5 ms·

"The planend hardware included a 700MHz ARM11 processor, 128MB RAM, OpenGL ES 2.0, and 1080p output." Is it just me, or does that sound like it might make a de

"The planend hardware included a 700MHz ARM11 processor, 128MB RAM, OpenGL ES 2.0, and 1080p output." Is it just me, or does that sound like it might make a decent gaming machine, if you don't get too greedy about graphics? If that's the case, the consoles are in trouble!

politician 15y ago
Graphics or simulation complexity -- I don't think it'd run Dwarf Fortress very well, for example.
- shaggyfrog 15y ago
  In all fairness, by the colony's fourth year (given enough animals), multi-GHz machines with GBs of memory start groaning.
  - politician 15y ago
    I need to convince pg that an open source Dwarf Fortress implementation is worth funding. Either that, or figure out how to build a cryptocurrency around it so that all of those Bitcoin miners can help simulate my fortress when its deflationary period starts.
    - sitkack 15y ago
      Just pay them bitcoins to simulate your dwarves and your fortresses.
- wisty 15y ago
  OK, but you could do iPad-style games. All you need is a cool input device. I'm thinking a webcam, and gloves with a specific bandwidth of color. Though the image processing might be too much.
  - esrauch 15y ago
    Maybe for the input device just attach it to a big multitouch screen. Toss in a battery, wifi (maybe 3G?), ~32GB of flash memory. Then people could use one portable device and developers could write games and publish them to a central store for only ~1-5USD a piece.
ovi256 15y ago
That's on the very low end for consoles, all current generation consoles do much better than this. It sure beats an N64, but it won't run Halo.
- wccrawford 15y ago
  My point wasn't that this device would defeat them, but that it's possible to make computers that are this ridiculously cheap. Add a little more horsepower you've got a serious competitor... And it should still be pretty cheap.
  - sitkack 15y ago
    It is on par with a WII.
    - sorbus 15y ago
      Aside from the lack of a dedicated GPU, anyways (the Wii's CPU is apparently just over 700MHz).
- watmough 15y ago
  Gosh times have sure changed. At 700MHz, this thing is clocked at nearly 100x the ARM3 I started out my career on. And it has a vector floating point. It would be awesome building a really stripped down kernel on this with a basic graphics kit. I hop they get the numbers right, because they are going to get a lot of orders.
robtoo 15y ago
I'm liking that Model A as a pocket-size emulation box for early games machines (specifically the SNES and ZX Spectrum).
int3rnaut 15y ago
I don't think the consoles would take a dent from something like this. If a game market evolved from this it would likely be niche and be similar to some of the smaller/toy-ish options you can buy already. I just can't see developers jumping ship from the big consoles (especially the way they now foster indie games) and making games for this lackluster (in terms of gaming) albeit cool device. If there was a way to make the device portable/cheap (some sort of small usb monitor)--that's a different story.
sliverstorm 15y ago
It certainly kicks the pants off the Xbox 1, if that ARM core's architecture can keep up with a P3.
- regularfry 15y ago
  I think I'm right in saying that it won't; as awesome as they are, they're not known for high workload per clock cycle.
wtracy 15y ago
Alternative option: With a few gigs of read-only memory, you could burn a game image onto it, and market a device dedicated to that single game. You could just about eliminate any and all compatibility and piracy issues, you wouldn't require customers to have an existing console, and conceivably you could still profitably sell the game at $50. It wouldn't be very environmentally friendly (you're forcing players to buy a new console for every game) but it could make economic sense. The devices are certainly small enough to stack behind your TV; you just need a decent KVM switch designed to work with these devices.
- sitkack 15y ago
  waste of hardware as you mentioned. your idea would have been popular 7-10 years ago.
  - zachrose 15y ago
    Depends on the case and the game.
    - sitkack 15y ago
      I suppose you are right, if the game were facebook and you could buy a $50 dongle that has facebook and netflix people would probably only run that game.
gary__ 15y ago
"Substantially better than PS2, [possibly] about the same as XBox 1" is Eben Upton, the founders description of 3d performance. Theres an interesting interview on this here http://foundationlibraries.blogspot.com/2011/06/cfl-podcast-eben-upton-raspberry-pi.html http://foundationlibraries.blogspot.com/2011/06/cfl-podcast-... He also talks about the original educational purpose behind it and how its expanded due to interest from the 3rd world and others.

politician 15y ago

Graphics or simulation complexity -- I don't think it'd run Dwarf Fortress very well, for example.

shaggyfrog 15y ago
In all fairness, by the colony's fourth year (given enough animals), multi-GHz machines with GBs of memory start groaning.
- politician 15y ago
  I need to convince pg that an open source Dwarf Fortress implementation is worth funding. Either that, or figure out how to build a cryptocurrency around it so that all of those Bitcoin miners can help simulate my fortress when its deflationary period starts.
  - sitkack 15y ago
    Just pay them bitcoins to simulate your dwarves and your fortresses.
wisty 15y ago
OK, but you could do iPad-style games. All you need is a cool input device. I'm thinking a webcam, and gloves with a specific bandwidth of color. Though the image processing might be too much.
- esrauch 15y ago
  Maybe for the input device just attach it to a big multitouch screen. Toss in a battery, wifi (maybe 3G?), ~32GB of flash memory. Then people could use one portable device and developers could write games and publish them to a central store for only ~1-5USD a piece.

ovi256 15y ago

That's on the very low end for consoles, all current generation consoles do much better than this. It sure beats an N64, but it won't run Halo.

wccrawford 15y ago
My point wasn't that this device would defeat them, but that it's possible to make computers that are this ridiculously cheap. Add a little more horsepower you've got a serious competitor... And it should still be pretty cheap.
- sitkack 15y ago
  It is on par with a WII.
  - sorbus 15y ago
    Aside from the lack of a dedicated GPU, anyways (the Wii's CPU is apparently just over 700MHz).
watmough 15y ago
Gosh times have sure changed. At 700MHz, this thing is clocked at nearly 100x the ARM3 I started out my career on. And it has a vector floating point. It would be awesome building a really stripped down kernel on this with a basic graphics kit. I hop they get the numbers right, because they are going to get a lot of orders.

robtoo 15y ago

I'm liking that Model A as a pocket-size emulation box for early games machines (specifically the SNES and ZX Spectrum).

int3rnaut 15y ago

I don't think the consoles would take a dent from something like this. If a game market evolved from this it would likely be niche and be similar to some of the smaller/toy-ish options you can buy already. I just can't see developers jumping ship from the big consoles (especially the way they now foster indie games) and making games for this lackluster (in terms of gaming) albeit cool device. If there was a way to make the device portable/cheap (some sort of small usb monitor)--that's a different story.

sliverstorm 15y ago

It certainly kicks the pants off the Xbox 1, if that ARM core's architecture can keep up with a P3.

regularfry 15y ago
I think I'm right in saying that it won't; as awesome as they are, they're not known for high workload per clock cycle.

wtracy 15y ago

Alternative option: With a few gigs of read-only memory, you could burn a game image onto it, and market a device dedicated to that single game. You could just about eliminate any and all compatibility and piracy issues, you wouldn't require customers to have an existing console, and conceivably you could still profitably sell the game at $50. It wouldn't be very environmentally friendly (you're forcing players to buy a new console for every game) but it could make economic sense. The devices are certainly small enough to stack behind your TV; you just need a decent KVM switch designed to work with these devices.

sitkack 15y ago
waste of hardware as you mentioned. your idea would have been popular 7-10 years ago.
- zachrose 15y ago
  Depends on the case and the game.
  - sitkack 15y ago
    I suppose you are right, if the game were facebook and you could buy a $50 dongle that has facebook and netflix people would probably only run that game.

gary__ 15y ago

"Substantially better than PS2, [possibly] about the same as XBox 1" is Eben Upton, the founders description of 3d performance. Theres an interesting interview on this here http://foundationlibraries.blogspot.com/2011/06/cfl-podcast-eben-upton-raspberry-pi.html http://foundationlibraries.blogspot.com/2011/06/cfl-podcast-... He also talks about the original educational purpose behind it and how its expanded due to interest from the 3rd world and others.