Tencent announce new games console

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Chinese investment holding company, Tencent, have announced a new console; the Tencent Games Platform (TGP) BOX.

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by Chris Brand

@pass_controller

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Tencent is recognised as the largest online gaming community in China. Their lineup includes Journey to the Fairyland, Dungeon & Fighter, QQ HUAXIA, and Hero Island.

They also hold a majority stake in League of Legends developer Riot Games, and a minority stake in proprietor of the Unreal Engine, Epic Games.

Tencent is a major player in Asia, and with China lifting its 15 year ban on console gaming only last year, there's a huge potential market to tap into.

The TGP BOX, or Blade to give it its proper title, runs on Windows 10 and has a TGP BOX mode. Whilst in said mode, players can quickly download or update massive games from the game store, start a local game and live stream gaming sessions.

Many Tencent games have already been ported over, including League of Legends, FIFA Online 3, NBA 2K, Monster Hunter and Need for Speed. More games from third party developers will be introduced this year.

It's not yet known if the Blade will reach western shores, but it’s an interesting concept none the less. A lot of people are buying games digitally now, so a console without a disc drive doesn’t seem as peculiar as it did a few years ago.

What do think of the new console? Hoping it sees a release over here? Let us know in the forums.

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