China had been experiencing a ban on video game consoles since the year 2000, but a couple of years back, the ban was finally lifted and the market steadily started accepting consoles. Right after the ban was lifted, Sony launched Xbox One in China in 2014, followed by Microsoft launching PS4 in March 2015 and the figures of these consoles point towards a humble start in the country with an install base of just 500,000.
Since the ban in 2000, the country’s gaming enthusiasts have resorted to PC games and more recently mobile games, and some of the companies have managed to merge TV and mobiles with custom consoles, much like Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV (iOS).
Now, a Chinese company named Fuze Entertainment, which had formerly revealed plans for its very own indigenous console has confirmed the same this year. Even though they hope on releasing the console next month, the date is subjective to change. They are the same company who helped in funding “Red Ash: The Indelible Legend” for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Incidentally, the console shares striking similarities with Xbox One and PS4. While the console itself looks like PS4, the controller is almost identical to that of Xbox One’s. The games operating system will be android based, but Fuze Entertainment, CEO, Wang Feng during a statement pointed out that their upcoming console named “Tomahawk F1” will not only allow users to play android based games, but also allow users to indulge into AAA games.
With so much on their sights, Tomahawk F1 might have a good chance of competing against the likes of Xbox One and PS4 as they plan on bringing games from both Chinese and the overseas industry. During their recent conference they showed demos of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles, Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends, BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend, Red Ash the Indelible Legend and Mighty No 9 along with few more famous games. The prices of the console are quite cheap; 899 RMB ($138) on the low end and 1499 RMB ($230) for a better system which boasts a 500 GB hard drive.
With a low price range and a mix of both Chinese and foreign games to their kitty, the company might just give a fair competition to the two above mentioned major consoles. We will have to wait for the launch and see how the console fairs in the Chinese console gaming market. The company also plans to launch VR games but no further information has been disclosed as of now.
