Opinion: Is the Zeemote JS1 set for success?

It's fair to say that the Zeemote JS1 Bluetooth controller has been one of the hits of GDC Mobile. Sponsoring the show ensured a high profile for Zeemote's innovative joystick-based device, while a party with lashings of free booze also saw developers flocking.

Yet it's the device itself that has developers buzzing. As one said to me at the show: "People don't really get it until they actually get their hands on it. Then they love it."

And I can attest, they do.

We wrote last week about the joys of playing Sonic The Hedgehog using the Zeemote, and this week there's a new game on show for it – a two-player tennis game that's excellent, and like a number of the other demo games, is the work of UK studio FinBlade.

Basically, the Zeemote works. It works really well. And it solves most of the control issues afflicting mobile games played on a keypad. We've said this before, but it's become clear this week that lots of developers agree.

Will it be a success, though? What GDC Mobile has proved to us is that if it was just down to cool technology, Zeemote would be huge. Any technical doubts about the device itself are long dispelled.

Our only questions now are about the business model, but they're crucial ones. See, you do have to get the Zeemote in your hands to really get it, so the question now is how the company is going to get it into enough people's hands to get critical mass – and make it worth developers converting their games to run with it.

So, it all comes down to which handset (or ideally handsets) the Zeemote will be bundled with. How expensive will they be, and how heavily will they be promoted? How many games will come with the device, and will it be easy for players to get more of them? Will the operators throw their weight behind it?

Like we said, it's all business questions, not technological doubts. Zeemote has done the hard work of making a device that works, and getting developers buzzing about it. But the factors determining its long-term viability are as much about getting it into players' hands as quickly and effectively as possible.

As time goes by, we find ourselves warming to the theory that if Sony Ericsson does launch a PlayStation phone this year, the Zeemote would be the accessory to do it with. It's pure speculation on our part, of course.

Needless to say, we'll be watching Zeemote's partnership announcements with keen interest in the coming months.