Yesterday, at the unveiling of Dell’s new top of the line gaming PC in Europe, there was more being discussed than just the new high-end computer. Abizar Vakharia, head of global gaming for Dell, was asked about rumors relating to a future handheld gaming console in the works by the computer company. Vakharia replied, "You know, that’s definitely one that’s on the radar screen, but we have no plans to talk about anything today."
This remark has been taken as a signal that Dell in going through with development plans for such a device, with speculation of the handheld game console placing it more in the league of a UMPC (ultra mobile PC) rather than a true handheld game machine.
Today, Dell tried to plug up the leak by neither denying nor validating the comments. A spokesperson told Eurogamer, "I can confirm there are no plans to launch a gaming handheld at this time. But Dell is always looking at evaluating new technology."
If Dell is indeed developing a handheld game machine, it will be facing a rocky and most likely risky foray into the handheld gaming market. With failures such as the N-Gage and Gizmondo still looming, it seems unlikely that Dell would brave the waters and enter this difficult market. But the rewards are high, as has been proven by Nintendo’s DS, and this may be enough incentive to drive Dell into a new business direction.
