Chinese giants combine for miniature FunBox release

Released March 19 for the Chinese console market, mobile telco ZTE and internet firm The9's FunBox packs Tegra4 power and comes in a choice of 12 colors.

ZTE9-s-FunBox-comes-in-12-different-colors-Photo-AFP

Released March 19 for the Chinese console market, mobile telco ZTE and internet firm The9's FunBox packs Tegra4 power and comes in a choice of 12 colors.

Online sales don't actually start until April, ZTE9 having tied up a deal to supply Chinese shopping site JD.com with its new entertainment cube.

Gaming, video chat and online video are the cubic console's three pillars, with ZTE9's chairman promising a 'comprehensive ecosystem that encompasses hardware, content and channels,' aiming for a consumer-grade, 'high-quality home entertainment experience.'

Internally, the Tegra4 chip sits alongside a 72-core GeForce graphics processor that boasts 2GB of DDR3L memory, while 8GB of flash memory serves the unit as a whole.

It might have trouble facing up to a PlayStation 4 or a laptop PC, but in terms of specs and stated aims the FunBox has more in common with Android-powered micro-consoles such as the Ouya, GameStick, and Amazon's expected variant.

As a result, its particular combination of components led the ZTE9 press release to dub it 'the highest performance home entertainment console currently available globally' -- though whether it will see an international release is considered doubtful.