Console gaming goes open source

GameGadget has unveiled a handheld console that aims to be the next iPod of gaming and will be rolled out by the end of 2011, Game Guru reports.

The Linux-based open source device is meant to provide gamers, developers and publishers with choices and flexibility in how they play, create and sell game titles.

The video game system hopes to make a dent in a market where long-time industry giants Nintendo and Sony are struggling with their respective 3DS and PSP platforms, Suite101 states.

Competition from both iOS and Android devices led Nintendo last year to show its first loss in years, and things aren't much better at Sony, with its upcoming next-generation handheld system, the Vita, which will be released early next year, missing the holiday season.

Gadgets and Gizmos says the GameGadget service, just like Apple's App Store, allows the owners of these games to re-market their back catalogues, set the appropriate pricing and gain incremental revenue, but with no additional investment.

“GameGadget has been designed with the ultimate goal of playing every game on a single device, just as the iPod was for music,” explains Jason Cooper, the maker of GameGadget.

He adds: “Hundreds of thousands of games are currently 'archived' and no longer being enjoyed by gamers, with no value being generated for the developers and publishers. The launch of GameGadget creates a market for gamers to play the games they want to play.”