TechGutter recently reviewed LocoMatrix and a number of interesting points and criticisms were raised which I thought needed challenging. So here goes:

1. The £30 price tag for a GPS unit will put people off - maybe put some people off, but others spend far more on other gadgets (Geocachers seem prepared to pay a lot for handhelds). The price of GPS is coming down - the ones that I have been buying recently cost around £25 including postage, and you can now buy them sub £20. The price will continue to fall. Also as I have said elsewhere, there are advantages to a separate unit (as opposed to built in phone) - better accuracy, longer battery life, and you can turn it on and put it in your pocket. As to large groups playing LocoMatrix: it will depend on how much fun the games are. There are plans for games where not everyone needs a gps unit.  We are at an early stage still - and hoping that dads (and mums) may enjoy playing games with their children.
2. Long time before every phone has GPS. Agreed, but we are not expecting everyone to start playing LocoMatrix today, or even tomorrow.
3. Manufacturers will make their own GPS games. Agreed, but our games are cross-manufacturer meaning that you don’t have to have the same make of phone to play with you friends. We see LocoMatrix as more social - where you can compete against rival teams and play games over longer periods of time where the website side of things will come into play. Also, we may be creating games for the manufactures (watch this space!) - and expect to see our platform used by other very soon.
4. Levels of games will always be available for free - users will be asked to pay only if they want to compete at the higher levels. It may be that we will have games funded by advertisers - would rather see an Innocent Smoothie than a Big Mac (but that’s another story).
5. My quote - “I think this is the next logical stage, rather than manipulating the character on the screen, to go out and become those characters in your own real life adventures” was meant less about creating a real life GTA (this exists quite happily in many areas without LocoMatrix) and was a genuine belief that people could get more fun from playing computer-type games outdoors.

As to who is right - we’ll just have to wait and see. Early days yet.