Legal Niches

China Telecom Copies the Wii with New Service

By james_fudge

If you can't get the real thing, a knock-off will do. While consumers cannot officially buy a Wii or Xbox 360 in China because the government has blocked the sale of both systems in the region, Chinese companies are doing what they can to fill the entertainment gap. China Telecom has started offering a Wii-style gaming service under the auspices of its Internet Protocol television (IPTV) subscription package.

Called "Tigan Youxi" (Somatic Gaming in English) the console offers motion-sensing controllers much like Nintendo's to give TV gamers some fun distractions. China Telecom showed off the console earlier this month at an exhibit in Beijing, where users could play a simple Ping Pong game.

The "console" is not stand-alone, sadly; it is an add-on to the IPTV services, and is not meant to compete with other consoles. The company is offering the gaming service in provinces located in southern China, where its IPTV services are available. Read More

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Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on October 27, 2010 (boomark / email).