© Snail Games USA

Still can't decide between PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U for your next gen console of choice? Why not avoid messy indecision entirely and pick up an Obox instead? You still have a while to make up your mind though, with the Chinese Android-based console launching in the UK in 2016.

Never heard of it? You're probably not alone. First revealed at this year's CES, and due for release in its home market in Q2 this year, the Obox is made by Snail, better known as the developer behind free-to-play MMOs such as Age of Wushu. However, from its humble browser-based gaming roots, the company has grown to become China's fifth-largest mobile phone network provider, already operates internationally, and has substantial capital to plough into a global hardware release.


Unlike most Android powered microconsoles such as Ouya or GameStick, the Obox is a comparative beast too. For one thing, it's no "micro" console -- it's closer to the Xbox One in scale. It also boasts an Nvidia Tegra K1 processor, 4GB of RAM, three HDMI-Out ports and both Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity options. It can pump out 5.1 surround sound, plus 3D and 4K graphics, can support a ridiculously meaty 4TB of storage, and is designed to be upgradable. Its controller, aesthetically similar to the Xbox 360's, also functions as an air mouse, while Snail's hybrid phone/gaming handheld, the un-sexily named W3D will function as a second joypad.

Dan Doughty, director for business development at Snail Games USA, told games trade publication MCV that the company is "trying to push the technology in a way that it's not being pushed." He also commented that "games used to be synonymous with pushing the leading edge of technology [but] PCs are pushing the video gaming environment because the consoles don't do it, and mobile devices aren't capable of doing it."

Pointing out that the Xbox One and PS4 will be well behind the technological times by the end of their shelf life, Doughty also claims that advances in mobile technology will see full spec games such as Call of Duty launch Android versions in the near future, and the upgradable nature of Obox is primed to take advantage of that.

The UK price and exact release date for the Obox are to be determined, but expect to see it on British shores early next year.