Aruze Develops Linux-Based Arcade Machine System

Thanks to GameSpot for its news that Japanese arcade/pachinko giant Aruze has announced a Linux-based arcade game system for Japanese release this year. Apparently: "Aruze plans to release twenty games for the AP-3 by the end of March 2005, and aims to persuade third party publishers to develop games for the board as well", and furthermore: "The company expects the adoption of Linux to cut development costs for software developers... Aruze also cited the system's high versatility and consistent updates as other factors in its decision." It's also pointed out: "Taito announced in June a similar PC-based arcade board named Type-X. In contrast to Aruze's AP-3, however, Taito's board uses a special edition of Microsoft Windows XP."

Comments

Aruze != Good Games

[oasis3582]

Let's just hope they don't use this technology to make more banal mediocre games like Shadow Hearts for the PS2. Now there's a case of squandered potential...


Doubt the sequel will be any better.

Seeing Linux growing is such a good feeling

[Neo's Nemesis]

Its beginning to be seen that Linux is making waves all over now. First on Servers, then on PCs, then on mobiles/handhelds, and now as a base OS for a game.

Games are what will make Linux succeed

[Ridgelift]

Not everyone will agree with this, but games are what will make Linux succeed as the #1 desktop in the world. When you can buy the same games for Linux that you can for Windows and anyone can install them, there will be a massive push behind Linux as an operating system.

Games push hardware, which sell more computers, which spur the development of faster machines. Microsoft used to do a good job of releasing bloatware that forced companies to upgrade their work PC to keep doing the same jobs (word processing, spreadsheets, databasing & communication apps).

If your a Linux fan like me, having a Linux-based arcade machine is a very, very good thing. Linux will definitely succeed in the desktop arena - we have games coming.

Re:Games are what will make Linux succeed

[pandrijeczko]

Not everyone will agree with this, but games are what will make Linux succeed as the #1 desktop in the world.

You're probably right but I don't see why it's that important that Linux is #1 in the world. Surely, it's more important to have open standards globally such that you can view any web site with any browser, exchange documents with anyone else's operating system & applications, etc? What does it matter what OS people choose to use to achieve that - sure, you and I porbably use Linux but others choose Windows which is fine also, as long as they have a genuine choice.

When you can buy the same games for Linux that you can for Windows and anyone can install them, there will be a massive push behind Linux as an operating system.

Unfortunately, the major problem here is that, like it or not, Microsoft DirectX provides a more readily available suite of games APIs for developers than does the cross-platform OpenGL standard and that's probably the biggest thing stopping games companies producing for Linux. Those that do, like ID, can do it because they work in OpenGL in the first place.

Games push hardware, which sell more computers, which spur the development of faster machines.

I'm not sure this is necessarily a good thing. In the days of the classic 8-bit and 16-bit machines like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amiga, etc, upgrades were virtually unheard of and games developers were force to push the machines to their limits to achieve certain features in games. My personal belief is that this made games of old generally much better than most modern games - sure, graphics are thousands of times better now but I don't think that addictiveness or playability has got any better in all but a handful of titles.

having a Linux-based arcade machine is a very, very good thing

There may be some developments as a result of Linux going into the arcades but it's important to realise that although the Linux OS in these machine is Open Source (it has to be), the games definitely won't be (and don't have to be) so it's not as though you'll be able to play these at home unless a games publisher decides to releases them for home usage.

Any games exposure for Linux is a good thing but it always boils down to financial concerns in the end and games developers will only release Linux games if they are confident they can make money from it.

Re:Consistent updates

[rf0]

Well just recompile the kernel once in a while to get that 1% extra performance

Rus

If it doesn't play Kolf

[NIN1385]

If it doesn't play Kolf, it isn't shit...