As if there weren't already enough consoles on the docket for this holiday season, Mad Catz went ahead and announced it would also enter the war for the living room.
Fortunately for Mad Catz, it won't be going head-to-head with the likes of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4, but rather Android consoles like the
and
.
The Mad Catz M.O.J.O. will be an Android micro-console, the gaming accessory manufacturer hopes will provide an open platform for existing Android gamers.
Designed to work with Mad Catz existing GameSmart peripherals, the M.O.J.O. already has a built-in eco-system, which could spell trouble for its mobile competitors.
Play smart. GameSmart.
There's little information available right now about the hardware powering the M.O.J.O, but Mad Catz seems optimistic about the console's chances to bring Android gaming into the living room.
"M.O.J.O. is basically a supercharged smart phone with no screen that plugs into your flat screen TV to bring the living room experience to mobile gaming," said Darren Richardson, the president and CEO of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.
"People are already comfortable buying games from Google Play, Amazon, TegraZone, or any other retailer of their choice. They play those games on their phones and tablets already, and with M.O.J.O., they will be able to play them in the living room at no additional cost."
Mad Catz consoles will also be able to play movies, music, and whatever other digital media you have, though it's not clear just how M.O.J.O. will allow you to manipulate and control your content.
The M.O.J.O. will ship with the equally ridiculously named Mad Catz C.T.R.L. wireless gamepad, which features both standard Bluetooth and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity to provide low-latency and impressive battery life.
The C.T.R.L. controller will feature a "mouse mode," which will allow you to play games designed around a touch screen, even though the gamepad itself doesn't feature a touch pad.
Not having to re-buy content on yet another marketplace is all well and good, but the Android console market is untested, and it's not a sure thing three consoles can thrive at retail.
It's a rather intriguing risk Mad Catz is taking with the M.O.J.O., but without a truly dominant leader in the market, there's a chance the company could succeed if given the right opportunity.
- More on M.O.J.O at E3 2013
