235w ago - Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo may dominate the global market for video games, but they don't rule in every corner of the world.

The extremely high cost of new video game consoles and games in Brazil has led to unusual market conditions in that emerging country - and a potential market for video game hardware makers. Due to high import taxes, new consoles like the PlayStation 3 regularly fetch in excess of $1,000 USD in Brazil.

However, an intrepid Brazilian company called Tectoy hopes to capture a portion of the young, casual gaming market in Brazil with the launch of their Zeebo home console.

This innovative piece of hardware presents the first credible challenge to the popularity of the other big three manufacturers, and lights the way toward other potential opportunities in markets south of the equator.

Under the hood, the Zeebo is no slouch, especially considering that it is aimed at a younger, more casual audience. This is definitely not one of those cheap retro devices that come with pre-loaded games and plug directly into the TV. The Zeebo packs an ARM 11 main processor clocked at 400 MHz and a second ARM 9 Graphics chip clocked at 274 MHz. With this hardware, the Zeebo should be able to compete favorably with the...