EVO Linux Gaming Console Opens Pre-Orders

Engadget is reporting that Envizions, maker of the EVO Linux game console, has finally announced final specs and opened the doors to pre-orders. All bets are off until users actually see the hardware, but it will be nice to see a new player in the market. Of course, this assumes they put some time into a little polish that is usually expected from the gaming community (that website, yikes) and some effort into a killer game library. "Envizions say that the console will run a modified, quick-boot distro of Fedora called Mirrors (which can be upgraded to a beefier build named Mirrors Evolution X), and will feature a "cloud" service stacked with Amiga (!) games and an Akimbo-based video service. Beyond that, proper titles will be sold online and on SD cards for around $20." I'm sure they won't forget to send Slashdot a beta review copy with a couple of games.

Comments

I"ll wait.

[AltGrendel]

I want to find out what the Penny-Arcade guys think of this thing.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Anonymous Coward]

does it run windows?

Re:I"ll wait.

[dreemernj]

Yes. This is a Windows console with a crippled Linux version also for sale for a lower price.

The Linux version is cheaper and lacks the SD reader, Wireless networking hardware and it isn't supported by their NVE Movie Service and Say2Play (wtf that is).

They have a game store up already and it looks like its all Windows games.

Re:I"ll wait.

[feepness]

If it's not an Xbox, they will probably hate it.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe the lads already commented and we forgot?

"Evo is scheduled to be released on October 20 and Samuels swears it will be ready."
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,1989914,00.asp

That was Oct 20, 2006.

Wikipedia claims it was released Nov 2008, with 3000 sold.

God knows the Evo website is useless -- would someone kindly explain if these guys ever shipped anything, and how it relates to the mystery console being discussed now? With Google I'm just seeing a pattern of shifting announce dates and revised specs. Have they ever shipped a box? Anyone got one?

Re:I"ll wait.

[Smauler]

Yes, and I've found the killer application which will essentially _require_ windows to be running for a complete experience on this console. Behold Big City Rigs: Garbage Truck Driver!

Whoever said collecting trash won't pay the bills? Hop in the seat of your very own garbage truck and clean up and collect the trash as you manage your own waste utilization company.

34 missions take you through various environments, including city streets, industrial areas, business centers and more.
Not your typical garbage truck! Choose your own corporate look - vehicle color, name and logo - get ready to watch your company grow!
Solve special tasks like waste glass containers, construction waste, toxic waste and more.

Honestly, I couldn't make this up....

Re:I"ll wait.

[PopeRatzo]

I just want to know if I can play Far Cry 2 on this thing.

Re:I"ll wait.

[ale_ryu]

Looks like a computer with a joystick to me... And a LOW END computer for the games released nowadays. Also, call me pessimistic but I don't see a bright future for it, the success of a console lies in the games availability.And for that price ($280-$350) you can get a nice desktop to run a lot of games and you are still able to add a new videocard or change some parts if needed.

Re:I"ll wait.

[snowraver1]

I'm very interested. Seriously. Does anyone remember the game for the Apple II called (I could be a little off) Trans-Canada Trucking. You drive a truck across Canada, picking up stuff and what not. It was all text based - Kind of went like this:

Welcome! You are in Calgary, you need to drive to Edmonton to pick up some product.
> Drive to Edmonton
Your truck is not on. > Turn on truck
Truck is on.
> Drive to Edmonton
Your lights are off
> Turn on lights
Your lights are on.
> Drive to Edmonton
It is raining; your wipers are off.
> Turn on wipers
Your wipers are on.
> Drive to Edmonton
You arrive in Edmonton and pick up your load. You need to deliver it to Toronto... and so on.

Anyways, this Garbage Truck driver still sounds better than quite a few of the new games. I would prefer this to the new 50 cent game.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe at 640x480. The Radeon 3200 is the sort of card people buy to get WoW running on a $199 Fry's special. Performance ballpark is probably GF6600GT level.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Hordeking]

I'm very interested. Seriously. Does anyone remember the game for the Apple II called (I could be a little off) Trans-Canada Trucking. You drive a truck across Canada, picking up stuff and what not. It was all text based - Kind of went like this: Welcome! You are in Calgary, you need to drive to Edmonton to pick up some product.

> Drive to Edmonton
Your truck is not on.
> Turn on truck
Truck is on.
> Drive to Edmonton
Your lights are off. It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue, eh.
> Turn on lights
Your lights are on.
> Drive to Edmonton
It is raining; your wipers are off.
> Turn on wipers
Your wipers are on.
> Drive to Edmonton
You arrive in Edmonton and pick up your load. You need to deliver it to Toronto... and so on.
Anyways, this Garbage Truck driver still sounds better than quite a few of the new games. I would prefer this to the new 50 cent game.

Fixed that for you. eh.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Daengbo]

Mostly Gamehouse, Sandlot, and Reflexive-type games. These aren't games that your average gamer is interested. In fact, a lot of them have been reviewed by my gal and said to work on Wine 1.0+. Are you sure the "more robust version" is Windows and the games aren't Wined?

Re:I"ll wait.

[dreemernj]

Yeah, they list Windows Vista as the OS on the website listed in the post. There are 2 skus with linux (less expensive, fewer features) and 1 sku with Vista that includes everything.

The prices on the hardware don't match up across all the pages on the site though. So I guess even their own site can't really be trusted for information.

Re:I"ll wait.

[lena_10326]

Behold Big City Rigs: Garbage Truck Driver!

What? No Desert Bus? Count me out.

Re:I"ll wait.

[Alari]

Woah, they have Fallout 3...

I like their "Games under 10 MB" and "Games under $10" buttons, pretty neat feature on both counts.

There's like 90 games in their RPG section... but that seems to include some electronic strategy guides.

Great.

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can pay a fee to play "Free" Open Source Software games. Awesome!

Re:Great.

[Anonymous Coward]

i.e. i hate everyone who makes money from anything except for me because i work hard and no one else does.

lame.

Re:Great.

[OrangeTide]

Well people often play commercial games for free, so there is at least symmetry.

Re:Great.

[Narishma]

Yeah because taking open source games made by others and selling them is such hard work.

Re:Great.

[CarpetShark]

Indeed. Not only that, you get to play a static, old version of Linux, on static, old hardware, with static, old games designed for that system. Hardware devices are one place I'd like to see Linux and other trademarks enforced, so that their name doesn't get associated with upgraded wristwatches.

Re:Great.

[AmiMoJo]

That's actually quite a serious point - all games consoles have copy protection because developers won't go near them otherwise.

Looks all right

[JCSoRocks]

The console itself looks decent. Not to flashy or ridiculous. Should look good in the entertainment center. It's nice to see they're basically using a PS2/3 controller knockoff. I really like the shape of those controllers. I'm looking forward to the possibility of built-in media streaming support for open source codecs!

Re:Looks all right

[AKAImBatman]

It's nice to see they're basically using a PS2/3 controller knockoff.

No it's not. It a very bad sign. See, every so often a company comes along and sees how profitable the gaming industry is. They then think to themselves, "well, that's EASY! I should get a piece of the pie!" Then they spare no imagination (literally, none at all) in creating the most generic "game console" known to mankind. Without fail, they always copy the PS2 controller design. (Which isn't even that great to begin with.)

Then when they stroll into the market thinking they're going to pick up a few dozen studio partnerships and get about the business of selling this generic piece of plastic. Except, shock and horror! None of the game studios are taking them seriously! Why oh why?!? Don't they see how awesome and moneyful* this venture will be?!?!

Eventually, the company runs out of money and hangs their heads in shame. Those stupid game studios. It's all their fault.

Cases in Point (Note the controllers):
Indrema
Mattel Hyperscan
Phantom Game Console

If you ever see a game console that uses a rip-off PS2 controller, run the other way. FAST.

* Hey, it's a perfectly cromulent word!

Re:Looks all right

[ArhcAngel]

"If you ever see a game console that uses a rip-off PS2 controller, run the other way. FAST."

You mean like the PS3?

Re:Looks all right

[Talderas]

Well PS controller hasn't changed much since the original Playstation.

Let's look at the major competitors.

XBox - Buttons in approximately the same locations/quantities + the white and black buttons.
XBox 360 - Same thing as XBox except that black/white have been moved/removed (can't remember which).

Nintendo 64 - No where close to PS controller design.
Gamecube - Similar feel to PS controller, except that the right side buttons are arranged in a different format.
Wii- Totally different.

Re:Looks all right

[Chris Burke]

XBox - Buttons in approximately the same locations/quantities + the white and black buttons.

The important difference is the location of the left analog stick.

Every game controller outside of the Dual Shock -- including the original PSX controller -- is designed so that the primary inputs on both sides are directly under the relaxed thumb. Thus you get the face buttons on the right where they are in every controller, and the left analog stick where they are on everything that isn't a Dual Shock. On the original PSX controller and other pre-analog controllers, the D-Pad was in the primary position on the left. For the Dual Shock, they just added the two analog controllers to the existing PSX controller without changing the primary input locations 1) in case analog didn't take off on PSX and 2) to not mess with playing older games. The analog stick was intentionally placed in a sub-optimal place. It stayed that way on the PS2 and PS3 because of brand recognition.

When a new game company starting from scratch with no history or anything decides to emulate the Dual Shock and not fall back on basic principles, this is indicative of a deep problem with that company.

Re:Looks all right

[bFusion]

Honestly, it's a pretty generic control scheme. D-pad and other directional controls on the left. Button scheme on the right. Possibly bumpers on the top.

I would guess that over 90% of the console controllers since the original NES have had this button scheme. Some of them are more rounded than others, but I'm kind of missing your point here.

Re:Looks all right

[radish]

You mean like the PS3?

Yes, exactly.

Re:Looks all right

[Tybalt_Capulet]

I'd prefer seeing a 360 knock off controller, it feels better to me.

Re:Looks all right

[The Wooden Badger]

I'm with you on that. NES had a D-pad on the left and buttons on the right. Essentially controllers have stayed with that same design. Sure analog sticks and more buttons have been added, but it still remains true to that same basic schema. Button layout and where analog stick(s) show up is about the only real difference between them as far as layout. I wouldn't call the PS2/3 controller layout a "good" thing or a "bad" thing by itself. The rationale behind that choice might be.

Re:Looks all right

[Asic Eng]

Could be an interesting device if it's built well, if doesn't make noise and MythTV runs well on it - I would consider it. The specs are one thing - it's easy to build a PC which is reasonably fast, provides good graphics and has enough storage space. It's not so easy (and not so cheap) to get the same machine small and quiet.

Re:Looks all right

[Hatta]

What's wrong with the PS2 controller, and which controllers do you think are better?

OK, it's not that great of a digital controller. It needs a real d-pad and 6 buttons for that. But it's the best analog controller I've ever used. Let's see:

N64 awkward and only one analog stick.

Dreamcast, pretty small, it forces my wrists together and becomes uncomfortable after a short while. Also, only one analog stick. The Saturn 3d pad suffers from the same issues.

Xbox controller, too big, and it's not symmetrical. It would be much better if they swapped the d-pad and analog stick on the left side. I haven't used the 360 controller, but it suffers from the same issue.

Gamecube controller. Feels like something from Fisher Price. Weird button layout, and also not symmetrical. Overall pretty comfortable though.

People copy the PS2 controller because it's an excellent design. It's very comfortable and everything is where it should be. I bought a Logitech dual action gamepad for my PC. It's just about identical to the PS2 controller, but it's got a real d-pad. It's a dream to use, and I don't think there's a better design out there. What do you prefer?

I agree with you on about the crappy knockoff consoles however.

Re:Looks all right

[damien_kane]

Every game controller outside of the Dual Shock -- including the original PSX controller -- is designed so that the primary inputs on both sides are directly under the relaxed thumb. Thus you get the face buttons on the right where they are in every controller, and the left analog stick where they are on everything that isn't a Dual Shock.

Except that with many games on the PS3 (and many later PS2 games) the face buttons aren't the primary control buttons.
The Triggers (L1/L2/L3, R1/R2/R3) combined with the two analogue sticks are the primary controls for most modern games.
Try holding your Dualshock 2/3 in that configuration. I personally find it much more comfortable than the XBox/360 controllers, and the original (non-analogue) PS controllers.

YMMV

Re:Looks all right

[Chris Burke]

The Triggers (L1/L2/L3, R1/R2/R3) combined with the two analogue sticks are the primary controls for most modern games.

You mean for modern FPS games, which all such controllers suck for anyway. It's a valid observation, but if you wanted a controller optimized for FPS you would move the right analog stick to where the face buttons are, replacing the primary input, not move the left.

Try holding your Dualshock 2/3 in that configuration.

In what configuration? With your thumbs on both the DS analog sticks and your fingers on the shoulder triggers like you have to in order to play an FPS? Yeah I'm not seeing the advantage. With your hand relaxed and wrists straight, your thumb is only slightly inward from the angle of your wrist, and in line with the 1st bone of your forefinger which will be along the outside of the controller. I.e. pointing at the primary input location.

YMMV

Sure, nevertheless I have a hard time believing that everyone, including Sony, was wrong about where the ideal location for primary inputs were, and in their attempt to deliberately deemphasize the analog sticks, accidentally placed it in the superior position.

Re:Looks all right

[BikeHelmet]

This is why the only third-party "console" I'll buy is the Pandora. They put a lot of effort into creating a comfortable intuitive control scheme.

Even if it fails for commercial games, there's enough emus available that I won't feel like it's wasted money. And it can double as a cheap PDA.

Re:Looks all right

[Requiem18th]

Personally I think the most notable difference between the xbox controllers and the dual-shock is the pressure sensitive triggers instead of plain buttons.

  For instance in the PSX GTA games how much you accelerate depends on how fast you tap the accelerator button, in the Xbox it depends on how hard you "push the pedal", it really does feel different, the same goes for shooters.

  Now I can understand a new game console choosing a dual-shock type controller when it is obvious it is going to be used as an emulator as this console is surely going to be used the most IFF it ever takes off.

  Anyway, my idea for an innovative controller would be like this, replace the stick and the buttons with touch sensitive surfaces, like a touchpad, the sensitive surfaces should be curved either concave or convex to provide tactile feedback (so the player can feel the center of the surface without using "nipples" because they could hurt during intense gameplay).

  That plus a central pause button, two shoulder buttons and two shoulder triggers.

Re:Looks all right

[CronoCloud]

ACtually the buttons on the PS2's dual shock are fully analog as are all 4 shoulder buttons. The problem is they don't have a lot of "play" to them, making it difficult to press them part way. It is possible to press the "gas" part way in GTA on the PS2, it's just very difficult to do so.

Re:Looks all right

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, it's a *complete* rip off of the Logitech Rumblepad series, all the way down to the numbered buttons. I wonder what Logitech has to say about this?

Re:Looks all right

[Requiem18th]

I know, I really couldn't see the point, I didn't notice it until someone pointed that out for me.

Re:Looks all right

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't personally like ps2 style controllers for the button layout but the form factor is hard to argue with after all, most humans have 2 hands and our fingers seem to be good for holding things.

Just because it looks like a ps2 controller doesn't mean the system will suck. It will suck because the developers suck.

Re:Looks all right

[GotenXiao]

If you wanted a controller optimised for FPS games, you'd use a keyboard and a mouse.

Re:Looks all right

[Ambvai]

I'm with you on that. NES had a D-pad on the left and buttons on the right. Essentially controllers have stayed with that same design.

Totally agreed. I get so many weird looks when I play Brawl (and other stuff, but Brawl usually has the numbers to notice to comment) on the Wii because I play "backwards" with buttons on the left, directions on the right. And yes, I'm left handed.

Re:Looks all right

[Chris Burke]

Yeah you ain't kidding. Though the wiimote honestly gives the mouse a run for its money. Mouse is superior as a turning device, letting you easily scale between small turns and 180 (or more) spins with precision. But for aiming, the wiimote is on par at least. Also an analog stick is better than WASD/ESDF, though this is less important.

Either way, the only advantage of the Dual Shock over other controllers is that it makes my thumbs ache equally. :P

So... what will it play?

[A. B3ttik]

With the exception of the "Amiga" snippit, I can't find anything on the internet regarding what games this is going to be able to play.

What, exactly, does "proper titles" encompass?
Will it run PC Games?
Maybe ANY games from any other console?
Will developers need to write games specifically for this? Why would they do so?


Or are we simply going to be limited to the vast selection of Linux Games on the market?

Re:So... what will it play?

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux Games on Evo Smart Console

Tremulous, Battle for Wesnoth, SuperTux, Alien Arena.

Looks like they are looking for developers but I don't know how open it is going to be.

Re:So... what will it play?

[Anonymous Coward]

OK poking around further on the "flash based site with mystery meat navigation" (as the AC several posts below refers to it) reveals a link to EVO: Direct(tm). I can't believe that this is intended as a means of acquiring games for a Linux based console as every title I checked were Windows games.

Re:So... what will it play?

[AKAImBatman]

reveals a link to EVO: Direct(tm)

Oh, hey! I forgot about these guys. EVO acts as sort of a clearing house for indie games. Except that their website is horrible and there has never been anything there worth buying. So I've always gone directly to the studios themselves.

If this is the same EVO, I wouldn't put too much stock in their success.

Especially if you think about what they're offering. Operating Systems are quite possibly the least important part of a game console. At least to the user. Developers only care about APIs and ease of development. While Linux may alleviate the latter issue, what is truly gained by advertising a console based on Linux? Because you'll be able to... to... um... recompile the kernel! No, that's not it. Port TuxRacer! Um... hmm... Run you Linux applications on it! Yeah, that's it. Run your--

Wait. Why would you want to do that? Isn't the point to play games?

Re:So... what will it play?

[drinkypoo]

It seems like all FS2 Open and Vega Strike will need is some interface work. FS2 Open might not even need that, I think you can run it without a mouse already. That's two spaceflight sims, one with support for persistent multiplayer worlds (and the other one with an extremely high level of polish.) There's three or four car racing games which I think are sufficiently polished to put out a halfway decent product. Linux means HID means USB KB+Mouse and 2GB memory and dual-core means that you can run Wine and run many Windows games on top of that as well. This is the game console that can actually function as a full PC... I don't know that I'll preorder, but I would certainly buy one at full retail. I will have to chew over the preorder question. I'd have to know where they're being made and that they actually have a high likelihood of being made. It would help if I knew the hardware design was 100% complete.

Re:So... what will it play?

[tepples]

Looks like they are looking for developers but I don't know how open it is going to be.

The requirement of a "full and incorporated business name" is reminiscent of Nintendo's long-standing requirement of a leased office.

Re:So... what will it play?

[Jesus_666]

I can understand why the Pandora has a full-fledged Linux distribution running - it's simply a game-oriented ultraportable. But for a pure game console a trimmed-down Fedora seems like an odd choice for an operating system...

$280-350

[esocid]

Isn't too bad considering the specs of the Evo.

1. Athlon 64x2 5600 CPU (clocked to 2.4GHz)
2. ATI HD 3200
3. 2GB of DDR2 RAM
4. 120GB hard drive

But then again, why not hook your old computer to your tv and run this distro and just buy the games and use the Evo controller or gamepad?

Re:$280-350

[tjw]

But then again, why not hook your old computer to your tv

HDMI, 1080p, noise, and power consumption.

This device would make a perfect MythTV frontend/backend machine. If it's for real, I want one just for a HD frontend.

Re:$280-350

[damien_kane]

That system won't handle h.264 at 1080p.
It'll struggle with it at 720p even, unless rendering an uncompressed stream (i.e. not Matroska or Xvid-compressed).

$380...

[Zakabog]

This thing is going to retail for $380. For $19 more I can buy a PS3, install their linux distro, play all of the games this system can play, all of the games PS3 can play, and also play blu-ray movies.

I'd really like to know, who is their target audience?

Re:$380...

[TerranFury]

Can you? I thought that PS3 linux had no access to the Cell's execution units and so basically had no hardware acceleration? Or am I wrong?

Re:$380...

[Psyko]

That's true, not sure if sony is going to open it up in the future or not.

Also that yellow dog ppc distro that's officially supported has a long way to go. They don't pack the current release with an mp3 decoder or flash support (which is turning away a lot of people that try it), but at least it ships with gcc.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd really like to know, who is their target audience?

Idiots.

Re:$380...

[Neon Spiral Injector]

Linux on the PS3 has access to 6 of the 7 SPUs. It does not have direct access to the GPU, only a frame buffer.

Re:$380...

[OrangeTide]

For $180 less you can get a PC with the better specs than this thing that also runs Linux.

Re:$380...

[fm6]

But it's not a console! It's a PC! Its chassis is big and ugly!

Re:$380...

[revoltingdevelopment]

I'd really like to know, who is their target audience?

One man: RMS.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean big and ugly like an Xbox or big and ugly like an Xbox 360?

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot?

Re:$380...

[tepples]

They don't pack the current release with an mp3 decoder or flash support (which is turning away a lot of people that try it)

How is that Sony's fault? It's Thomson's and Adobe's.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

The Sony Hypervisor runs on one of the SPU's, Linux is given access to 7 of the 8 SPU's and the PowerPC core.

The hypervisor forbids access to the graphics accelerator (RSX), so you only get frame buffer graphics.

Re:$380...

[drinkypoo]

Didn't Sony already license mp3 support for the PS3 software so that the PS3 could play mp3s? Flash support I understand.

Re:$380...

[funkatron]

They failed to install two very important bits of software. One of these bit of software is available completely free with full source code so it could be built for the cell architecture. The other shouldn't be too difficult to negotiate. How is it not their fault?

Re:$380...

[BcNexus]

No, you can't. Linux on the PS3 does not have access to 3D graphics acceleration. Not to mention, at 512 MB, the PS3 has 1/4 of the RAM. Also, Ubuntu takes about three to five mutes to boot up and load Firefox and google.com. I know: I love my PS3 for the games and BluRay and I've tried Ubuntu on it.

Re:$380...

[El Tonerino]

Yes, you are wrong.

It's the GPU it doesn't have access to. It has access to most of the SPUs and only 256Mb RAM though.

Re:$380...

[wagnerrp]

Linux is given access to 6 of the 7 SPEs, and the dual-execute PPE. IBM had poor yields when originally manufacturing such a large chip, so the Cell was designed with the capability deactivate parts of the hardware. IBM kept the fully functional chips for their blade servers, and ones with defects on only one of the SPEs were given to Sony for the PS3.

Re:$380...

[Evanisincontrol]

$200 for a pc with those specs sounds pretty awesome. Where are you buying parts from that are that cheap? Or are you actually able to buy a pre-built tower with those specs?

(This is an honest question, I'm honestly curious. This isn't a snarky "Oh yeah? PROVE IT!" thing. Damn the internet for not conveying tone.)

Re:$380...

[tepples]

One of these bit of software [libmad] is available completely free with full source code

It's not completely free in the United States, home of the online forum Slashdot, and possibly other countries that recognize software patents.

The other shouldn't be too difficult to negotiate.

If it's so not-difficult, why hasn't Internet Channel for Wii been upgraded to a newer version of Flash Player yet?

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, it really sucks compared to the Linux support on the Wii and 360. Oh wait...

Re:$380...

[mr_mischief]

Fedora supports the PS3, so why putter around with YDL?

They even expect a GCC for the SPUs by the time Fedora 11 is released.

Re:$380...

[rtechie]

In practice, your criticism is somewhat apt because I don't know how well Cell Linux distro works with emulators and games available for Linux. Probably not well based on my experience with PowerPC. So almost any random x86 system would work better as a Linux gaming box than the PS3, including the EVO.

Re:$380...

[RobDollar]

Assuming the UK price would be in the region of 200 to 300ukp, I just quickly put together a similar system at a UK custom computer site (ginger6)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750+ (2x 2.7GHz)(higher spec than evo console)
2gb Kingston DDR2 800mhz CL6.0
512mb Nvidia GeForce 9600GT (higher spec that console)
plus case, mobo etc; complete system:
256ukp

Add a fiver for a Playstation2 to USB converter, and plug in your controller (or add 15 for a new controller), maximum price is circa 275ukp.

At similar USA sites I checked, this system came out at just under $355.

I honestly can't see why anyone would want to buy the evo system.

Re:$380...

[CyberNigma]

a crippled guy with a missing foot standing next to a quadriplegic doesn't make him any less crippled, political correctness aside.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

That argument doesn't have a leg to stand on.

Re:$380...

[CronoCloud]

Why would you run Ubuntu, when YDL runs so much better. 3-5 minutes..bah! Were you trying to run a full KDE desktop on it? Having run Linux on the PS2 as well, I know how to make efficient use of what RAM I've got. The ps3vram swap support in YDL 6.1 helps too. Want know how fast Firefox loads on my PS3? 15 seconds. Try YDL with Fluxbox, you'll see.

Re:$380...

[CronoCloud]

I run Linux on my PS3, don't do much emulation, but SNES and NES works fine. I've ran some stuff via Dosbox, late 80's, early 90's games. I know some who've ran Neo-Geo and Amiga games on theirs. I've tried some Java games that work pretty well. 2D SDL based stuff should run just fine and dandy, I know the Vultures Eye isometric nethack interface does. I've ran the PC version of Diablo under Qemu-ized Win98 and it plays fine.

Re:$380...

[the_humeister]

Right. As long as there's a compiler, the user can always compile almost anything that's not shipped such as an mp3 player or gnash (gnu's flash player which I think can play youtube videos now).

Re:$380...

[CronoCloud]

People use YDL because it works better on the PS3 "out of the box" than Fedora does. YDL is CentOS based so it's packages are older than Fedora's, which some might not like, OOo 2.3 rather than 3 for example. But it is VERY stable. To be frank, the Fedora community isn't exactly welcoming to those running Fedora on their PS3's. We're getting some refugees over on the YDL boards over that issue.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

The only ways I know of that parts come that cheap is used, refurbished, or discontinued. Fry's and Microcenter have offered a very basic minitower system assembled with parts intended for 2 year old budget systems and loaded with Linux for under $200. They both also sometimes have pallets of refurbished but decent 2-3 year old office systems for $200. However, with new parts, I don't think you can assemble a Dual Core system for less than $400 unless those parts fell off a truck.

Re:$380...

[Anonymous Coward]

Link or it doesn't exist.

Re:$380...

[BlatOdea]

... The PS3 isn't? It's like they stuffed 10 pounds of good hardware into a machine 3 sizes too small... they went from || to () lol. Nintendo had the right idea, shrink that shit. Sure they didn't play up the graphics as much, but at least it's still worthy of being called a console and not a PC. If the other's get much bigger, they may as well just tack a display on it thing and call it a day. Now I'm rambling and it's all your fault.

Re:$380...

[Blymie]

"Try YDL with Fluxbox, you'll see."

or.. maybe you mean?

"Why Micorsoft is ruling my universes Update!
if you click on that then Ill tell you I promise try it and youll see."

Heh.

http://www.l8r.net/geraldholmes.freeyellow.com/

Re:$380...

[mr_mischief]

The community is a big issue. I haven't a PS3 of my own, but a friend of mine and I put both on his PS3 for comparison. We never asked the communities for support, so I can't speak to that. I'll take your advice under consideration.

What I can say for sure is that my friend much preferred the configuration and package selection of the initial Fedora installation to that of YDL. Those are issues that could be overcome, and are probably issues the YDL is working on for newer versions anyway. The community, after the point of that initial impression, may turn out to be a much bigger factor.

Another thing my friend really preferred about Fedora is that it's essentially the same distro he can run elsewhere in almost every way not dictated by the hardware differences. YDL may be based on CentOS, but it certainly didn't seem like one could count on YDL being quite like anything he could install on other systems. Since he runs three or four different hardware platforms at any given time, that's an important issue for him.

I predict...

[MozeeToby]

That this will become a hackers toy, rather than a gamers toy. They're targeting a pretty small market if they feel the need to advertise their Amiga library. Maybe they want to go for the nostalgic and hacker audiences, but unless this brings something to the table that the Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo can't patch into their current consoles I just don't see it gaining any steam.

Re:I predict...

[Fallingcow]

If it's fairly quiet I think I might put one under my TV, install MythTV on it, load it with emulators+games and Stepmania, and have a good damn time for $380.

Set up some NFS drives on a remote fileserver and it'll be good for playing movies/TV shows, too.

Re:I predict...

[fm6]

They're targeting a pretty small market if they feel the need to advertise their Amiga library.

The fact that they are introducing a new gaming console in an oversaturated market means they have no idea what their market is. Amiga support just makes it a little more obvious.

This is typical geek entrepeneurship. The product is based on what they think is cool rather than what there's a likely market for.

Of course, sometimes geek entrepeneurship succeeds in spite of itself. Woz thought the target audience for the Apple was fellow geeks, which is why he invented the idea of an plug-in bus with documented specs for it. If he'd been right, Apple might have derived a modest income from this product for a short while. But what actually happened is that people started designing serious plugin cards that transformed the Apple II into the first mass-market computer.

So maybe these guys will prove us cynics wrong. But the odds are against them.

Re:I predict...

[Corpuscavernosa]

Totally. I'm so going to install Linux on mine!

Stuck in a time warp

[Anonymous Coward]

That flash based site with mystery meat navigation is straight out of the 90s.

I'm not sure how accurate time travel has become these days, but if it were possible to post the console back to 1999, it would sell extremely well.

Fool me upteenth time

[AKAImBatman]

Lemme see here...

• Indrema
• Phantom
• XGP
• Variety of Linux-based PDAs

Many of the vaporware game consoles and PDAs over the years have convinced Linux users to plunk down pre-order cash before a product existed. Of course, the product often never materializes.

I wouldn't put too much credibility into anything offering pre-orders until they are vetted as a reliable company with actual hardware in the mail.

Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again. :-P

Re:Fool me upteenth time

[AvitarX]

I'm curious, what are the Linux PDA's you speak of?

The only ones I know of are the Agenda (which I have one of), and the Open Moko (which many people have).

Re:Fool me upteenth time

[Toonol]

Don't forget to add OnLive to that list.

Re:Fool me upteenth time

[mr_mischief]

There's also the Zaurus, but that actually shipped too. There are the Nokia Internet Tablets as well.

Take a look at the LinuxDevices.com list of PDAs and mobile Linux devices that includes ebook readers, data terminals, media players, IM/SMS terminals, watches, and more that run Linux as designed or have had Linux ported to them.
 

Re:I could have got first post

[Cube Steak]

That's what you get for posting from an EVO Linux Gaming Console.

SpeedBall?

[neo]

"...will feature a "cloud" service stacked with Amiga (!) games"

I'd buy this console if I could just play SpeedBall one last time with a joystick that would leave those painful blisters right in the center of my palm as I crushed and smashed my spiked fisted way to the goal and scored to the cheers of the corporate crowds.

Sigh.

Re:SpeedBall?

[honest_aly]

You can play Speedball on a 360... I picked it up from Xbox Live's marketplace. I too enjoyed smashing people with a steel basketball. :)

The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[Shivetya]

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Radeon-HD-3200.9591.0.html

Basically on part with Nvida 8400 series mobility cards.

I assume they underclock the CPU to reduce heat? I don't see why otherwise.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[drinkypoo]

That's still going to beat the living shit out of, say, Xbox video. Which means it's more than enough to put out credible graphics. Nintendo decided that last year's graphics were good enough when the Wii came out; the lack of HD looks positively dated right now (though it rarely interferes with enjoyment in any way.) I don't see why it wouldn't be good enough here.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[Narishma]

Because Nintendo made up for the lack of HD graphics by having a new/original controller. This thing seems about as powerful as the original Xbox (CPU is better but GPU is worse). For the price they are asking, you can get a PS3 that has a lot of games, plays blu-rays and dvds and a lot of other stuff. If Linux is your thing you can also install it on the PS3.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[Anonymous Coward]

Uhh, no. Even the original Xbox GPU was more powerful than this thing. This integrated video class HD3200 can't even run something like Doom3 at playable framerates. Basically, expect to see Playstation 2 or lesser graphics.

There are some important differences with the Wii that allow Nintendo to get away with their choices:

1. Nintendo has brand recognition. Everyone knows who they are. Nobody knows who "EVO" is.
2. The Wii was released in 2006. In 2009 people are going to expect better graphics relative to the time.
3. The Wii is probably less expensive than this thing will be.
4. Nintendo has well known game franchises and developers.
5. The Wiimote.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[drinkypoo]

If it has bluetooth (or USB, whence bluetooth) then you can hook a Wiimote up to it. Linux on the PS3 does not permit the use of the graphics accelerator and as such is bread and circuses for stupid Romans.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[geekoid]

They also made up for it by going after the party games market. People who just want a fun time, and might only want to spend 20-30 minutes on a gmae.

That seems to ahve worked for them.
I really enjoy our Wii, far more then I would Xbox or PS3.

They age demographic of my kids make sit a better choice as well.

I don't need HD with my games, I need fun.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[tepples]

If it has bluetooth (or USB, whence bluetooth) then you can hook a Wiimote up to it.

But if it lacks Bluetooth, and the console maker neither sells a USB Bluetooth adapter nor provides a properly signed driver for third-party Bluetooth adapters, you can't connect your Wii Remote. Besides, a game that requires an extra controller usually won't sell except when bundled with said extra controller.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[drinkypoo]

But if it lacks Bluetooth, and the console maker neither sells a USB Bluetooth adapter nor provides a properly signed driver for third-party Bluetooth adapters, you can't connect your Wii Remote.

Dude. It runs Linux. You can use it as a desktop computer, which is what justifies the price - you'll also be able to run MythTV or XBMC or whatever on it. Er, provided it actually happens, that is. And properly signed driver? The system runs Fedora. You are such a fucking troll.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[mr_mischief]

The PS3 also has a severe lack of RAM when you compare it to a 2GB machine.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[jedidiah]

> Basically on part with Nvida 8400 series mobility cards.

Minus the h264 acceleration.

Re:The video is less than old ATI 9800 series

[Anonymous Coward]

Wtf, how is an HD radeon 3200 worse than a castrated geforce 3 chip?

Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[drinkypoo]

Subject says it all: if they are able to sell the system at a profit then they will be wildly successful. Why? Because the machine has excellent specifications for the price (love that footprint) and if it is at all reliable then it's going to be a moneymaker. I'll buy one to replace my Xbox as the system which runs XBMC, since I now have an HDTV and the Xbox can't really handle drawing the XBMC interface fluidly at 1080i (and doesn't have 1080p at all.) I've bought two (ooh, two) Xbox games at full retail; while you might laugh about the $10 in licensing fees that netted Microsoft, I bought the console used so they definitely didn't eat anything there. If these guys can make a profit (any profit) on the hardware and then make a few bucks per owner on games, they're in the money.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[Fallingcow]

Hell, I've been planning to build a MythTV box some time this year, but if this thing goes a couple months past release without a large number of users seeing hardware failures and such, I may just get this instead. Doubt I'll buy a single game for it (though I will certainly put some on there--mmm, emulators) but the machine itself looks perfect for my needs (desires, rather).

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[geekoid]

I will be surprised if it is quite.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[Red Flayer]

Subject says it all: if they are able to sell the system at a profit then they will be wildly successful. Why? Because the machine has excellent specifications for the price (love that footprint) and if it is at all reliable then it's going to be a moneymaker.

LOLWUT? Compared to equivalently priced consoles, this machine is lacking.

If you mean as a generic linux PC, maybe you're onto something... except you can get better hardware for the same price. As you mention, it has a nice footprint, but in all other respects it's inferior hardware for the price.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[Lumpy]

Um.... dont. my XBMC live box I have at home has a dualcore 3.0ghz processor and it CANT play 1080p high motion content well. This gaming platform might not have the guts to play 720p.

Honestly, you can build a XBMC live box for less than $200.00 that can playback 720 all day long and that includes a media center case with a VFD display.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[drinkypoo]

Um.... dont. my XBMC live box I have at home has a dualcore 3.0ghz processor and it CANT play 1080p high motion content well. This gaming platform might not have the guts to play 720p.

Uh, what? A T2600 is enough to do it, I did it on mine. I did have a decently-supported nvidia video card, though.

Honestly, you can build a XBMC live box for less than $200.00 that can playback 720 all day long and that includes a media center case with a VFD display.

The VFD is a gimmick. I'm looking at the screen, I don't need another screen. I could use one on my laptop though, for when it's closed... like my cellphone. Anyway, 720p is not enough.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[HeronBlademaster]

Perhaps he means a Pentium D 3.0 GHz? If that's the case, it wouldn't surprise me to hear that it's not very good at HD.

Remember, kids, "dual core" and "Core [2] Duo" are not the same thing.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[Anonymous Coward]

According to the poorly made EVO site, the cheapest machine has a $600 pricetag. Surely those specs are nowhere near good enough to warrant that high of a price.

Re:Sold at a profit? Wildly successful.

[badkarmadayaccount]

s/linux/UNIX(*)/
Gee, where have I seen it before...
(*) - For values of UNIX = SUS 2k

like the console, the website is horrid

[unix_geek_512]

The console looks quite nice, I'd love to get one but the website is horrid.

It's flash and IMHO it looks terrible with very poor functionality.

Awesome!

[C10H14N2]

With a craptastic website worse than a 9th-grader's MySpace page and a /. story with a solitary link to !@#$ing Engadget, the actual product is sure to be chock full of quality.

lol

[Threni]

> All bets are off till users actually see the hardware, but it would be nice to see a new player in the market. Of course this assumes they put some time into a little
> polish that is usually expected from the gaming community (that website, yikes) and some effort into a killer game library.

But apart from the mystery spec, shit website and lack of games, it's a killer console. I'm sure Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are holding crisis talks.

Re:lol

[drinkypoo]

But apart from the mystery spec, shit website and lack of games, it's a killer console. I'm sure Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft are holding crisis talks.

Sony obviously sees Linux console gaming as a major threat, because now they've given us two generations of game console which both run linux, while on neither one do they permit access to the graphics hardware beyond a framebuffer.

Re:lol

[AKAImBatman]

As I recall, there were European tax codes that allowed Sony to pay lower taxes if the machines were imported as computers rather than game consoles. Thus the Linux support.

Re:lol

[ben0207]

Precisely so.

Re:lol

[drinkypoo]

Now explain away the fact that both systems have a hypervisor environment whose purpose is to prevent you from fully utilizing the hardware, most explicitly the GPU.

Re:lol

[AKAImBatman]

Easy. To prevent developers from avoiding royalty costs by developing games that target the Linux environment. A potentially far fetched scenario, but one that Sony protects against anyway. (See KallistiOS for an example of the system being reverse engineered and supported by sophisticated homebrew efforts.)

It's all about the $$$.

Re:lol

[drinkypoo]

It's all about the $$$.

It is all about money, but there's little to no chance that any sane mainstream developers would require the Linux kit for a game, since Sony could poison it with a system update. No, the answer is that it dramatically reduced the value of the system for independent developers, the people who the Linux kit was allegedly meant to serve. Of course I am aware that Sony got a tax break for including it. It's too bad they didn't pass that tax break on to consumers, eh?

Re:lol

[CronoCloud]

Wrong. On the PS2 you had full access to the GS, I tested out some of the hobbyist dev 3D stuff on my Linux kit. It's only the hypervisor on the PS3 that limits access to the GPU.

Re:lol

[CronoCloud]

Wrong! How many times do I have to go over this. The Linux kit postdates the removal of the "computer" tax break. It didn't exist when the Linux kit was released. What you're thinking of may be the EU region Yabasic disc, which WAS intended to cheat the tax, but the attempt failed in court.

Linux on the PS2/PS3 has NOTHING to do with taxes in Europe.

Re:lol

[CronoCloud]

drinkypoo, I wish you'd quit spreading misinformation about Linux on the PS2 and PS3. Leave talking about that to people who actually know shit from actually using Linux on the PS2 and PS3.

Of course I am aware that Sony got a tax break for including it. It's too bad they didn't pass that tax break on to consumers, eh?

Wrong! How many times do I have to go over this. The Linux kit postdates the removal of the "computer" tax break. It didn't exist when the Linux kit was released. What you're thinking of may be the EU region Yabasic disc, which WAS intended to cheat the tax, but the attempt failed in court.

Linux on the PS2/PS3 has NOTHING to do with taxes in Europe.

Sony would never poison Linux on the PS3, since their own dev tools use it. If memory serves me correctly, they maintain GCC for the PS3. (IBM maintains the binutils toolchain) Linux on the PS3 is intended as a value added bonus for home users adding traditional computer style functionality, perhaps also for hobbyist devs to use as a 2D testbed for game prototypes, and scientific computing.

Re:lol

[badkarmadayaccount]

Then why do they lock up their GPU?
Sincere question.

Re:lol

[CronoCloud]

Pirates, they don't want to make it easy on them, and they don't want professional dev houses buying PS3's instead of the official development "TOOL" boxes.

Re:lol

[CronoCloud]

I forgot the other reason, nVidia. For Linux to use the GPU nVidia would have to openly release specs for it. They may not be willing to.

Yay

[LurkingOnSlashdot]

Now we can pay $20/game to play games we can otherwise download on our computers for free?!

Price of an XBox...

[Aladrin]

So for the price of an XBox 360, I can buy a console that doesn't have -any- video games that were written this decade yet, and future games will cost $20.

Newsflash: Game developers want to charge more than $20 for games. They aren't going to bother making games for this thing when they could make them for 360 or PS3 and sell them for more.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed 100%. Competition sucks. I wish Microsoft could establish a monopoly in video game systems, that way I don't ever have to think about things.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[MikeUW]

Newsflash: Game developers want to charge more than $20 for games. They aren't going to bother making games for this thing when they could make them for 360 or PS3 and sell them for more.

You might be right about current game developers - but isn't there a huge start-up cost to break into that industry? An open console like this might provide a new opportunity (or reduce barriers) for new players to enter the market. Perhaps we'll actually see something new and innovative come out of it.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[LUH 3418]

Even if they only ported open source games to it, you could have 3D shooters from *this decade* such as nexuiz running on it:

http://www.alientrap.org/nexuiz/

Furthermore, the possibility of using this as a networked HD media player box makes it much more interesting.

My only worry is that this device may well be just vaporware. Pre-order often means "will never materialize", unfortuately.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[Rycross]

Well I guess it could technically be considered from this decade, but only just barely. It doesn't quite reach the level of a PS2 launch title in terms of polish, but its putting out graphics that probably couldn't be done on the PS1. Can't tell much about gameplay from just screenshots, but it looks woefully generic.

Not a game a lot of people would be interested in playing. Let me know if there's any games that can reach current-generation (at least Wii level) polish, or an innovative concept that can excuse a lack thereof.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[tepples]

Game developers want to charge more than $20 for games.

Then explain all the games showing up in my WiiWare list for 1500 points or less.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[radish]

Actually, it's almost the price of TWO 360's.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[ben0207]

Except these mythical small devs that have great ideas and the skill to show it can already code for at the very least the 360 Community Games and the iPhone, two devices that have already sold in the millions and have got a lot of people rich.

As a dev I really don't see any incentive to dev for this thing, and as a guy that buys games I see even less reason to buy one.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[jojo78]

Hopefully this would encourage Linux game development.

Re:Price of an XBox...

[Aladrin]

Ack, you're right. I was thinking more of the prices last year... Forgot about the price drops.

$380 is outrageous

[realmolo]

I like the hardware. I like the fact that it runs Linux, and uses SD cards for games. The whole design philosophy behind the console is great.

But $380? Are they out of their fucking MINDS? The hardware is WEAK compared to a 360, PS3, or even a Wii.

This thing could be successful if they sold it for $200. But at $380, there is NO WAY anyone is going to buy it.

That's the problem with getting into the console business- you have to be able to produce/sell the hardware in enormous quantities so you can get the price down. This company obviously can't do that, so they're paying (almost) retail prices for the hardware. Which means they're fucked.

How the hell did this ever get funding?

[Sycraft-fu]

Seriously, what a horrible idea. I don't see how this has any hope of competing with the three consoles that are on the market now. It doesn't have an impressive graphics chip, so it isn't going to blow people away with visuals. At the listed price point, it doesn't have any real price advantage (you can get a 360 for $300, a Wii for $250, a PS3 for $400). It doesn't seem to have ANY new games, much less games that you can't get on another console. So what's the draw?

OSS isn't an answer. Consoles gamers really don't care. The reason people like to buy consoles is to get cheap hardware to play games and no problems. They aren't buying them to write their own software. For that they buy, well, a computer.

I cannot see how the hell they expect this to succeed.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[h4rr4r]

Same way the GPX2 and pandora do. They expect to get sell thousands of units not millions of them.

Not everything ever sold has to be found in every home in the first world to turn a profit.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[radish]

(you can get a 360 for $300, a Wii for $250, a PS3 for $400).
Actually, the base level 360 is $200, which makes this an even more absurd product.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[geminidomino]

Thanks for invoking the GP2X. Now I *know* I'm not going near this thing...

GP2X: Good idea, bad execution. =\

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[master_p]

Do they have a licensing fee for games? if not, then indie developers might prefer the EVO console.

The development tools would also be free and open source, which is an additional advantage.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[rtechie]

Envisions appears to be a 1 or 2 man shop out of Anniston, Alabama, not exactly a technology hotbed. They have no production lined up from what I can see and if they do it's quite small.

If you read the press and look at the screenshots Envision it talking about the EVO as a desktop PC at least as much as a gaming device. This appears to be a toy of hobbists and hackers. And even then, it's a bit dubious. Your average Linux hacker (which is what Envisions is) could probably put together something similar themselves.

It's a niche product, much like previous Linux consoles. OpenPandora looks a lot more promising. Using emulators to compete with the handheld market seems more viable. Though I wish it was x86-based.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[CronoCloud]

OSS isn't an answer. Consoles gamers really don't care. The reason people like to buy consoles is to get cheap hardware to play games and no problems. They aren't buying them to write their own software. For that they buy, well, a computer.

I'm a console gamer who does care. One of the reasons I own a PS3 is the fact that one can install Linux on it to add even more functionality to the thing. That made the purchase price more justifiable, since it's not just a game console it's a "computer entertainment system". I can boot between what SCEA calls GameOS and Linux as I desire. And yeah, it can run an Amiga emulator under Linux, though I've not done so.

Re:How the hell did this ever get funding?

[mrman18766]

I used to work for a company that was developing a "PC Game Console" using Windows XP embedded. The original HW - VIA & S3 chips. That rig won some best product award at CES, and we did get some decent funding!....

Year of the Linux Console

[MrEricSir]

2009 will be the Year of the Linux Console.

That's right, you just read it on the internet -- it must be true!

Re:Year of the Linux Console

[Anonymous Coward]

2009 will be the Year of the Linux Console.

If I put a Linux console on top of my desk would that make 2009 the Year of the Linux Console on the Desktop?

Re:Year of the Linux Console

[evilbessie]

http://xkcd.com/386/

Re:Year of the Linux Console

[CronoCloud]

I have a desk, upon it sits a PS3, which has a Linux install on it. So for me, 2009 IS the year of the Linux console on the Desktop.

Any role for X?

[bogaboga]

I was wondering whether X has a role in this venture...or did they strip the memory hog out in favour of something better.

Google did it with Android did it. Apple did the same thing with their OSX system too. Maybe the EVO Linux Gaming Console can take a leaf from Google and Apple.

Re:Any role for X?

[Ant P.]

Stripping out X would be a GREAT idea. Now all they have to do is reimplement the entire multi-million-line OpenGL stack normally provided by X drivers from scratch.

Should only take them about 8-10 years.

Yikes indeed...

[itsdapead]

(that website, yikes)

Hmm - Flash used gratuitously where regular HTML + bitmaps would do nicely: CHECK.

Given that they're going to use Flash, failure to take advantage of Flash's main advantage, vis. nice, scalable, anti-aliased vector images: CHECK.

Annoying "mystery meat" navigation system: CHECK.

Annoying textured backgrounds under text: CHECK (at least choose a texture that doesn't look like compression artefacts!)

Crummy English: CHECK. (two words, guys: proof reading!)

Now, I'm not a FOSS purist who's going to curse them unto the seventh generation for merely using Flash, but if FOSS/Linux is going to be one of their USPs they might want to consider their target market!

So, if the console/software designers had any role in that website - forget it.

Re:Yikes indeed...

[OrangeTide]

At this point I wonder why they bother mentioning Linux. They should just sell a black box, and tell customers what it can do and what games are available or will be available soon.

Since they only listed 4 open source Linux games on their site, my guess is they don't have a good story to use to sell the console.

Re:Yikes indeed...

[interkin3tic]

My... er... -friend-, who was using a poorly configured, outdated browser from a USB drive on a poorly configured computer, tried to load the webpage (http://www.evosmartconsole.com/). What loaded was a black background with one thing on it: a banner ad for walmart.

While that's a reflection more of my *cough* friend's laziness and unwillingness to spend 5 minutes fixing it, my friend did find it quite funny and resolved to buy the console from walmart.

(PS. Keep in mind this is not me, this is my friend and he admitted he's lazy, and the website would look nominally better if he spent as long as he had on this post configuring his system, so let's not get hung up on that or flay him alive.)

Re:Yikes indeed...

[snuf23]

Who cares how crappy the site is? They have a transvestite that looks like Garth modeling how fun their console is. It's sure to be a huge success.

if this pans out

[British]

1. Buy said Linux-based video game console
2. Do not play it, nor open the box. Wait for product to fail.
3. Sell it on eBay 10 years later for a huge profit

Proof that this works: look how valuable the Halcyon console is. That's the holy grail of classic video game collecting. The more a console is a dud, the higher profits you can sell it later(exception: Atari Jaguar).

Re:if this pans out

[AKAImBatman]

Proof that this works: look how valuable the Halcyon console is.

Bad example. The Halcyon was released with a $2500 price tag. Even if it lost a significant chunk of that value, it would still be one of the most expensive consoles in history.

With the possible exceptions of the Pippin and the Jaguar, nearly every "bad" console has lost significant value over the years. F-Channels are worthless, O^2s can be had for a song, people practically give away 5200s because of the controllers, and 7800s can be found for a very reasonably price.

3DOs and CD-is are barely a sixth of their original cost, Amiga CD32s can be found NEW on eBay for $80, Sega Saturns are a mere $40 or less, and the Brits don't have a bleeding clue what to do with their Amstrad GX4000s.

Soo... bad plan. :-)

Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[OrangeTide]

How many more $200-$400 game consoles does the market need? My opinion is that we need fewer than we have. I would like to see more $50-$100 game consoles. I think there is a place in the market for an inexpensive console that everyone can afford, that has some built-in networking for purchasing content and service.

It could be as basic as $50 + $7.50/puzzle game. Plus if you focus on online purchases you don't have to setup retail channels, and you don't have to battle the used game market.
Wii, 360, PS3, iPhone, and Amazon Kindle are examples where a consumer device is plugged directly into an online store for buying apps. But all those devices are over $200 (except maybe a used 360).

Specs don't have to be fantastic either, if you aim for simple games that "non-gamers" like to play. I'm just thinking out loud here, but there are a lot of options for the hardware while still being fairly economical. The 600MHz OMAP3530 (ARM) can do HD resolutions and 3D graphics, although I think a game system would have to be around $125 if you use that to break even. Maybe if VIA does a Nano with integrated chipset(System-on-Chip) the prices might be low enough for an x86-64 based console. But even if it was just an SNES with ethernet welded onto it, that would be good enough for a fair number of simple games. And SNES hardware is incredibly cheap to reproduce (I have an Chinese SNES clone that cost $30). But I think most of us would be willing to pay double or triple to have something that could do vector graphics and maybe light 3D.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[geekoid]

3. It needs three more.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[closetpsycho]

The PSP is $120 used and $170 new, and it can connect to the PSN store. It can handle SNES and earlier games through emulation (assuming a certain willingness and capability to install custom firmware), and can also handle PS1 games, not to mention all of the platform specific games out for it. Not exactly in the $50-$100 range, I know, but it's also not in the $200-$400 range. Just to keep you aware of what's already out there that might match what you'd like.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[OrangeTide]

Nintendo DSi is also $170, and also features internet play and an online store. Although the hardware specs for the PSP are far superior, you really need a good resolution LCD display to make emulation fun in my opinion. 256x192 on the DS doesn't really cut it for NES or SNES or anything else really.

I no longer have interest in installing custom firmware on these devices, and from a marketing stand point requiring customers to do that makes no damn sense.

To be honest I put handheld system in a different category. And they(PSP and DSi) really compete with the likes of iPhone/Touch now, at least for dumb little games that people are willing to buy online.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[richard tarantula]

Or you could just get a PS2

And there's 1900 games for it (plus 1200 PS1).

Good luck competing with that.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[StikyPad]

Congratulations, Sony just lowered the price of the PS2 to $100. As an added bonus, it already exists, so no development time, and it has a large software library.

Yesterday's high-end consoles are today's low-end consoles. Why would anyone waste time and money redeveloping a new system using old or low-end hardware? It's almost the definition of reinventing the wheel.

Re:Seems like a weird time to enter the market

[OrangeTide]

No online component. and the cd-rom drives keep breaking in them (I'm on my third PS2).

the purpose of my post was not to get myself a game system(I have an NES and a billion games for it), but to argue a business reason for making yet another non-portable game console.

Long term support

[tepples]

you get to play a static, old version of Linux

You mean like the kernel of the Long Term Support versions of Ubuntu OS?

on static, old hardware

You mean like the Eee PC, which has the same Celeron 900 CPU as desktops available 7 to 8 years ago?

with static, old games designed for that system.

Know why Nintendo loaded the Wii Shop Channel up with Virtual Console games for the Wii launch? Easy: it prints money.

Re:Long term support

[jedidiah]

>> you get to play a static, old version of Linux
>
> You mean like the kernel of the Long Term Support versions of Ubuntu OS? ...just shows how little you know.

LTS versions of Ubuntu will get new kernel releases. That's rather the point of the S in LTS.

Plus, you can install any other kernel you like. Some of us weirdos even have versions of the
stock kernel running on their copies of Ubuntu LTS.

Re:Long term support

[ThePhilips]

... you can install any other kernel you like.

I guess then EVO is for people who do not want to install kernels - but want to play games instead.

... And for developers who do not want to waste time writing scripts detecting and properly setting up software for all possible combinations of kernel+glibc+X+sdl+mesa.

Re:Long term support

[jedidiah]

>> ... you can install any other kernel you like.
>
> I guess then EVO is for people who do not want to install kernels - but want to play games instead.

          If I can install a kernel, I can install my own game.

          This is as true on a 20 year old copy of SunOS as it is on Linux or a Macintosh.

>
> ... And for developers who do not want to waste time writing scripts detecting and properly setting up software for all possible combinations of kernel+glibc+X+sdl+mesa.

          If they do Windows programming, they should be used to working with random collections
of spare parts that might have whatever random collection of system files that were put there
by who knows what software written under the assumption they can spew whatever they want
wherever they want.

            This is why Windows apps/games have to pretty much reinstall the OS along with your game.

            OTOH, Unix lets you do the same thing. You can even do it NeXT/MacOS style if you want.

Re:Long term support

[ThePhilips]

If they do Windows programming, they should be used to working with random collections of spare parts that might have whatever random collection of system files that were put there by who knows what software written under the assumption they can spew whatever they want wherever they want.

Probably that's why new PC games start at $60.

From what I have seen, the EVO folks target at $20.

P.S. And actually after M$ forced everybody into DirectX slavery, that's not the case anymore. It's only M$ developed/published games which also reinstall half of Windows.

Re:Long term support

[jedidiah]

>
> Probably that's why new PC games start at $60.
> ...same as any hot new title on a current mainstream console platform.

>
> From what I have seen, the EVO folks target at $20.
>

They pretty much have to.

X. Box. 360.

[tepples]

If you ever see a game console that uses a rip-off PS2 controller, run the other way. FAST.

The Xbox 360's name was ripped off the PlayStation family controller. Here's proof.

Re:X. Box. 360.

[Anonymous Coward]

Am I the only one who LOL'd at that pic?

Re:X. Box. 360.

[Anonymous Coward]

WTF?

Interesting? Internally, prior to release, it was called the DIRECT X BOX. Gee. Clearly they stole the name from... a button... on the Playstation controller... right...

SDTV output

[tepples]

For $180 less you can get a PC with the better specs than this thing that also runs Linux.

Does a $200 PC have composite or S-Video output? No; that's a $50 extra.

Re:SDTV output

[Rycross]

There's plenty of cheap graphics cards (including integrated) out there with S-video out. You can also find composite out and HDMI. DVI-to-HDMI + optical audio is available.

Re:SDTV output

[tepples]

There's plenty of cheap graphics cards (including integrated) out there with S-video out.

I looked in Best Buy and Office Depot, and I didn't see a single desktop PC with integrated S-Video. Less-technical end users (the market for consoles) don't build their PCs from parts. In what store that is well known to the general public should I be looking for PCs that can output S-Video without a converter box?

Re:SDTV output

[Rycross]

I just did a web search for a Dell with an S-Video output and came up with the Dell Inspiron 530s Desktop PC. A lot of laptops come with dongles for s-video. You can also buy pre-built Media PCs. Yes, its not ubiquitous, but its not terribly uncommon either.

Re:SDTV output

[Rycross]

It should be noted that none of this supports the claims of the OP though, that they could get a comparable box for $200. I'd like to see him piece together something for that price, because I'd drop that money in a second if he really could.

Re:SDTV output

[mr_mischief]

Is HDMI okay?

If so, then how about Staples? See the specs at the eMachines website since Staples doesn't make the port info clear.

Maybe you want both DVI and HDMI in place of your beloved S-Video? No problem. Walmart has the Dell Studio Hybrid. They stock it right in the store in some locations. It can also be shipped from the website to your address or shipped for free to any store when purchased on the website with their site-to-store option.

Re:SDTV output

[tepples]

Is HDMI okay?

No. Unlike high-definition televisions, virtually all of which have HDMI and/or VGA input, standard-definition televisions don't have HDMI, DVI, VGA, or even progressive component input. You get RF, composite, and S-Video if you're lucky.

Maybe you want both DVI and HDMI in place of your beloved S-Video?

Only if you're willing to bundle a suitably sized HDTV with the PC.

Re:SDTV output

[snowraver1]

Who cares about S-Video?

Re:SDTV output

[tepples]

Who cares about S-Video?

Anyone who owns an SDTV. In order to display VGA on a TV-sized monitor, the owner of an SDTV would need to buy either an HDTV or a VGA-to-S-Video converter.

Re:SDTV output

[Anonymous Coward]

SDTV is dead. HDMI is the only thing a console or gaming PC needs to have these days. If you need support for some obsolete connector, then it's your responsibility to get a converter for it.

You also might want to look at the specs for the EVO because it doesn't have S-Video either. It has HDMI, DVI and VGA.

Re:SDTV output

[mr_mischief]

Fair enough. My DVD recorder and external SD DTV tuner both have S-Video, composite, component, and HDMI in and composite, component, HDMI, and S-Video out, but maybe not everyone is so lucky.

The Lenovo IdeaCentre K220 is around $570 street and it has S-Video out standard. That is quite a bit more than the console quoted, but it's actually launched by a company that should be around a while to provide a warranty.

Last I checked, most of the existing consoles didn't come with S-Video cables. Most of them come with, if anything, composite video and stereo audio. HDMI, S-Video, or component adapters are typically add-ons except the higher-end console editions like the 360 Elite. S-Video or HDMI is usually a $30 to $40 add-on for existing consoles anyway. That is a plus for this supposed console over them, then, but it doesn't make it a weakness of a PC to require an adapter.

Re:SDTV output

[tepples]

Last I checked, most of the existing consoles didn't come with S-Video cables. Most of them come with, if anything, composite video and stereo audio. HDMI, S-Video, or component adapters are typically add-ons except the higher-end console editions like the 360 Elite.

But at least they come with a composite cable and have available S-Video and interlaced-component options that aren't just an external VGA-to-X downscaler. I just e-mailed the maker of the EVO Smart Console, and the rep said that the company plans to make an SDTV adapter available.

Re:SDTV output

[mr_mischief]

I hope the console does come out and does reasonably well.

I don't have an HD set myself yet, either. I do have plenty of ways to get different signal and cable types into my SD sets that don't involve a dedicated VGA to something converter, though.

I don't have an HD-capable game system other than my PC, which has its own dedicated monitor. My wife and I decided we don't watch enough TV to make it worthwhile to have cable or satellite. Until our SD sets crap out or enough content over the air and on discs comes in HD and makes good use of the resolution (not just upsampled SD crap or HD sitcoms for that the pictures don't matter much anyway) we'll not be upgrading. Getting the signal into an SD set has never been a problem for us, though.

Still April 1st?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thought April 1st is over.

Good Potential

[CopaceticOpus]

I could see a use for this system, if it is fully open and hackable. I wonder if it can handle things like:

• Running Boxee, XBMC, Myth, etc.
• Playing high bit rate / HD video files over a network
• Web browsing
• Compiling/running most any Linux software
• Running emulators for old systems (NES, N64, C64, Dreamcast, etc.)
• Dual boot into Windows (and/or run VirtualBox) in order to play Netflix and other proprietary streams
• Support HDMI / 1080 output for all functions

If it can do all that and do it well, I'd love to have it in my living room, even if they don't release any games for it.

April fools?

[Cathoderoytube]

This sounds more like an April fools joke that didn't make it into the running.

Dial-up

[tepples]

Plus if you focus on online purchases you don't have to setup retail channels

You do if the market for a $50 console largely overlaps the market for $15/mo Internet access.

Re:Dial-up

[OrangeTide]

Just make the games under 512K (90 second download) and you're fine for dial-up too.
Also I wouldn't pay more than $8 for dial-up.

The real issue with supporting dial-up is that a 56K modem has costly licensing issues and certification issues that don't exist with Ethernet, and are simple for WiFi.

Gaming Console, or Media Center?

[Anonymous Coward]

Even if NO games are developed for the EVO, it still would be a very versatile piece of hardware. It could nicely replace the aging computer I have set up as a media center in my living room.

In fact, despite being advertised as a gaming console, it sounds more like a media center to me. Fast CPU for video decoding with a relatively lightweight GPU. I'm going to guess that making sure this sort of functionality was available was a goal during development... I wonder if it's possible to drop a Blu-Ray player in there to replace the DVD burner...

I expect wine could play a decent number of PC games on it as well. It might even be possible to *Gasp* dual-boot with windows...not that anyone here would do that.

SDL + OpenGL

[tepples]

While Linux may alleviate the latter issue, what is truly gained by advertising a console based on Linux?

Precisely because it alleviates the latter issue. Indie game developers are already familiar with the SDL + OpenGL stack and the AllegroGL stack, both of which are ported to GNU/Linux.

Re:SDL + OpenGL

[AKAImBatman]

The SDL stack works, but it's hardly a standard of the industry. OpenGL is better, but it only proves basic competency. There's nothing to differentiate this console to developers. Meanwhile, the other console manufacturers try to supply developers with anything and everything they could possibly need to develop their games in addition to cutting edge technology and a ready-made market.

If you were a game studio looking to make money, which would you choose?

Re:SDL + OpenGL

[tepples]

Meanwhile, the other console manufacturers try to supply developers with anything and everything they could possibly need to develop their games

But apparently, referral to a business incubator isn't part of this "anything and everything", or Nintendo wouldn't be so stubborn about requiring an office.

Re:SDL + OpenGL

[wertigon]

>If you were a game studio looking to make money, which would you choose?

I'd choose the one with the biggest installed base. And then bitch and moan about their restrictive policies.

Kinda puttin' the cart before the horse...

[Loosifur]

Was there a burning need among consumers for a Linux console that was going unfulfilled? Speaking as the kind of person who spends too much money on video games, I see no reason whatsoever to lay down any money at all for a Linux console. If I want to play Amiga games, I can download an emulator. If I want to play games on Linux (insofar as I can), I'd use WINE. Well, really, I'd just run XP or Vista, which I currently do, but that's another can o' worms. The point is that there aren't Linux games that would persuade someone like me to buy a Linux console. Hobbyists or FOSS supporters might, but that's not your money-making demographic if you're making a console. Maybe get a game company or two to sign on for a big launch title if you really want to get this thing off the ground, but as it stands I'd say there's precious little need for an Amiga emulator console. Especially at close to $400.

Um.. it looks like a u-ITX pc

[Lumpy]

All their photos show a typical u-ITX Pc case you can get most anyplace.

Add in Bluetooth and some PS3 controllers and you have the same thing.

In fact it's probably a better setup if some group got together to make a linux distro for a base set of hardware that anyone could slap together for a Open Source gaming platform. Kind of like how the guys at MythTV have created a PVR platform recipe that everyone follows.

I thought...

[VinylRecords]

I thought April Fool's stories were done with already...

Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[tepples]

Nobody knows who "EVO" is.

Nobody knew "Nintendo" when ColecoVision was out and Atari 7800 was announced. Nobody knew "PlayStation" or "Sony Computer Entertainment" when Sega Saturn was out and Nintendo 64 was announced. Nobody knew "Xbox" or "Microsoft Entertainment and Devices" when PlayStation 2 was out and Nintendo GameCube was announced. Yet they both had strong showings in their first two iterations.

Nintendo has well known game franchises and developers.

If EVO were to drop its requirement for a corporate name, this console could use mods as a selling point: "the YouTube of games".

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[Cube Steak]

So basically your comparing huge multinational corporations who entered the gaming markets with some no name company? Yeah, that's totally analogous!

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[Grave]

Nintendo wasn't a huge multinational company when they entered the video game market.

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[Cube Steak]

Nintendo wasn't a huge multinational company when they entered the video game market.

But they were also not a no-name company. They were a 90 year old company when they moved into the electronic gaming market. Before then they were well-known company in Japan who made card games and all sorts of toys. So while not a multinational company like Sony or Microsoft they weren't a no-name like EVO. Secondly, by the time they had come out with their first gaming console, they had built up a reputation in arcade games both in Japan and America. So unlike this company, Nintendo actually had it's name out their long before they released the Famicom/NES.

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[Reapman]

When Nintendo came out, competition although existing wasn't much... wasn't that at the end of the Video Game crash when they showed up? Not a lot to compete with. Not to mention they got a flagship series down for Nintendo, what do you think EVO has to replace Mario with? And um I do believe that Sony and Microsoft existed and people know who they were before their respective consoles showed.

This isn't the 80s, EVO doesn't have a chance. Sorry.

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[drinkypoo]

YHBT. Nintendo was well-known in gaming when they got into consoles, because they made arcade games. Before that they made playing cards, which are game-related. Microsoft was well-known in gaming when the Xbox came out, the Xbox's name is really the DirectXbox (look it up) and Microsoft had already been publishing games for many years. IIRC Sony, too, had been involved with publishing video games for years by that point (they are currently the fifth-largest publisher -- I'm having a hard time finding cites... but I could swear I've seen Sony logos of some sort on numerous cart-based console titles. I couldn't have played so many games for so many years and not be able to remember something like that? I recall it being a white square rotated 45 with a purple feather-looking something-or-other running up and down the middle of it. HTH, HAND.

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[Cube Steak]

YHBT.

Probably, but I was hoping to give them the benefit of the doubt that they were just misinformed. To think that Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony are even remotely comparable to this no-name internet company is laughable.

Re:Nobody knew PlayStation or Xbox

[snuf23]

After the video game console crash in the 80s no one wanted to stock or sell video games. This is why Nintendo's initial NES bundle included the robot addon. They had to push the NES not as a video game console but rather as an electronic toy. Semantic difference but important for marketing at the time.

Alsoa vailable with Vista

[geekoid]

http://www.evosmartconsole.com/specs2.html

iPhone?

[phorm]

Based on BSD, and pretty much a type of PDA...

MP3 in XMB != MP3 in Linux

[tepples]

Didn't Sony already license mp3 support for the PS3 software so that the PS3 could play mp3s?

The terms of the MPEG audio decoding license likely were limited to media playback within the XMB interface, not media playback within GNU/Linux or any Other OS.

Calm down, folks. It's just a regular scam.

[Qbertino]

Crappy Website built with a crappy 50$ template in a very crappy manner. Tacky template music. Boilerplate pictures of some office building somewhere in the about section. Crappy pictures of crappy boxes with what looks like your standard Mini-ITX package in them and way overpriced purchase options to buy them. Bets are ten to one that this is a scam and you won't even see any hardware at all if you fall for it.
Nothing to see here, move along. How this even gets any attention at all on /. - let alone the buzz in the comments right now - is beyond me.

THIS S**T WILL NEVER WORK.

[Icegryphon]

Seriously, Not just throwing out a meme, but if you want a pc to game then, just get a pc.
If you want a Game console to game then, get a game console.
Just because the Original Xbox was Intel based doesn't mean it will work.
360 is far beyond what original Xbox was.. So is PS2/PS3.

Isn't Akimbo out of business?

[Derge]

Isn't Akimbo out of business? Wikipedia thinks so. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akimbo_(on-demand_service)

Re:Isn't Akimbo out of business?

[dreemernj]

I was wondering that myself. And the video service they mention in the /. post isn't available for the Linux version of EVO according to the specs on their site. The Linux version also doesn't have an SD reader.

Those things are only on the more expensive Windows version of EVO.

Tivoization

[tepples]

Dude. It runs Linux.

So do TiVo DVRs. The GPLv2 license of Linux lacks the GPLv3's restriction against requiring digitally signed binaries and not giving the end user the signing key.

Re:Tivoization

[drinkypoo]

The difference here is that it's just a PC. Get coreboot+grub on it and you can use it for anything you want. Kind of like how if you reflash the Xbox, you can use it for anything you want - but better, because a driver for the video card already exists and is provided by the GPU vendor.

Pre-order?

[interkin3tic]

You mean reserve. Not sure why we accepted the newspeak gamestop was pushing, it's exactly the same old annoying process by which you give someone money and they promise to give you something at some point in the future.

If there is a difference, it's that game retailers (again gamestop) try to punish those who don't "doubleplusadvanceorder."

Too late

[Anonymous Coward]

Too little too late. Onlive will crush this.

Mod an Xbox1 and save some cash.

[Beelzebud]

Do a software mod on an Xbox, install Xbox Media Center, Damn Small Linux, and a whole catalog of ported emulators that covers everything from Mame to a Playstation emulator and everything in between. XBMC can use samba shares to stream movies/music from a PC. Damn Small Linux lets you browse the web. Emulators lets you play an entire library of classic games.

Re:I could have got first post

[mr_mischief]

It could be what he gets for posting while having that PITA EVO website open in another tab. It apparently takes a lot of ActionScript code for a website to look so crappy, be so annoying, and be so user-unfriendly all at once.

Not likely

[rbanffy]

They can't build a decent website. I sincerely doubt they will be able to build a decent console.

Pity, because the idea is good - a small inexpensive machine with reasonable graphics performance that could be used for just about anything. Not necessarily a console, a computer or a set-top-box but, depending on the user, a combination of the three.

I would love such a device.

ATi Video?!?

[triso]

Good luck trying to find Linux drivers for ATI based video chipsets that work in 3-D without crashing, tearing or otherwise displaying incorrectly.

Meh, doesn't sound very good

[Anonymous Coward]

Major mistakes have made this thing "meh" worthy:

AMD processor when Intel is clearly on top these days. It's not just about the CPU either but also the various chipsets used with each.

Fedora when Debian/Ubuntu is clearly on top.

ATI graphics, lol. Proven to have some of the buggiest drivers and crappiest Linux support around. Good jorb.

Creating a winning product is about predicting what the future will be and they failed horribly already.

Then buy an Xbox1 and mod it!

[Beelzebud]

Modded Xbox + Xbox Media Center + Damn Small Linux + a library of console emulators = one awesome machine for fairly cheap.

Re:Then buy an Xbox1 and mod it!

[rbanffy]

There are not many new Xbox 1's and the x86 inside them does not compare well in terms or raw horsepower even to current ARM processors that draw a tiny fraction of the power they use to heat their surroundings.

Akimbo?

[Artifex]

I thought Akimbo went belly-up?

Re:Akimbo?

[carlzum]

According to Engadget they're gone. Wikipedia says they were pronounced dead on June 2, 2008. I'm not sure what an Akimbo-based video service means if the content-delivery end of the service is defunct. Maybe someone acquired what was left of the company, but even in their prime, Akimbo had a pretty underwhelming collection of offerings.

Stillborn

[Aggrav8d]

Developers will ask "Why spend 18 months making a game nobody can play?"

Players will say "why get a machine with no games?"

New gaming consoles can't succeed without a massive investment to get hardware into people's hands. The death of the sega Dreamcast is a perfect example. Make it worthwhile to customers to get the system and then developers will change their tune.

I especially love...

[Anonymous Coward]

I especially like the ordering...

Send as a Gift
for the same price

Wow - you mean I can buy it for someone else, and I don't have to pay extra! That's *so* convenient! Toys-R-Us charges a 20% premium if you're not buying their stuff for yourself!

I see what's happening

[lessthanpi]

This is clearly an attempt to deceive.
This is Sega's final attempt at a console
The Dreamcast 2

Deal breaker...

[tnk1]

Does this come with the latest version of Tux Racer included?

With the prices of today ram it should have 4gb no

[Joe The Dragon]

With the prices of today ram it should have 4gb not just 2gb and ati 3200 why not ATI HD 3300 with 128 side port ram?

Groan

[JustNiz]

Why did they use ATI/AMD instead of intel/nvidia?
ATI sucks comapred to nvidia under linux. AMD sucks compared to intel period.

Wasteful piece of crap

[Anonymous Coward]

Why the hell people will care if it is based on Linux or XYZ operating system unless they get some good content for this wasteful piece of plastic. With such a pathetic website I have real doubts if anyone will take them seriously.

Linux game console thinking

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope this can good growing. not let sony microsoft to show off only. Eric Lam 1gameconsole