Panasonic begins market testing upcoming Jungle handheld

Panasonic’s MMO-focused handheld console, codenamed Jungle, is still alive.

It might not have gotten gamers too excited online when it was announced this October, but the device is currently undergoing testing in the United States, Bloomberg says, and Panasonic is inviting players to come try the upcoming handheld.

The clamshell device is promising browser-based games on the go, with a touchpad and full QWERTY keypad. The first promised title is an MMO based on finished TV series Battlestar Galactica.

The plan is to provide something different to the PSP, DS, and iPhone as Panasonic makes its defiant leap back into the world of gaming. The technology manufacturer conceded defeat back in the early '90s when its hugely expensive 3DO was a massive flop.

While you wait for the Jungle to be released, you can watch the device’s high-larious, tie-in web show, Online Underground.