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ATEI: Sega Vision hands-on - Sega Nerds
"Many of you will remember the mild controversy surrounding the announcement of the Sega Vision. It first came to light on a random tech site, and people didn’t quite know what to make of it. The original advert looked slightly iffy, and the Vision boasted lots of different capabilities; such as MP4, MP3, Images, eBooks, TV, Radio and even games - and (to cap it all) it claimed to be about the size of a credit card.
Anyway the Sega Vision did indeed turn out to be a real product, as it was spotted in one of Sega’s UFO grabbers at the Trocodero centre in London. It also came to light that the games it would play would be simple flash games - which many people thought sounded very crappy.
Well, at the ATEI show I managed to speak to some of the people from Sega Prize Europe about this magical device and even got some hands-on time with one!
The first thing I should let everyone know is that the game will not be able play games… yet. The original model showed off the ability to play simple flash games, but the execs at Sega Prize Europe decided that flash games simply were not good enough, and for the time being any game function was to be cut out. Quite simply they didn’t want people to think that they were trying to compete with the PSP and DS; the Sega Vision is first and foremost a portable media player.
However, all is not lost (for those really wanting games), Sega is looking at releasing updated models in the future, which could include the option to play games. It is not confirmed yet, so don’t get too excited, but I think there is a very solid chance that it will eventually come to fruition.
So what is the Vision?
As I said, the Vision is a portable media player (PMP), and it does indeed do all the other functions that were originally announced. It can play; Video files (AVI, MP4 and something else), MP3s, images, camera function (still images only), eBooks/text, voice recorder, radio and television.
The Vision is bigger than a credit card, but not by much. It is very small - about the size of a 30GB Video iPod. However it only has 2GB of built in memory, but that can be expanded via the micro SD slot on the side. I couldn’t get a definite answer for battery life of the device, but I was told that they had watched full length movies on it without the battery dying. Also (naturally) different functions will drain the battery at different speeds.
The screen is remarkably clear, which became evident when they started to play the Transformers movie on it. The TV tuner function was also shown off, and despite being stuck inside a large exhibition hall (with metal in the ceiling) you could still get a picture, not a perfect one, but very watchable.
It was hard to hear the device over all the noise at the exhibition, but I didn’t have to bring it that close to my ear before I started to hear what was being said on the show I was trying to watch. Plus there is the earphone socket, if you are in a noisy/crowded environment.
With the radio and TV tuner the device uses a fold out aerial, which folds very neatly back inside the Vision, so you don’t have to worry about having it sticking out or getting in the way. When it is out, it is surprisingly long (that’s what she said), and does feel a little flimsy. So I think some people might want to be careful if they are getting it out in a crowded space (take that sentence anyway you want to).
The camera function was functional, but you wouldn’t really be using it over a proper digital camera. I’m told that it is a 1.3 Megapixel camera - which these days is very basic. The images came out clear, though I didn’t get to check out the zoom function (or if it even had one).
For what it is, the device is actually very cool. It is very light, easily fits in your pocket and performs its functions very well.
My favourite functions were definitely the video player and TV tuner. I know there are better devices out there, but Sega is hoping that these will be a cheaper alternative to them and it offers more functions than most PMPs out there.
But, before you all go nuts and try to buy one of these, right now the device is only available as a prize in Sega’s UFO Catcher machines.
However, Sega Prize Europe is looking to sell the devices online and potentially at certain retail outlets. There hasn’t been a confirmed price, but I was given an estimate of £70 - £90 retail price. [Note: the £49.98 price shown in one of the pictures is the trade price, it will cost more at retail]
Also right now the TV tuner and radio functions are analogue only, so for future models Sega is looking at incorporating digital radio and TV - as analogue signals are meant to be turned of permanently in the next few years (something like 2012).
There was also mention of a touch-screen feature for the Vision. Just an idea though, it might not happen, but if they did manage to get a touch-screen and games for the device, then it would be interesting to see where they would take the machine.
If you want to find out more about the device, we are hoping to get another, (more in-depth), hands on and get some more questions answered very soon. So stay tuned."
"Many of you will remember the mild controversy surrounding the announcement of the Sega Vision. It first came to light on a random tech site, and people didn’t quite know what to make of it. The original advert looked slightly iffy, and the Vision boasted lots of different capabilities; such as MP4, MP3, Images, eBooks, TV, Radio and even games - and (to cap it all) it claimed to be about the size of a credit card.
Anyway the Sega Vision did indeed turn out to be a real product, as it was spotted in one of Sega’s UFO grabbers at the Trocodero centre in London. It also came to light that the games it would play would be simple flash games - which many people thought sounded very crappy.
Well, at the ATEI show I managed to speak to some of the people from Sega Prize Europe about this magical device and even got some hands-on time with one!
The first thing I should let everyone know is that the game will not be able play games… yet. The original model showed off the ability to play simple flash games, but the execs at Sega Prize Europe decided that flash games simply were not good enough, and for the time being any game function was to be cut out. Quite simply they didn’t want people to think that they were trying to compete with the PSP and DS; the Sega Vision is first and foremost a portable media player.
However, all is not lost (for those really wanting games), Sega is looking at releasing updated models in the future, which could include the option to play games. It is not confirmed yet, so don’t get too excited, but I think there is a very solid chance that it will eventually come to fruition.
So what is the Vision?
As I said, the Vision is a portable media player (PMP), and it does indeed do all the other functions that were originally announced. It can play; Video files (AVI, MP4 and something else), MP3s, images, camera function (still images only), eBooks/text, voice recorder, radio and television.
The Vision is bigger than a credit card, but not by much. It is very small - about the size of a 30GB Video iPod. However it only has 2GB of built in memory, but that can be expanded via the micro SD slot on the side. I couldn’t get a definite answer for battery life of the device, but I was told that they had watched full length movies on it without the battery dying. Also (naturally) different functions will drain the battery at different speeds.
The screen is remarkably clear, which became evident when they started to play the Transformers movie on it. The TV tuner function was also shown off, and despite being stuck inside a large exhibition hall (with metal in the ceiling) you could still get a picture, not a perfect one, but very watchable.
It was hard to hear the device over all the noise at the exhibition, but I didn’t have to bring it that close to my ear before I started to hear what was being said on the show I was trying to watch. Plus there is the earphone socket, if you are in a noisy/crowded environment.
With the radio and TV tuner the device uses a fold out aerial, which folds very neatly back inside the Vision, so you don’t have to worry about having it sticking out or getting in the way. When it is out, it is surprisingly long (that’s what she said), and does feel a little flimsy. So I think some people might want to be careful if they are getting it out in a crowded space (take that sentence anyway you want to).
The camera function was functional, but you wouldn’t really be using it over a proper digital camera. I’m told that it is a 1.3 Megapixel camera - which these days is very basic. The images came out clear, though I didn’t get to check out the zoom function (or if it even had one).
For what it is, the device is actually very cool. It is very light, easily fits in your pocket and performs its functions very well.
My favourite functions were definitely the video player and TV tuner. I know there are better devices out there, but Sega is hoping that these will be a cheaper alternative to them and it offers more functions than most PMPs out there.
But, before you all go nuts and try to buy one of these, right now the device is only available as a prize in Sega’s UFO Catcher machines.
However, Sega Prize Europe is looking to sell the devices online and potentially at certain retail outlets. There hasn’t been a confirmed price, but I was given an estimate of £70 - £90 retail price. [Note: the £49.98 price shown in one of the pictures is the trade price, it will cost more at retail]
Also right now the TV tuner and radio functions are analogue only, so for future models Sega is looking at incorporating digital radio and TV - as analogue signals are meant to be turned of permanently in the next few years (something like 2012).
There was also mention of a touch-screen feature for the Vision. Just an idea though, it might not happen, but if they did manage to get a touch-screen and games for the device, then it would be interesting to see where they would take the machine.
If you want to find out more about the device, we are hoping to get another, (more in-depth), hands on and get some more questions answered very soon. So stay tuned."
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