April 3, 2008, 5:45 PM by dhatt1 to chairmansteve
What exactly are you suggesting this device should be? A video games system? A video deilivery service? Or a complete combination of all the different forms of media delivery?

The main problem with such a device would be the assurance of being able to deliver all the different types of media, for example, is the main emphasis on gaming, where you have an online delivery system, which will push video to a second position? Or, is it mainly for video, leaving gaming second?

The point I'm trying to make is is thats its very unlikely a company could enfuse all these different things into one box and make it meaningful, especially concerning Video, since only a handful of companies provide a wide amount of stuff (apple, Netflix or whatever that is (we don't get that in the UK)). And on top of that there have to be games, otherwise the bundled pad just seems like a novelty.

I don't know about the US, but in UK, Sky and Virgin Media provide games over their Satalite/cable services. Also, Sky sell a games pad. They are obviously companies that succeed through their television service rather than the casual gaming service, since rarely are they mentioned ever bringing in much revenue, or are hardely advertised (their just side service to the main one).

Basically, I'd doubt the machine could be a capable games console AND a video service too. It would be nice though. The idea of a removable DVD drive is good; you could just attach your own hardrive to a special provided bay which slots into the front of the unit flush. And the DVD ca be connected externally via USB.

Shit its starting to sound like a good idea! Its just stuff like that, which provides many services, tend to be too expensive to really hit a mass market crowd. You could get away with halving the hardrive, and emphasizing the extra bay. If its games, their not going to take up to much space, not enough to fill 40gb. Films should be streamed online, and can be downloaded. Wasn't there a Linux media center, similar to XP media center released a couple of years ago at a cost? Something like that would be good for the interface.

April 4, 2008, 2:36 AM by chairmansteve to dhatt1
The device would be mainly for video (online, cable, and maybe disc) with gaming as a secondary function. Hardcore gamers will still have something like Xbox 360 for more serious gaming.

Removable DVD? By "remove" the DVD player, I meant no DVD player at all. A more expensive model could include DVD or Blu-ray.

Your own hard drive in an extra bay? No. Keep it simple. The average user does not need to learn about Serial ATA and 2.5" and 3.5" drives. USB HDD expansion would be fine, but the simplest is an internal HDD. Really, most people don't need any HDD. The basic box could use just flash memory, while a more expensive version has an internal HDD.

Think mainstream box, not nerd box.

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only a handful of companies provide a wide amount of stuff

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Services would not come from just one single company. It would be an open platform like a PC. For example, in the U.S. you could have Netflix for online video, Comcast for cable TV, Rhapsody for music, and some other service for games. Do any Linux compatible games services exist today? Maybe GameTap will make a Linux client with support for a subset of its full Windows library.

The perfect solution for games would be a real-time generated online video stream. That would be platform-independent. You just need a client application for the console, Windows, Mac, etc. The games would look the same on any hardware, as it's just streaming video. But this type of solution needs a fancy Internet connection if games are expected to have no visible lag. It could perhaps be solved via a tru2way client application with input handling and video delivery directly from the cable provider.

It should also access free or ad-supported services like Youtube and Hulu for streaming video. The high-end box could also add a DTV tuner for over the air TV.

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many services, tend to be too expensive

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These are software-based features using the Intel Atom system on a chip. The box would be under $300. Under $200 is possible too, if there is no HDD.

A basic model with 8GB flash could be $199. More expensive models ($299-499) could add DVD, Blu-ray, HDD, TV tuner, DVD recorder, better upconversion, Bluetooth, keyboard, headset, Windows, etc.

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halving the hardrive

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That won't drop the cost at all. 40GB HDD may cost more than 80GB. Hard drive manufacturers won't even make 40GB 2.5-inch drives next year. If the HDD is not 80GB, then it'll either be larger or no HDD.

The massive space of the HDD isn't needed for music, small games, photos, or video streaming. Flash memory would do the job. But a large HDD is surely needed for buying downloadable movies, client-side DVR, or DVD managed copy (i.e. legal ripping).

June 5, 2008, 10:31 AM by chairmansteve
I made a short list of candidates.

1. ASUS
2. Acer
3. LG
4. Toshiba
5. Panasonic

ASUS has the Eee line and is at the top of the list. Update the Eee Box, replacing the DVI and PC audio outputs with connections more suitable for the TV. Maybe replace the HDD with flash. Bundle the Eee Stick motion controller. And have it boot within seconds to a simple GUI operated by the Eee Stick.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/fotox/eee.jpg

Waiting on the 2nd generation Atom in 2009/2010 may be a good idea. To give the games a larger potential market, make them playable on Windows too.

March 25, 2009, 6:59 PM by chairmansteve
Now we have a candidate for the gaming service. The maker of this Linux console could get OnLive (http://www.onlive.com) to create a client application or plugin.

Should we set the Linux console launch year to 2009 or 2010? All of these services might be available by the end of this year.

June 11, 2009, 1:15 PM by chairmansteve
ASUS has a console but no games yet. It might be a Linux box.

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The company has polished off an e-book reader and a video game system to rival the Wii as well. Asustek, however, has yet to release either product because it’s struggling to hammer out content deals.

“We have a product we think is better than the Wii,” Mr. Tsang said. “But the content is complicated.”

Apparently, the Asustek console has very sensitive controllers that reflect motion better than the Wii controllers. But without games to show off the genius behind the controllers, Asustek must let the technology linger in its labs.

“Sometimes it is a chicken-and-egg problem,” Mr. Tsang said. “We don’t have the chicken, so cannot have the egg.”

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http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/asustek-vows-to-out-apple-apple/

September 30, 2009, 1:03 PM by chairmansteve
Pieces are falling into place for a 2010 launch. Intel announced the Atom CE4100. Adobe is working on an optimized version of Flash 10 Player. And GameTree.tv is a gaming service coming in 2010 with native Linux games.

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While the graphics performance isn't on the same level as high-end triple-A gaming, it is not intended to be. It is truly amazing the number of titles that are possible on GameTree.tv, including native Linux games and Flash-based games. The Service is designed for a broad gaming audience and you can actually get better resolution on the Intel based CE devices than on some casual gaming consoles being sold today.
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The Service will launch with select partners early next year and then scale quickly, adding additional CE device manufacturers and service providers in the second half of 2010.

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http://www.gametree.tv
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20090924comp_b.htm