Turn Your New Opteron Into A One-Game Console

An anonymous reader writes "A new 64-bit Linux CD can instantly turn an AMD Opteron-equipped PC into the ultimate gaming console, according to Super Computer Inc. (SCI). The company has created a distribution of the popular America's Army multi-player strategy game on a bootable Linux CD, that it says was developed in partnership with AMD, nVidia, and the US Army."

Comments

A 64-bit gaming console?

[proj_2501]

How much is an Opteron system? How much is a GameCube?

Proof that Linux is becoming The One OS

[heironymouscoward]

Using Linux for a CD-ROM bootable game is no simple thing. It assumes full and excellent detection of hardware: graphics, sounds,...

I see the future and it looks like this: a bootable Linux CD with my choice of applications, and a USB dongle with my /home. Need new software? Download a new ISO, burn it. Take any PC (office, home, cybercafe), insert CD, boot, insert dongle, work/play.

It is a revolutionary way of using PCs. And only possible (AFAICS) with Linux and the kind of support provided by Knoppix et al.

I predict 12 months before bootable Linux CDs become a completely standard model for games and application distribution, and 24 months before Microsoft attempt an imitation.

Just love it...

All the comments so far...

[efatapo]

...are missing the point. This isn't a permanent change to your computer it's a way to get the best performance for your games. You're not turning a $2000 machine into a $150 toy you're maxing out your machine for a certain task. How often are you multi-tasking while playing a game like America's Army? Not often. When you're playing a game best to get all of the potential of your machine focused on putting out the most frames per second, most textured and anti-aliased pixels, and least lag. End of story...

Except that I will say this sounds like a cool idea and I will definitely give it a shot.

~Dan
http://www.pbase.com/efatapo

Re:All the comments so far...

[NanoGator]

" When you're playing a game best to get all of the potential of your machine focused on putting out the most frames per second, most textured and anti-aliased pixels, and least lag. End of story..."

Why is that when anybody ever says "end of story", it never is the end of story? I should sic Lionel Hutz on your ass.

You'll see some FPS improvement, maybe. But you'll also see less bearable issues. How do you patch it? How do you install a new driver that makes things go faster or more stable? How do you justify the time lost rebooting the machine by getting another 2 fps? How do you go about using other programs such as Roger Wilco to talkk to your team mates? Etc.

Sorry, I don't share the 'cool factor' here because PC based architecture is too varied from machine to machine. If they were all the same generic build, then yeah I'd be on your side here. But no, too many different machines, too much can go wrong. That's why us gamers like having a common OS with an API like OpenGL or DirectX. If your hardware works with those two APIs, then the game should (theoretically) work, no need to tell the game what kind of sound card you have.

So no, not end of story. Piece of advice, when something seems so gosh darn simple to you, it's not because everybody in the world is a fucking moron, it's because you're missing information that they have.

Re:Single Game Console? Try Multi-Game,,,

[Davak]

I thought the days of this crap was over. Am I the only one old enough to remember games that required you to reboot from DOS into the game? What a pain!

Now, granted... this fine for the game makers to include this as an option. That way if you can't get the game running any other way, you can always just boot into it. However, please don't start making this the only way to get into the games.

Please let those days die.

Davak

Re:is anyone else bothered

[arkanes]

The entire develpment and support cycle for the creation of the game, plus maintaining the servers, paying artists, EVERYTHING, is a tiny fraction of the cost of one (1) fighter jet. Or tank. It might be as much as 4 or 5 jeeps. It's probably a tiny fraction of the cost that the Army spends on maintaing and opening recruiting offices, and sending flyers to high school seniors. Get some perspective, here. If you're going to be bothered about what your tax dollars do, you've got alot more options. For example, far more of it goes to ACTUALLY killing people, rather than simulating killing people.

You're smoking crack and it's not even good crack.

[Wakko Warner]

I predict 12 months before bootable Linux CDs become a completely standard model for games and application distribution

I predict the entire computer gaming and applications industry will not follow your lead. Just a hunch, but it seems slightly beyond farfetched to think that anyone who sells software for money would consider a bootable Linux CD the ideal method of application distribution. It's especially farfetched to think they'd drop everything they're doing and begin selling their products this way.

- A.P.