I think what makes the GP2X successful is that its "homebrew" on the go. A console is tethered to your home. If you're at home, you might as well just use your PC, which has access to all the "homebrew" you'll ever need.
Hmm. I think this is interesting. All power to them I say.
A open device that sits under your TV? That you can do what you like with?
A lowish cost. Standardised hardware. Say with bumps every couple of years could be awesome.
The fact is that Sony, and to a lesser but very real sense Microsoft and Nintendo, have a massive content business as well as a hardware business.
Hardware sells well by being open. Software (they believe) sells well by being closed. As such the current companies fight themselves in the production of their consoles. They cripple their products to please other aspects of their own business, and the consumer is only considered second.
A pure hardware manufacturer could make a standardised under the TV box that is really interesting and exciting, and would only consider what makes the best product for the consumer.
Put in a hard drive, a Tivo like abilities, streaming abilities, internet abilities, the ability to run software created by the public, the ability to download and install software from (any) websites, and pay them if required, restore disks if people fuck it up. A burner for back ups. Base it on linux. And claim the mindshare. (aka a High def version of a modded Xbox for dummies)
Sure it won't dethrone anything. But like the Eee pc it could find a happy profitable place for itself.
So, how will this be different from a prebuilt computer?
Presumably by failing spectacularly.
Though personally, if someone were to make something that could do apps, games, and media as well as a modded xbox with XBMC for its dashboard on the PC, I'd be quite satisfied. I've wanted to do an HTPC for years, but there's nothing that can do apps AND media very well(in terms of interface and such).
The theoretical allure of a PC-based console is understandable. Relatively cheap to build, easy to develop for, massive library at launch (assuming you can find some way to make windows PC games run on the thing).
The problem on the other hand is how do you make it with all the convenience of a console? Do you install windows on them but a massively over-hauled version that streamlines the whole process like a games console version of Windows Media Center? Would Microsoft even agree to license their OS for that purpose and that size of customisation considering the potential for it to compete to closely with the Xbox? How do you contend with PC issues such as incompatibility of software with your hardware, drivers, lengthy installations etc.? How do you market it competitively with the other consoles who all have massive budgets behind them? How do you explain to your audience that you don't go into a shop and just buy Acer Playbox games, you have to buy PC games although some of them are officially listed as 100% compatible with your system?
The joy of consoles is they are simple. This is one of the factors that attracts people to them. You buy the box, you buy the games and they work. PC gaming takes a lot of effort. It's confusing and complicated to the average consumer. To those whom it isn't, they don't need a PC-for-dummies solution.
Well, I have an Acer laptop (a TravelMate with a Core Duo 2 Ghz, ATI X1600 Mobility, 2 GB of RAM, and a 120 GB hard drive. Oh, and a 15.4" 1680x1050 LCD with no dead pixels and really good image quality) that kicks ass, works really well, and has withstood more than 2 years of being carried around once in a while, and working 24/7 for weeks on end as my home PC.
I have only two annoyances:
1- all the crapware that came installed, one of which is a security app that traps any Windows Live Messenger "send file" events, and displays a popup offering to encrypt the file. In two years, I haven't been able to find a way to disable this crap. Then again, most PC manufacturers pile on the crapware, and the amount of useless crap on that laptop was actually minimal compared with, say, a Dell.
2- I can't install any new official ATI drivers, as the mobility chipset in the laptop requires new drivers from Acer. I fixed this by installing the Omega drivers. Works like a charm.
There's one more annoyance, but that's entirely my fault: it's too heavy to lug around every day. That's what I get for going with a 15.4" widescreen laptop with all the bells and whistles. I still take it with me when I leave my place overnight, though.
Based on my experiences with this, I believe Acer *could* make a compelling piece of gaming hardware. But they'll have to be innovative in some other way if they are to be at least moderately successful. Something on the order of Wiimotes.
aka a High def version of a modded Xbox for dummies
This.
So many people I know would love to have XBMC, but when I tell them the (relatively easy) process they have to go through to get that running, they decide not to.
If it was XBMC HD edition, plus a shedload of popcap/XBLA-esque games, with a low price tag, I could see it being somewhat successful.
Based on my experiences with this, I believe Acer *could* make a compelling piece of gaming hardware. But they'll have to be innovative in some other way if they are to be at least moderately successful. Something on the order of Wiimotes.
If it's basically a reboxed PC with no licensing restrictions, thirdparty hardware manufacturers could easily develop any manner of controllers for it. That's the innovation - you want it, some schmo is probably developing it. In theory. To be successful though, it's more important that it is compelling and makes sense to consumers in a market where all the conceivable niches are already filled by high-profile household names. This is a road several companies have already been down and besides some of them being out-and-out investment fraud operations, the consistent reaction from the general public to the idea is 'so what'?
Aside from people just plain not getting it, you'd have serious quality control issues. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo can all exert relatively tight controls on the games that get developed and released for their systems. While this clearly doesn't result in every single game on their consoles being shining examples of excellent videogames, it does at least mean that they don't have hideous POS software seen running on their consoles and dragging down the whole brand along with it. For the general public, things like graphics are a critical selling point. If they saw, for example, one of Phoenix Games' offerings on this machine, they'd not only reject the game, but probably the system along with it.
The theoretical allure of a PC-based console is understandable. Relatively cheap to build, easy to develop for, massive library at launch (assuming you can find some way to make windows PC games run on the thing).
The problem on the other hand is how do you make it with all the convenience of a console? Do you install windows on them but a massively over-hauled version that streamlines the whole process like a games console version of Windows Media Center? Would Microsoft even agree to license their OS for that purpose and that size of customisation considering the potential for it to compete to closely with the Xbox? How do you contend with PC issues such as incompatibility of software with your hardware, drivers, lengthy installations etc.? How do you market it competitively with the other consoles who all have massive budgets behind them? How do you explain to your audience that you don't go into a shop and just buy Acer Playbox games, you have to buy PC games although some of them are officially listed as 100% compatible with your system?
The joy of consoles is they are simple. This is one of the factors that attracts people to them. You buy the box, you buy the games and they work. PC gaming takes a lot of effort. It's confusing and complicated to the average consumer. To those whom it isn't, they don't need a PC-for-dummies solution.
This is an excellent point. Who is the target audience?
chamberlain on
0
HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
edited March 2008
If Acer wants to give it a shot, let 'em. We'll find out in a couple of years if they're sticking to their guns or just tossing out needless "what if" scenarios.
You know what, I think I just realized what this is about. They probably want a piece of Nintendo's pie. Motion control never caught on for PCs because it wasn't a standard input device, so their reasoning is going to be "make a PC with waggle, and surely the market will flock to it in droves!"
If Acer wants to give it a shot, let 'em. We'll find out in a couple of years if they're sticking to their guns or just tossing out needless "what if" scenarios.
PC gaming has been in a decline for quite some time. (I didn't say "dying," shut up.) One of the guys who made Unreal III made a good point, that 60% of computers sold now have integrated graphics and can't play modern games. Add that to the fact that the majority of people can't be bothered to take the time to build/upgrade a computer, especially considering how baffling the graphics card market has become and the effortlessness of consoles. Yes, WE can upgrade computers, but any thriving market needs the mass market to survive.
So Acer is trying to come and solve the problem. A PC designed for gaming that isn't a $3,000 neckbeard box with glowing cords and crap. Suddenly, it's much easier for the mass market to game on their PCs, and publishers have more motivation to actually make PC games. And Acer isn't a bad computer maker.
...unfortunately, I don't think it's going to work. I think it's going to take industry-wide changes to fix things. We're talking many manufacturers making cheap yet gaming-capable computers, and software makers willing to scale their software down to run effectively on a greater range of computers. If Acer goes through with it and no one else does, it'll just be a shot in the dark that won't fix the real problem.
You know what, I think I just realized what this is about. They probably want a piece of Nintendo's pie. Motion control never caught on for PCs because it wasn't a standard input device, so their reasoning is going to be "make a PC with waggle, and surely the market will flock to it in droves!"
That's oversimplifying. Anyone else coming out with waggle controls is going up against Nintendo. That's a bad idea however I look at it.
When I said "something on the order of Wiimotes", I meant something as revolutionary, something as likely to tap a new market as the Wii has.
The homebrew angle is nice, but why stop there? Why not build a solid, and really easy-to-use "make your own games" environment? Make it so people can then put up their creations for sale without charging for the SDK/game creation environment or for the hosting (at worst, Acer can take a small cut).
And then, encourage the developers making games for the system to make their games open as well, so that homebrew designers can reuse parts of commercial games, or mod/extend them easily.
A console that encourages software modding could be pretty successful, if it's done right.
Anyone who thinks this will be anything other than an epic failure of 3DO scale is seriously deluding themselves. I thought that was clear. Apparently not.
SimBen on
0
fearsomepirateI ate a pickle once.Registered Userregular
Aside from people just plain not getting it, you'd have serious quality control issues. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo can all exert relatively tight controls on the games that get developed and released for their systems. While this clearly doesn't result in every single game on their consoles being shining examples of excellent videogames, it does at least mean that they don't have hideous POS software seen running on their consoles and dragging down the whole brand along with it.
Have you heard of Data Design Interactive?
fearsomepirate on
Nobody makes me bleed my own blood...nobody.
PSN ID: fearsomepirate
This is an excellent point. Who is the target audience?
It depends, if they can somehow get Windows games running on it, then its all of the people who would like to run UT3 but aren't able to due to integrated graphics and not knowing enough to upgrade their computer, in addition to the homebrew people.
If not, then while I'm sure Acer would think its more than the general hacking, homebrew, open source, etc. people, that seems to be the audience that this will attract.
The good news is that those who are a part of this audience are generally pretty dedicated and good at what they do, which means the console will have definate support. The bad news is that this market segment is too small to be a commerical success, and I'm not sure if it'll attract much more than those people (or them at all, considering they have the PC to work with).
PC gaming has been in a decline for quite some time. (I didn't say "dying," shut up.) One of the guys who made Unreal III made a good point, that 60% of computers sold now have integrated graphics and can't play modern games. Add that to the fact that the majority of people can't be bothered to take the time to build/upgrade a computer, especially considering how baffling the graphics card market has become and the effortlessness of consoles. Yes, WE can upgrade computers, but any thriving market needs the mass market to survive.
So Acer is trying to come and solve the problem. A PC designed for gaming that isn't a $3,000 neckbeard box with glowing cords and crap. Suddenly, it's much easier for the mass market to game on their PCs, and publishers have more motivation to actually make PC games. And Acer isn't a bad computer maker.
This would be the real way to go, and was also mentioned on this week's 1upYours. I don't know why they'd want to make a console per se, but a push to make a standardised PC unit would be a pretty smart move, as long as your competitors also pick up on the same idea. Further to that, I don't know what place videocards and other upgrade parts would have in a PC market that was moving toward integration onto the motherboard, as opposed to it's typical modular function. Does this mean Nvidia and ATi would get into bidding wars on who was going to develop for which PC manufacturer, or would they be cut out of that deal altogether and be relegated to producing optional 'upgrade' parts? Suddenly owning a PC seems a lot like owning a console in that scenario.
Yeah, they do. Absolutely the most useless bloatware I've ever seen on a laptop.
Like the "security feature" they add to msn that someone mentioned earlier. I tried to rip that out once, along with whatever else I could, and the end result? Trying to transfer something through msn just inst-fails, instead.
(off-topic) An ultimate exercise in futility, that "feature", seeing as messenger's EULA agreement already has you signing off all rights to whatever you send through them. However, norwegian law has apparently ruled that all "click to agree" EULAs are not legally binding here, so moot point for me either way. (I can't really confirm that ruling though, I've just heard the same thing from several sources)
(/off-topic)
Rob Anybody on
0
ShadowfireVermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered Userregular
2- I can't install any new official ATI drivers, as the mobility chipset in the laptop requires new drivers from Acer. I fixed this by installing the Omega drivers. Works like a charm.
The driver issue isn't unique to Acer... my ThinkPad is the same way.
1) nothing. We will never hear of this again. This is the most likely scenario.
2) a loose set of standards for HTPC manufacturers and game publishers to stick to, detailing such things that the PC world is missing: proper output to televisions (as opposed to the half-assed bullshit that we currently get from nVidia and ATi), standardized gaming controllers (and having games fucking support them), standardized levels of hardware performance (e.g. Crysis 2 requires a level 6 acerbox, while Starcraft II requires a level 2) etc. Acer will then start making some gaming HTPCs (you can call it a "console" if you want) to these specifications and hope that others follow suit.
2) a loose set of standards for HTPC manufacturers and game publishers to stick to, detailing such things that the PC world is missing: proper output to televisions (as opposed to the half-assed bullshit that we currently get from nVidia and ATi), standardized gaming controllers (and having games fucking support them), etc. Acer will then start making some gaming HTPCs (you can call it a "console" if you want) to these specifications and hope that others follow suit.
This is something that EVERYONE needs to do in order to stop the PC gaming decline. If only Acer does it, it won't be enough.
I'm going to open a massive can of fucking retarded
And the PCFX had a modem built in and was release nearly a year before the Apple/Bandai Pippin.
And the Famicom had a national network in Japan and was released eleven years before the PCFX
Rohan on
...and I thought of how all those people died, and what a good death that is. That nobody can blame you for it, because everyone else died along with you, and it is the fault of none, save those who did the killing.
Come up with a low cost "console" built with cheap off the shelf parts with decent but not mindblowing specs. Make sure it has VGA/DVi/Component/composite video output. Ok, still with me?
Now, you make a deal with GameTap. Your AcerStationCubeBox or whatever the fuck you want to call it streams games directly from GameTap with an Acer specific menu. You charge the user $10 or $15 a month for this access (or let them purchase games from the system outright and play them without being connected) and you and GameTap split the profits somehow.
Talk Microsoft into licensing you a low cost embedded version of Windows XP and make sure every system ships with DosBox, this way users can install games they already own.
Make sure it has HT capability similar to XBMC.
Now work some deals with a movie/TV show provider like NetFlix or whoever to allow people to rent or buy TV shows and movies and stream/download them right to their Acer box.
Now, you've got a gaming system that not only can be plugged into a computer as a low cost gaming machine, but it can also be plugged into a TV as a low cost gaming machine. It can also be used as a streaming box to get movies and TV shows from the net directly to your monitor or TV. The game library would be fucking ridiculously huge on day one, and the GameTap/movie subscription costs and purchases means that there is a positive income flow coming in every month.
Acer, I am a fucking genius, you shoudl listen to me, and if you do do this shit I demand a consulting fee or I will burn your corporate headquarters to the fucking ground do you hear me?
1) nothing. We will never hear of this again. This is the most likely scenario.
2) a loose set of standards for HTPC manufacturers and game publishers to stick to, detailing such things that the PC world is missing: proper output to televisions (as opposed to the half-assed bullshit that we currently get from nVidia and ATi), standardized gaming controllers (and having games fucking support them), standardized levels of hardware performance (e.g. Crysis 2 requires a level 6 acerbox, while Starcraft II requires a level 2) etc. Acer will then start making some gaming HTPCs (you can call it a "console" if you want) to these specifications and hope that others follow suit.
360 controller. All games with controller support of any kind with the Games for Windows label (and even some without it) works perfectly with the 360 controller.
Posts
I think what makes the GP2X successful is that its "homebrew" on the go. A console is tethered to your home. If you're at home, you might as well just use your PC, which has access to all the "homebrew" you'll ever need.
A open device that sits under your TV? That you can do what you like with?
A lowish cost. Standardised hardware. Say with bumps every couple of years could be awesome.
The fact is that Sony, and to a lesser but very real sense Microsoft and Nintendo, have a massive content business as well as a hardware business.
Hardware sells well by being open. Software (they believe) sells well by being closed. As such the current companies fight themselves in the production of their consoles. They cripple their products to please other aspects of their own business, and the consumer is only considered second.
A pure hardware manufacturer could make a standardised under the TV box that is really interesting and exciting, and would only consider what makes the best product for the consumer.
Put in a hard drive, a Tivo like abilities, streaming abilities, internet abilities, the ability to run software created by the public, the ability to download and install software from (any) websites, and pay them if required, restore disks if people fuck it up. A burner for back ups. Base it on linux. And claim the mindshare. (aka a High def version of a modded Xbox for dummies)
Sure it won't dethrone anything. But like the Eee pc it could find a happy profitable place for itself.
2009 is a year of Updates - one every Monday. Hopefully. xx
What genius decided to make a console with a name pronounced: "Ape Extreme?"
God I wish i was the sigging sort.
Presumably by failing spectacularly.
Though personally, if someone were to make something that could do apps, games, and media as well as a modded xbox with XBMC for its dashboard on the PC, I'd be quite satisfied. I've wanted to do an HTPC for years, but there's nothing that can do apps AND media very well(in terms of interface and such).
The problem on the other hand is how do you make it with all the convenience of a console? Do you install windows on them but a massively over-hauled version that streamlines the whole process like a games console version of Windows Media Center? Would Microsoft even agree to license their OS for that purpose and that size of customisation considering the potential for it to compete to closely with the Xbox? How do you contend with PC issues such as incompatibility of software with your hardware, drivers, lengthy installations etc.? How do you market it competitively with the other consoles who all have massive budgets behind them? How do you explain to your audience that you don't go into a shop and just buy Acer Playbox games, you have to buy PC games although some of them are officially listed as 100% compatible with your system?
The joy of consoles is they are simple. This is one of the factors that attracts people to them. You buy the box, you buy the games and they work. PC gaming takes a lot of effort. It's confusing and complicated to the average consumer. To those whom it isn't, they don't need a PC-for-dummies solution.
There's only so many games you can play with one button
m i rite?
I have only two annoyances:
1- all the crapware that came installed, one of which is a security app that traps any Windows Live Messenger "send file" events, and displays a popup offering to encrypt the file. In two years, I haven't been able to find a way to disable this crap. Then again, most PC manufacturers pile on the crapware, and the amount of useless crap on that laptop was actually minimal compared with, say, a Dell.
2- I can't install any new official ATI drivers, as the mobility chipset in the laptop requires new drivers from Acer. I fixed this by installing the Omega drivers. Works like a charm.
There's one more annoyance, but that's entirely my fault: it's too heavy to lug around every day. That's what I get for going with a 15.4" widescreen laptop with all the bells and whistles. I still take it with me when I leave my place overnight, though.
Based on my experiences with this, I believe Acer *could* make a compelling piece of gaming hardware. But they'll have to be innovative in some other way if they are to be at least moderately successful. Something on the order of Wiimotes.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
This.
So many people I know would love to have XBMC, but when I tell them the (relatively easy) process they have to go through to get that running, they decide not to.
If it was XBMC HD edition, plus a shedload of popcap/XBLA-esque games, with a low price tag, I could see it being somewhat successful.
If it's basically a reboxed PC with no licensing restrictions, thirdparty hardware manufacturers could easily develop any manner of controllers for it. That's the innovation - you want it, some schmo is probably developing it. In theory. To be successful though, it's more important that it is compelling and makes sense to consumers in a market where all the conceivable niches are already filled by high-profile household names. This is a road several companies have already been down and besides some of them being out-and-out investment fraud operations, the consistent reaction from the general public to the idea is 'so what'?
Aside from people just plain not getting it, you'd have serious quality control issues. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo can all exert relatively tight controls on the games that get developed and released for their systems. While this clearly doesn't result in every single game on their consoles being shining examples of excellent videogames, it does at least mean that they don't have hideous POS software seen running on their consoles and dragging down the whole brand along with it. For the general public, things like graphics are a critical selling point. If they saw, for example, one of Phoenix Games' offerings on this machine, they'd not only reject the game, but probably the system along with it.
This is an excellent point. Who is the target audience?
Sell that to their shareholders.
Fortunately, I am.
PC gaming has been in a decline for quite some time. (I didn't say "dying," shut up.) One of the guys who made Unreal III made a good point, that 60% of computers sold now have integrated graphics and can't play modern games. Add that to the fact that the majority of people can't be bothered to take the time to build/upgrade a computer, especially considering how baffling the graphics card market has become and the effortlessness of consoles. Yes, WE can upgrade computers, but any thriving market needs the mass market to survive.
So Acer is trying to come and solve the problem. A PC designed for gaming that isn't a $3,000 neckbeard box with glowing cords and crap. Suddenly, it's much easier for the mass market to game on their PCs, and publishers have more motivation to actually make PC games. And Acer isn't a bad computer maker.
...unfortunately, I don't think it's going to work. I think it's going to take industry-wide changes to fix things. We're talking many manufacturers making cheap yet gaming-capable computers, and software makers willing to scale their software down to run effectively on a greater range of computers. If Acer goes through with it and no one else does, it'll just be a shot in the dark that won't fix the real problem.
That's oversimplifying. Anyone else coming out with waggle controls is going up against Nintendo. That's a bad idea however I look at it.
When I said "something on the order of Wiimotes", I meant something as revolutionary, something as likely to tap a new market as the Wii has.
The homebrew angle is nice, but why stop there? Why not build a solid, and really easy-to-use "make your own games" environment? Make it so people can then put up their creations for sale without charging for the SDK/game creation environment or for the hosting (at worst, Acer can take a small cut).
And then, encourage the developers making games for the system to make their games open as well, so that homebrew designers can reuse parts of commercial games, or mod/extend them easily.
A console that encourages software modding could be pretty successful, if it's done right.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
Anyone who thinks this will be anything other than an epic failure of 3DO scale is seriously deluding themselves. I thought that was clear. Apparently not.
Have you heard of Data Design Interactive?
PSN ID: fearsomepirate
If not, then while I'm sure Acer would think its more than the general hacking, homebrew, open source, etc. people, that seems to be the audience that this will attract.
The good news is that those who are a part of this audience are generally pretty dedicated and good at what they do, which means the console will have definate support. The bad news is that this market segment is too small to be a commerical success, and I'm not sure if it'll attract much more than those people (or them at all, considering they have the PC to work with).
What's next? Nintendo and Sony enter an agreement to promote Japanese gaming?
I have an Acer laptop.
It sucks.
This would be the real way to go, and was also mentioned on this week's 1upYours. I don't know why they'd want to make a console per se, but a push to make a standardised PC unit would be a pretty smart move, as long as your competitors also pick up on the same idea. Further to that, I don't know what place videocards and other upgrade parts would have in a PC market that was moving toward integration onto the motherboard, as opposed to it's typical modular function. Does this mean Nvidia and ATi would get into bidding wars on who was going to develop for which PC manufacturer, or would they be cut out of that deal altogether and be relegated to producing optional 'upgrade' parts? Suddenly owning a PC seems a lot like owning a console in that scenario.
Yeah, they do. Absolutely the most useless bloatware I've ever seen on a laptop.
Like the "security feature" they add to msn that someone mentioned earlier. I tried to rip that out once, along with whatever else I could, and the end result? Trying to transfer something through msn just inst-fails, instead.
(off-topic) An ultimate exercise in futility, that "feature", seeing as messenger's EULA agreement already has you signing off all rights to whatever you send through them. However, norwegian law has apparently ruled that all "click to agree" EULAs are not legally binding here, so moot point for me either way.
(/off-topic)
The driver issue isn't unique to Acer... my ThinkPad is the same way.
plays PC games at 1920x1080/1200
has a KB&M
has full SDK/mod support
costs under $550
then I will definitely consider this.
1) nothing. We will never hear of this again. This is the most likely scenario.
2) a loose set of standards for HTPC manufacturers and game publishers to stick to, detailing such things that the PC world is missing: proper output to televisions (as opposed to the half-assed bullshit that we currently get from nVidia and ATi), standardized gaming controllers (and having games fucking support them), standardized levels of hardware performance (e.g. Crysis 2 requires a level 6 acerbox, while Starcraft II requires a level 2) etc. Acer will then start making some gaming HTPCs (you can call it a "console" if you want) to these specifications and hope that others follow suit.
This is something that EVERYONE needs to do in order to stop the PC gaming decline. If only Acer does it, it won't be enough.
And the Famicom had a national network in Japan and was released eleven years before the PCFX
Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten
Come up with a low cost "console" built with cheap off the shelf parts with decent but not mindblowing specs. Make sure it has VGA/DVi/Component/composite video output. Ok, still with me?
Now, you make a deal with GameTap. Your AcerStationCubeBox or whatever the fuck you want to call it streams games directly from GameTap with an Acer specific menu. You charge the user $10 or $15 a month for this access (or let them purchase games from the system outright and play them without being connected) and you and GameTap split the profits somehow.
Talk Microsoft into licensing you a low cost embedded version of Windows XP and make sure every system ships with DosBox, this way users can install games they already own.
Make sure it has HT capability similar to XBMC.
Now work some deals with a movie/TV show provider like NetFlix or whoever to allow people to rent or buy TV shows and movies and stream/download them right to their Acer box.
Now, you've got a gaming system that not only can be plugged into a computer as a low cost gaming machine, but it can also be plugged into a TV as a low cost gaming machine. It can also be used as a streaming box to get movies and TV shows from the net directly to your monitor or TV. The game library would be fucking ridiculously huge on day one, and the GameTap/movie subscription costs and purchases means that there is a positive income flow coming in every month.
Acer, I am a fucking genius, you shoudl listen to me, and if you do do this shit I demand a consulting fee or I will burn your corporate headquarters to the fucking ground do you hear me?
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
T-shirt material, right here.
360 controller. All games with controller support of any kind with the Games for Windows label (and even some without it) works perfectly with the 360 controller.
ah damn
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral