As we reported a few days back, a newly spun-off subsidiary from Lenovo is working on a game console for China. Dubbed the eBox, we now know they are also planning to include a camera-input like the Xbox’s heralded new “Kinect” device.

The actual name of the new subsidiary is eedoo, which makes more sense than “Beijing Lianhe Lvdong Science & Technology Co., Ltd.” considering the product is named eBox.

We also learned why Lenovo is so keen to tap this market: Microsoft is prevented from selling the Xbox 360 or Kinect in China due to Chinese government policy.

Source: [ChinaGame] via [Engadget]

Lenovo has recently announced that their parent company has invested in a new company that will develop gaming consoles.

The newly formed Beijing Lianhe Lvdong Science & Technology Co., Ltd. is developing a “3D motion-controlled home gaming console” to be called the eBox, with official announcement coming in November and shipping next year.

They’ve been working on development of the eBox since March of 2009, with 16 gaming companies in 8 different countries signed up to develop nearly 100 games. Of course, dozens of those are expected to be MMORPGs.

Luo added that eBox will be available through major retailers, offer Chinese-language games and content, and superior quality, sales channels and after-sales service.

BLLS&T Co., Ltd. has only 40 employees in the company at this time, most of whom came from Lenovo.

In case you were wondering

No, you will not see this outside of China. Lenovo’s ventures to grow outside of China with the Think brand have been largely unprofitable, which is why their leadership has publicly stated a strong focus on emerging markets (primarily with the Idea brand) and of course their home turf. Lenovo is a major player in China, in both the PC and cell phone markets, so a game console is a clear segue for them.

In discussion of the Android interface for their smartphones and the computers that will eventually get Android, Lenovo highlights the China-focused apps and features that will help differentiate them from Apple. While I’m not knowledgeable about the gaming industries in Asian countries, Lenovo sees an opportunity with China-specific games for their console and from what I’ve seen of the English-speaking console world (ala Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3), they’re spot on. Content developed specifically for the unique Chinese market certainly has a great opportunity, but the real test will be if there is anything to capitalize on there.

Source: [Marbridge Consulting]