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XGameStation Creator Quizzed on DIY Console

Posted by simoniker on from the andre-the-giant-of-hackable-consoles dept.

Jakob writes: "Boomtown.net has posted an interview with Andre LaMothe, the creator of the forthcoming XGameStation DIY-styled console. We discuss subjects like the number of consoles he expects to sell, why he created the console, his thoughts about hardware add-ons, and much more." We mentioned the intriguing-looking XGameStation a few days back.

13 comments

  1. Andre LeMothe? by Second+Vampyre · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I want my money back for "The Zen of Direct3D Game Programming. You call yourself an editor? None of the CD samples on the included CD (even after getting the updated versions online) and the book itself is littered with incorrect info and generally shitty advie. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

    1. Re:Andre LeMothe? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LaMothe's editorial ability is shriekingly bad to the point where ripping my eyeballs out with a pair of greased nail clippers would be more enjoyable and less frustrating.

      I think I've spent more time correcting errors in his work than I've spent reading the fascile slop he seems to think he's overly capable of writing. This has been going on for about 9 years now. Even "Teach Yourself Game Programming in 21 Days" was fraught with idiotic crap ripped off from superior BBS-distributed tutorials.

      I resent that LaMothe plugs a "learning system" while obviously appealing to nobody other than the disillusioned retrogaming crowd. Don't we already have the GBA and the NeoGeo? And aren't there already too many pretentious would-be game designers to choke a camel? What gives?

  2. Hmmm... That name... by QueenNina · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...it reminds me of something.... Now I remember! Heh. And off we go.

  3. Pretty weird interview... by Malor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Strange interview. Usually, the idea is to ask leading questions and let your subject expound. This one, um, isn't liek that. The author expounds at length about something he's interested in, and the developer of the game station says something along the line of "I agree", and then the 'interviewer' is off and running again. It's really an editorial in disguise.

    Still interesting. I may buy one of these.

    1. Re:Pretty weird interview... by Kris_J · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's known as the Morning Show Interview Technique. If you want to come back you agree with the host. If you want security to escort you to your car, you disagree with the host.

    2. Re:Pretty weird interview... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually it's not a weird interview style, it's just because most sites can only manage Q&A interviews. This a style used by most European newspapers for interviews ;)

  4. targeting the proto-geek market? by digitalmuse · · Score: 3, Insightful

    hmm, sounds like an interesting challenge; marketing a high-end homebrew platform for the geek gamer market...
    From the marketing's slant, they're looking to build a lot of support for older console architectures (6250), they also mention the pheasability of emulators, and linux as well! (::insert 8-bit audio of penguins clapping::)
    With the BASIC and C support, I can imagine a lot of people who are interested in programing for console hardware will want to sink their teeth into it.
    Maybe the demo-scene will adore it and shower it with neat eye-candy.
    Maybe the coders will make us a whole slew of new games.
    Maybe the coders will make us a whole slew of FF-clones.
    Maybe the lawyers will feast on the corpses.
    Maybe I'll actually plunk down my own ~$99 and see if it would be a fun toy. It might even be better than watching pr0n! (j/k)

    --
    "If I wanted your input on my pet project, I'd stick my hand up your ass and use you like a sock-puppet." - Muse
  5. Peh. by mrseigen · · Score: 1

    Not a really great interview but it doesn't kill my enthusiasm for the project; I really want to see this thing come out and at least have some small interest amongst the Slashdot crowd, or at least the indie gamer crowd.

  6. high-end? by Jussi+K.+Kojootti · · Score: 1
    ...a high-end homebrew platform...
    The processor is a Motorola 68HCS12 (16-bit @ 25 MHz). According to Andre that means that the system will be about as powerful as an snes. Wouldn't call that high-end myself.

    The graphics will hopefully be about half as good as the ones in snes, as far as functionality is concerned, but at least as good color- and resolutionwise. So don't expect a 3D support ;)

    Maybe I'll actually plunk down my own ~$99 and see if it would be a fun toy. It might even be better than watching pr0n!
    Well, I won't go into overstatements, but I'm pretty sure I'll order one for christmas (I hope Andre can keep his schedule).

  7. Re: about as powerful as an snes by digitalmuse · · Score: 2, Informative
    hmm, I'd have to argue with you there... in the FAQ, they present it as:
    Q: What can the XGameStation hardware do? How powerful is it?
    A: The processing power of the XGameStation is approximately 10x that of the Super Nintendo (SNES), and it's graphical capabilities are approximately 50-200% more advanced than the SNES. Moreover, the graphics subsystem was specifically designed to draw upon the best parts of the Atari 800, Apple II, Super Nintendo, and Commodore 64, the systems that drove the computer and video game revolutions. Check out the full specs here.

    So I think it's safe to say that the XGameStation will at least be on level ground with the venerable SNES [tech specs here], and will most likely surpass it. However I don't know if it will be able to match the SNES games that actually used secondary processors (SuperFX, SA1, C4, audio DSPs...) in the game carts themselves (Starfox and several Capcom titles to name a few.
    But yeah... I still want one.
    --
    "If I wanted your input on my pet project, I'd stick my hand up your ass and use you like a sock-puppet." - Muse
  8. Just don't see a niche by skryche · · Score: 1
    I just don't see much of an appeal. People who want to program for game consoles would probably rather program for Xbox or PS2, consoles that are more popular and powerful.

    Then again, I know nothing about console programming.

    1. Re:Just don't see a niche by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not about programming for the most part (that info is on the site and forums), but to learn how to make your own hardware.

      I think that is good, as any new knowledge that seems irrelevant right now, can be used in the future.