Gizmondo
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| Manufacturer | Tiger Telematics |
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| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Seventh generation era |
| Release date | March 19, 2005 |
| Discontinued | February 6, 2006 |
| Units sold | Fewer than 25,000 |
| Media | SD, MMC |
| CPU | ARM9 S3C2440 processor at 400 MHz |
| Online services | GPRS |
| Best-selling game | Sticky Balls |
The Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console developed by Tiger Telematics. It was released in the UK, Sweden and the U.S. starting in March of 2005. Its first-party games were developed in studios in Helsingborg, Sweden, and Manchester, England. Gizmondo Europe, Ltd. was based in London, England, and was a subsidiary of Florida-based Tiger Telematics.
The Gizmondo was expected by some journalists to be a commercial success; however, it ended up as a sales failure. The company extravagantly spent millions on promotions such as a celebrity party at London's Park Lane Hotel, and taking part at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite never making a profit.
With fewer than 25,000 units sold, the Gizmondo was named by GamePro as the worst selling handheld console in history. The Gizmondo was overshadowed by executive Stefan Eriksson's involvement in a Swedish criminal organisation, the "Uppsalamaffian" (the Uppsala mafia). Its American debut was delayed several times, and a widescreen version was announced before its release, resulting in low sales. By February 2006, the company was forced into bankruptcy after amassing US$300 million debt, and the Gizmondo stopped production. Weeks thereafter, Eriksson crashed a rare Ferrari Enzo after driving at 162 mph in California, and was later jailed for the crash and his criminal offenses.
The Gizmondo device was originally called Gametrac. Tiger Telematics first published on their website in October 2003 about the device being developed. This came in response to Nokia's N-Gage. During December that year, Gizmondo made its debut as a concept product at the Las Vegas CES show in January 2004, and later appeared at the German CeBIT show in March 2004. The company and the console were renamed Gizmondo around August 2004.
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