[MUD-Dev2] [MEDIA] Imagine playing WoW on this...

[Mike Rozak]

I just read this article
(http://www.smh.com.au/news/reviews/review-asus-eee-pc/2007/12/02/1196530469545.html)
about the Asus Eee PC. The important facts:
 
- A UMPC 7" (18 cm) screen and  with a small keyboard.
- $499 Australain. About $400 US. With a paired down version for USD
$350 (according to Wikipedia).
- Linux (Asus web site says can run XP, but XP costs money.)
- Flash "hard disk" - A bit small at 4 GB though.
- 512 meg RAM
- No significant 3D accelerator as far as I can tell.
- One article I read (can't find it now) mentioned a guestimated sales
of 3.5 million units in 2008.
- More info on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC
 
 
This machine should be able to play Runescape. WoW isn't that much of a
stretch, and can probably run on the higher end $800 - $1200 UMPCs.
(Note: The small screen, small keyboard and non-mouse are issues.)
 
 
Just think about what this does to the MMO market:
 
- It's the perfect form factor and price for grade-school and
high-school students. (expanding the market)
 
- The lower price-point expands the PC market into less-developed
countries and/or poorer families (expanding the market; does your MMO
support Swahili?)
 
- You could play WoW (or whatever) on the bus, while out for lunch,
etc., and then play the same game (and character) at home on your
dual-monitor quad-core PC.
 
- Next year, either the same macine will cost 30% less, or be 30%
faster. Ad infinitum.
 
- This all ties into the "Factor of 16" MudDev2 post I made a few months
ago.
 
- Think of it as a PC equivalent to the very-successful Nintendo DS
(albeit much more expensive at the moment)