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Want a Gizmondo, but don’t fancy travelling to good-old London-town? Well, soon you’ll be able to get it on the high-street, courtesy of distribution deals secured with GameStation, The Carphone Warehouse and John Lewis. That’s right, you’ll soon be able to actually see one of the beasts in the flesh.
The handheld – which is much more than a gaming device – originally had a reasonably high-profile ‘soft’ launch last year, whereby it was introduced to the public. And then was not available to buy anywhere. And we do mean anywhere. The idea was to create a buzz about it, which it probably did for a little while, and then everybody pre-ordered a PSP or DS instead.
Still, fast forward to March 19th, and the opening of the Gizmondo store in London’s Regent Street, and you could then buy one. Of course, selling the gadget in only one store in the land makes no sense, so high-street retailers clearly need to be on board. And here we are.
Speaking of the deal, Julie Mitrovic (assistant buyer for the John Lewis Partnership) said, “We identified last year that Gizmondo’s arrival would expand the popular gaming genre, and through its unique convergence of music and movie features, will prove an exciting addition to our assortment,”.
On behalf of the Carphone Warehouse, director Kevin Gillan said, “Our stores attract a variety of customers looking for handsets and mobile entertainment devices. With its wide range of features and functionality, the Gizmondo will have appeal to the customers we get in our stores.””. It is worth noting that the Gizmondo will not be available in all CW stores, initially being available only in selected Manchester stores.
GameStation were ‘bigged-up’ by Tiger themselves, with Gizmondo Europe saying that they are a “key destination for the Gizmondo consumer, both in terms of the launch demographic and the mainstream videogaming audience.”
Final words, though, to Tiger co-founder Carl Freer: “We were delighted by the response we received from the public at the recent opening of our own Regent Street store. We are now committed to building on that success and ensuring that we bring the benefits of the Gizmondo on a national level. We’re pleased to have John Lewis, The Carphone Warehouse and GameStation on board, and will be fully supporting their launches with comprehensive retail marketing campaigns, to include TV, outdoor and print media.”
For an idea of what the thing can actually do, check out our previous coverage.
So there you have it. Go get your one now.
