Yep, about time in my opinion, SEGA has partnered with NTTDocomo to release a SEGA phone, with a pretty kiddy color scheme and more stuff that I don't know of because they haven't disclosed it yet. The SA800i. The clamshell design has been given bright vibrant colors to make it attractive and pleasing to the eye. Of course being a Sega handset, it would just not be fair if it did not have any games. Not the usual fancy stuff that we come aross in any cell phone will do either, it has to be quality stuff from the house of Sega. Its difficult to make out the names in Japanese, but its clear that these are quality arcade games. The menu is specially designed for kids too, easy to use. Despite being a kiddies phone, the handset does not scrimp on features; it has a camera, speaker phone; though it does make do without an external display. Overall, the presence of Sega games on the SA800i is itself enough to at least get to know more details of it. Stay tuned for further updates which we shall post as they become available. I read sometime ago in a german forum that Nokia was planing to use a new CPU/GPU from hitachi that was a dreamcast on a chip (yeah, like the nes-on-a-chip) on the next ngage, but since the thing is canned SEGA could make a cellphone-slash-portable with the power of a DC:dance:h:
Um, ok. Certainly an interesting direction for Sega to take. And Sega are obviously dev'ing the software. Hurrah, Sega have released a new console. Except it's got a phone built-in. Damn I hate mobiles.
SAN JOSE -- Renesas Technology has taken many of the technologies used in the Sega Dreamcast game console and combined them into a single core. Officials from Japan's Renesas, which assumed control over the development of the SH processor from ST Microelectronics on Sept. 28, announced the SH3707 embedded processor at the Fall Processor Forum here today. The SH3707 combines both an advanced SuperH core and a PowerVR graphics core, the components found in the original Dreamcast. Specifically, the Dreamcast console contained a 200-MHz Hitachi SH4 with the capability to perform 360 million instructions per second (MIPS) and 1.4 million megaflops, or floating-point operations per second. The Dreamcast also contained an NEC PowerVR2 graphics chip. The new SH3707 uses a faster 540 MIPS/2.1 gigaflops engine, with a 64-bit interface to memory. The core also contains a PowerVR MBX chip, a core that Imagination Technologies has licensed to Intel and Texas Instruments, among others. Sega's decision to exit the console business in 2001 was met with dismay with gamers, who admired the system's graphics capabilities. However, the console's sales slipped after rival Sony released the PS2 in the U.S., Microsoft announced plans for the Xbox, and Nintendo launched the Gameboy Advance, providing another outlet for gamer dollars. Even today, the console is actively traded on sites like eBay. Renesas officials said they actually designed the chip with game consoles or other entertainment devices in mind, although they didn't announce any customers for the chip. "Our goal was to accomplish second-generation (console) performance and first-generation cost," said Mitsuhiro Miyazaki, the project deputy manager for Renesas, based in Tokyo. According to Miyazaki, the target specification for the platform is to achieve up to 1024 x 768 resolution, 10 million to 13 million vertices or 5 million to 6 million triangles per second, with up to 20 percent translucency per scene – in other words, anticipating a game where some of the polygons would be enhanced with transparency effects. That would place the SH3707 at somewhat over twice the performance of the Dreamcast, which could handle up to 3 million triangles per second. The SH3707 also has the capability of processing MPEG-1, -2, and -4 video and eight-channel PCM/ADCPM audio. The SH3707 will ship in the first quarter of 2005, Miyazaki said.
You of course mean for european and japanese gamers. This product will not be comming to the US. Nokia sealed the deal for the fate of future US cellphone gaming. What retailers would risk carrying it in the US? What US cellphone carrier will offer this phone? What independent cellphone store would stock it in the US? I think none of these outlets will put the $$$ up front and try to sell this device.
Power consumption. Dc= 75 watts. Never going to happen Maybe some low power nec chip with some power vr qualities, but a dc in a phone is not going to happen.
Dude, the chip is already a low power one. Just try of imagine how hot it would be if the comsuption was of 75w. Prescott-without-cooler HOT.........
www.nttdocomo.co.jp/product/kids_phone/sa800i notice the url. Approximately 2.2 inches 240x320 dot QVGA TFT liquid crystal 65,536 colors "Crime prevention buzzer" of large volume and buzzer gearing function The large volume buzzer sound of approximately 100dB Keeps the kiddies safe
Guys, that phone is nothing special or at least it's not here. QVGA sceens have been the norm for well over a year ans all the other specs are standard at best. It's just a kiddie's toy. Yakumo
Yeah, we were just trowing ideas for a Sega ngage-like console. And to the other guy, dude just becos the ngage had a poor permance doesnt mean other companies wont try to do a gaming phone. If that were true then after the SegaCD, 3DO and CDi nobody in the game bussines would use CDs....
It has a personal alarm!?!? I want this for the sheer sake of setting it off on the sleeping porch of my fraternity to scare them to death...oh and its cool because its by sega, not sure how I feel about the color scheme though. Wish it was dreamcast themed
