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Beth Marcus, CEO of ZeeMote on the JS1

Written by Mark C. Barlet

Published on 18 February 2008

We got an inviite to the lauch party for the ZeeMote JS1, a controller for your cell phone. This solid one-handed controller had us thinking how useful this thing would be. We had a chance to talk to the CEO of ZeeMote, a real treat for AbleGamers.

Mark Barlet: I am standing here talking to Beth Marcus, CEO of Zeemote, how are you today?

Beth Marcus: I am great, how are you?

MB: Doing well. So, we are here at the launch of your new product, why don't you tell us a little about it?

BM: This is the Zeemote JS1 controller, the first compact controller for mobiles, and it lets you have a console-type experience on your mobile phone. It takes advantage of the graphics, speed and quality of the images that are there already with what you are carrying everyday.

MB: It's a Bluetooth device correct?

BM: It's Bluetooth, yes.

MB: So this is a big party right now, I have a drink in my hand--

BM: A Zeetini!

[It is a big red drink, the same color as their logo and very good.]

MB: You guys are putting on a great party. What is the market here, who is your target audience?

BM: Our target audience eventually is the world! Everything, and every platform. Our first target it the 18 to 28 year old gamer, who is already paying for and downloading games today. Making a more engaging experience for them to buy more games and sign up for data services, and have a console in their pocket.

MB: Mobile gaming is pretty new to everyone at AbleGamers because we are still trying to get PC games to work correctly. We are still having challenges with the Wii; we are still having challenges with Xbox 360, which is still fairly new to the market, so there are not a lot of peripherals on it. I saw your product, a one-handed controller, very compact in form. Is the one I saw today production-ready?

BM: This one is a step ahead of the one you saw, which wass one step away from production, in Q2.

MB: Okay, so this one actually has the A / B button, it's a little bit different.

[See pic below]

BM: This button is a little bit different, so you don't accidentally touch it, like for special events. There are four assignable buttons, and a joystick. It's an analog joystick just like you would find in any other game platform, but it is a thumb stick, you can easily operate it.

MB: Yeah, I used it in my left and right hand, it worked perfectly. We are a site for disabled gamers. Have you thought about how disabled gamers approach gaming in general?

BM: No, but in my prior life, I was involved. My PhD is in Bio-mechanics--

MB: Oh!

BM: --and so, several of my team are involved in long-term careers that have to do with how to make everything easier for everyone, which means disabled people as well.

MB: We have always said that if you make a game disability-friendly, everyone wins.

BM: That's right, it becomes easy and engaging for everyone.

MB: So one of the questions we have: would you ever think about moving this device to a PC-type device, or one that has a USB plug-in for a mouse alternative?

BM: All of that stuff is in our lab but these are not products we are releasing yet, because it's a matter of the market driving us to do the things you want first, and so that is why we are doing Java first.

MB: Stephanie just joined us!

[There is a story on why she was late, if you ask nicely she may share it with you--it has to do with a German man.]

BM: Hi.

Stephanie Walker: Hi, nice to meet you, Stephanie Walker.

BM: Nice to meet you.

MB: Do you have any questions as well?

SW: Do you plan on making the Zeemote to be used on the PC?

MB: That is what I was just asking.

BM: By the nature of what it is, it can be used, but we are not focusing on that today, and we are not releasing that today. But, anyone who gets an SDK can make it for whatever platform they wanted.

MB: So if I had a Bluetooth card in my PC I could pair it up.

BM: You can run some of these Java games on your PC and pair it up. This is a discoverable device on your PC.

MB: Well you are having a great party, a great Zeetini, and some interesting swag. We wanted to thank you for your time and thank you for the invite.

BM: My pleasure, tell your community that we are very supportive of disabled people doing interactive things. You know if there are developers out there developing for that community, have them sign up and we'll support them.

MB: Thank you.

BM: My pleasure.

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Comments

0 #2 ........ — Ackrin 2008-02-19 13:13

Great interview; Now intereste in why Stephanie was late. lol

0 #1 I love Zeemote! — Camilya 2008-02-18 19:09

Yes it was quite an interesting day for us! :-)

Way too much undie drama going on in San Fran. hehe Plus an awesome one handed controller for Mobile gaming, the Zeemote, that I have to get my hands on to do some serious testing asap. I really love that controller and the possibilities that it opens up for us.

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