, but still, no.
LUPOS 29 Jul 2005 21:43
4/9
DoctorDee wrote:
Anyone care for a sweepstake on when Gizmondo will be making a similar declaration.
Maybe not in terms of time, maybe number of games released for that doomed platform before it throws in the towel.
Maybe not in terms of time, maybe number of games released for that doomed platform before it throws in the towel.
considering the EA and microsoft support alogn witht he willingnes ot reales games called "motor cross" and "racer" coupled with what seems to a fairly heavy marketign campaign, im bankign on 50.
also, i will be watchign ebay closelsy to see if i can pick up this tapwave for cheap... portable mame is worth a pretty worthwhile investment. anyone know how complex a game it can play? are we talking street fighter? MK3? or more donkey kong?
have to look into it.
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DoctorDee 30 Jul 2005 12:39
5/9
LUPOS wrote:
considering the EA and microsoft support alogn witht he willingnes ot reales games called "motor cross" and "racer" coupled with what seems to a fairly heavy marketign campaign, im bankign on 50.
OK, I'm for 17. Anyone else?
way 30 Jul 2005 12:47
6/9
LUPOS wrote:
DoctorDee wrote:
also, i will be watchign ebay closelsy to see if i can pick up this tapwave for cheap... portable mame is worth a pretty worthwhile investment.
If you see any post us a link in this news thread, well get the email message notification. Compusa has had very cheap deals on X PDA's in the time past, they might be worth keeping track of.
I think PALM and Zodiac got confused about where ever it was a PDA or not, the fact it is one of the best PALM PDA's, but overpriced games machine. They should have targeted DS price and stripped glossy PDA functions (sell them separately). The attraction would have been to run PALM games and suped up custom games.
By the way guys, for good cheap portable gaming information, see www.pocketmatrix.com. Pocket PC games tend to be more advanced (Quakes been running for a while) and you can buy them from around $5+, even free stuff and shareware. Controls are a bit shoddy though. Gizimodo, is a disappointment, they could have used the Pocket PC base to offer a cheaper machine.
LUPOS 1 Aug 2005 03:49
7/9
DoctorDee wrote:
LUPOS wrote:
considering the EA and microsoft support alogn witht he willingnes ot reales games called "motor cross" and "racer" coupled with what seems to a fairly heavy marketign campaign, im bankign on 50.
OK, I'm for 17. Anyone else?
dear lord! i love it when i type a post real quick in the breif time i have on here these days and then go back to look at it later and realise it sounds like it was typed by an iradiated monkey! an iradiated monkey with well thought out ideas... but none the less.
______________
kriv 1 Aug 2005 12:49
8/9
way wrote:
The DS, another one, it should have had at least resolution like the ancient GP32 (and some of it's features) much faster processor, and proper 3D hardware, instead of that ridiculous dual screen that barely touches the resolution of a single PSP screen. A cheap bigger better GBA like machine with 4 times the battery life than the PSP.
Why? The DS is a lovely little gaming machine. It doesn't need whizz bang graphics. Just simple addictive fun which is what it provides.
way 3 Aug 2005 05:23
9/9
kriv wrote:
Why? The DS is a lovely little gaming machine. It doesn't need whizz bang graphics. Just simple addictive fun which is what it provides.
Sure, then ditch the DS, and buy an Atari Lynx instead, or the GB. I don't think so, we like the graphics. If the PSP had long battery life, different shape, then it should be just as capable for cute games. Maybe they could get long battery life by clocking down the CPU and memory speed, and reducing screen brightness and use less of the screen (there are schemes that have a backlight grids) Hey, that does sound like a DS, except for the cutting in half and hinging the two halfs together ;)
Yes, how can we get a PSP to go, and go, and go, like a Nintendo? Maybe solar cell and new body length thin flat battery as well. Wow, that's raided my appreciation of it.