Overview
Concept Summary
The Standard Game Console (SGC) is a proposed new game console device
(like the Sony Playstation, the Microsoft XBox, or the Nintendo Gamecube) intended to be
hooked up to a TV and used for entertainment.
Like the major existing game consoles, the Standard Game Console is a self contained box hooked to a TV. Consumers
will insert games, attach and use game controllers, and play purpose-written computer software games.
Also like the existing consoles, the SGC will have a specific and stable hardware configuration to
simplify writing game software for it.
Unlike the major existing game consoles, the Standard Game Console will be built from readily available common
computer components, allowing for inexpensive initial construction from tested parts already in the
consumer marketplace. These common parts also will allow new and existing software to be readily
created and altered to run on the SGC with a minimum of fuss.
There are two intended consumer audiences for the Standard Game Console. The initial audience is the early adopter
game player and sometime amateur developer community, who will find the SGC a platform for playing, writing,
and sharing their work. The second audience will be mainstream game players who would own any console, and
who will expect a stable game platform with a variety of available games.
Games for the Standard Game Console will come from three sources: - Initially there will be work by the SGC
team to provide a limited quantity of games to attract the initial early adopter audience to the possibilities.
- From members of the early adopter audience will come a quantity of amateur hobby games and conversions
of existing "open source" games to the platform. This will provide both a range of games (of various quality)
for use by consumers as well as advertising that the SGC is a viable platform for amateur and professional
game development.
- Finally, professional game publication houses (such as EA Games,
Take-Two, and Vivendi) who will find the SGC a less expensive gaming platform to produce games for than either
existing game consoles (because of the SGC's lack of licensing requirements) or the PC (because of the SGC's
stable hardware and software platform) will be drawn to the potential sales to the customer base with low
risk of development (due to both lack of licensing issues and similarity to PC games)
Project Phases
The Standard Game Console will go through several phases before completion. It is expected that these
phases will include, but not be limited to:
- Phase 1: Research
- Goal A: Options for end-to-end console are researched
- Goal B: Various proof-of-concept and prototype machines will be built and evaluate
- Goal C: Decisions on basic functionality are made from feedback from early adopters
- Phase 2: Proposal of Initial Hardware Platform
- Goal A: Prototype design and materials list is completed
- Phase 3: Production and evaluation of Initial Hardware Platform
- Goal A: SGC team procures and assembles prototype SGC device
- Goal B: SGC team evaluates SGC device with prototype software
- Phase 4: Proposal of Revised Hardware Platform
- Goal A: Changes made as necessary to selected platform hardware and resubmiteed
- Note: process may repeat phases 3 and 4 until stable
- Phase 5: Initial Product Phase: team game authoring and marketing to early adopters
- Goal A: SGC team authors software for platform, converts some available open source software
- Goal B: Product assembled by SGC team or by customers from kits
- Goal C: Marketing to early adopter amateur gamers
- Phase 6: Intermediate Product Phase: customer hobby game authoring and more generalized marketing
- Goal A: Wide variety of amateur community authors software for platform
- Goal B: Product prepares and enters mass manufacturing
- Goal C: Marketing widens beyond early adopter community
- Phase 7: Final Product Phase: additional professional game authoring and open marketing
- Goal A: Professional game publishers author software for platform
- Goal B: Game retailers carry manufactured product
- Goal C: Generalized marketing of game console to public
Analysis
Justifications
Why now, why this?
- Game related computer hardware is both cheap and capable of more than is being done with it
- There is interest in some existing game and programming communities for an accessible console
- Existing game console makers and game makers are committed to their proprietary platforms, leaving a market opening
- Failures in other somewhat similar projects result in consumer awareness without consumer fulfillment
- The game console market has changed radically from its initial roots (Atari, Commodore, Intellivision),
allowing proven previous strategies to be applied through the Internet
- Hardware costs are falling and availability is rising, making this idea increasingly easy to implement
- It seems likely someone have success introducing a product in this market space, the opportunity is there and unfilled
Risks
Why not do it?
- Other projects attempting somewhat similar goals have already failed
- It will be difficult to break into the accepted console channels, to gain acceptance both from professional game publishers and retail outlets.
- Research has not been completed on all technical aspects of the Standard Game Console, some could prove unworkable
- Internet marketing is fickle, as are early adopter communities
Hardware Proposal Summary
The Standard Game Console will be made from readily available computer parts. I roughed in
some general concept numbers below. They are too high, and will need to be brought down.
(Link to further analysis and Hardware Proposal history needs to be set up)
(All prices in US dollars, and are maximums)
- $100 video card with TV out
- $100 motherboard with Sound, USB, IDE, and Networking integrated
- $100 CPU
- $20 USB Game Controller
- $20 IDE DVD Drive
- $50 of Savegame and Settings Storage, (evaluate) one of:
- $50 IDE Flash Memory Drive
- $25 USB Drive
- $25 USB Memory Stick
- $10 Floppy Drive
Power Supply (Quiet?)
Custom Case (use any case until this is decided)
Approximate cost as listed: $500
Target cost: $300 (subject to change?)
Links
- Original forum discussion of the SGC (then called the "Quansole") on Home of the Underdogs Game forum here.
History
- 1/4/2006 Harware for trial: $40 Chaintech GForce FX 5200 w/ TV Out
- 1/4/2006 Expand web page with News, Developer Journal, Conceptual Images, Current Hardware, and Discussion pages and links
- 12/29/2005 Initial work transfered from forum to webpage
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