Open Source Console (I mean, why not?)

I've been doing some thinking lately (yes, on a weekend) and I came up with what I think is an excellent "why the hell not" idea. Why not make a videogame console with the accessibility of a mainstream plug-n-play console with the upgradability (i'm making up new words for this, as you can see) of a PC. Here's what I mean: 
 

How the platform works (internals n' such)

Wait, did he say open source?

How the heck could you sell games? It seems very pirate-friendly!

Models of this miracle platform

Oh, one more thing

A bad drawing

So it's a PC running Linux with very specific hardware? 
Is this idea profitable in the slightest?

I know you are talking a living-room console, but there are actually quite a few open-source handhelds.
 
GP32 and GP2X for example. Both korean consoles.
Not sure if it was open-source as such, but Zodiac also had a big homebrew-community.
 
Funnily enough, I've actually just PM'ed Jeff to request those platforms added as platforms on Giantbomb.

wall of text

Sony did it years ago with Net Zaroze.

This just sounds like a PC.

go back to PC land hippy

" @trophyhunter: No way. I love tinkering with PC's and I love the easy use of console, I WANT THEM BOTH "

" @Skytylz: It would play like an Xbox for all the people who just wanted to play games, but you could tweak your system and choose your parts. Also, it would function like a PC on the side.   For example, you have some friends who like playing on a PC and some who like playing on an Xbox. Now, you can all play together (though the mouse/keyboard vs. controller might be an issue, I assume games would have options to play only with people who use the same controller). Also, it would allow you (for the right price) to get PC-like 1080p on a console since it uses all PC parts. "

" @trophyhunter: Yeah, but without games, I have no reason to tinker with PCs. I'm just saying, wouldn't this thing be cool? "

no, it would be bad. it would end up being like a PC. people would buy the system want to game to find out that the game requires an upgrade. the person is going to have to upgrade the system and spend more. since a company is making the hardware and system it would mean that they could charge however much they want for the hardware. just like how microsoft made their hard drives. the hard drives are more expensive than a regular hard drive for a PC. $100 for a 60gig hard drive while there are 200gig + hard drive for PC. 
 
DRM is horrible thing to put in there. i hate DRM since it doesn't work. spore, sims, assassins's creed 2 say hi :) spore most pirated game in history because of DRM. assassin's creed 2 DRM server just went offline a while ago. people couldn't play the game on PC for a few hours. people have to always be connected to the internet for it to work. i understand that people have internet now but there are still people that don't have internet.

" no, it would be bad. it would end up being like a PC. people would buy the system want to game to find out that the game requires an upgrade. the person is going to have to upgrade the system and spend more. since a company is making the hardware and system it would mean that they could charge however much they want for the hardware. just like how microsoft made their hard drives. the hard drives are more expensive than a regular hard drive for a PC. $100 for a 60gig hard drive while there are 200gig + hard drive for PC. "  

" DRM is horrible thing to put in there. i hate DRM since it doesn't work. spore, sims, assassins's creed 2 say hi :) spore most pirated game in history because of DRM. assassin's creed 2 DRM server just went offline a while ago. people couldn't play the game on PC for a few hours. people have to always be connected to the internet for it to work. i understand that people have internet now but there are still people that don't have internet. "

Do you not undertand about gaming technology whatsoever?
 
Random stuff.:
 
No platform such as Direct X then to power your games, open GL is kinda shitty to be honest, I dont think Microsoft would like another competitor using there technologies.
Good luck getting Developers on board.
Have you looked at Onlive and their answer to your thought, its being released in June by the way.  
 
I could go on but it just seems like the most random idea i've ever read... why not just get a playstation USB connector for your PC like I have so you can use your PC like a console if you feel like it?

" Do you not undertand about gaming technology whatsoever? "  

"  No platform such as Direct X then to power your games, open GL is kinda shitty to be honest, I dont think Microsoft would like another competitor using there technologies. Good luck getting Developers on board."

"Have you looked at Onlive and their answer to your thought, its being released in June by the way.    I could go on but it just seems like the most random idea i've ever read... why not just get a playstation USB connector for your PC like I have so you can use your PC like a console if you feel like it? "

I'm not going to say no to it.  Hell, maybe this is what Apple has in store for us over the next few years, although Apple doesn't like people fiddling with the insides of their stuff.

There was one of these once that never came out. It was a good idea, they said, but then wound up never happening because they bought a bunch of nice cars and squandered corporate money. Or something like that

Having a PC run in a dual boot environment, one running your standard PC setup and the other running Gaming hardware is not a great idea. 
 

 

• You are reducing your console down to just software(A PC split in 2 partitions one booting a console and one booting a standard PC).

• You do not realise the amount of work required for  the software creation on your platform (Menu's, networking capabilities, Bios encoding, interface coding)
• You do not understand about memory management and the problems with acessing hardware.
• Sony have developed their hardware inerfacing binaries for over 20 years, "'well sony did it and they dont use Direct X, so anyone can" just isn't a feasable argument.
• You are creating a console that developers will just think... well it's a pc, why is it partitioned into this seperate platform, why do we need this seperate platform?
• I LOL'ed when reading your piracy deterrant proposal.
• Onlive just isn't a different method, cloud computing is the future.
• Developers creating games for a system that can be upgraded is dangerous, PC users get annoyed enough with how much they have to upgrade the PC's, the great thing about consoles are that you know what you will not have to upgrade and are secure in the console cycle to play ALL the latest releases.
  

Son I play PHANTOM exclusively 

" This just sounds like a PC. "

So...a PC.

An interesting idea overall, OP. Alas, there are plenty of things that work against it.
 
- Replaceable/Upgradeable parts will scare away console fanboys. The very thought of having to actually do anything with your machine triggers their gag reflex.
- Open source will mean you'd have to get plenty... plenty of people working on it, all for free. Additionally, this notion will scare away any game developers even looking in your general direction. 
- DRM will scare off PC players. Satellite transmitters for the purpose of countering piracy is a pretty cool idea, but my mind boggles at the production cost of anything that comes shipped with one.
- Either it will be a PC with a "Console mode" option, or it'll be a console with customizable parts. Neither of these will work too well for some pretty obvious reasons, lodged in particular in monopoly, and dev cost for something that is supposed to be open source.
- Money, money, money, money and the hardware, development and upkeep problems the hybrid would mean.
 
Overall, it's a pretty sweet idea, but there is little middle-ground to be found in between the "Dying" PC market and the Consoles of today. I just honestly cannot see where this would fit in, man.

Congratulations, you just created a pc.

I think that as long as the platform is powerful, flexible, and you provide a solid SDK, it really shouldn't matter if the OS itself is open source or not. It's all about the software for any user-facing platform - console, phone, etc. Well, that and UI in some cases, and marketing in all, actually I guess I don't know wtf I'm talking about.

• "You are reducing your console down to just software(A PC split in 2 partitions one booting a console and one booting a standard PC)."

  Alrighty, first off it's actually 2 hard drives booting separately. And, all console's are just special PC's running different software, they just don't also function as PC's. This one does.

• 
  

  "You do not realise the amount of work required for  the software creation on your platform (Menu's, networking capabilities, Bios encoding, interface coding)"

  Yeah, it's a lot of work, but if people didn't do things that are a lot of work we would all be lazy fat-asses. I'm not particularly saying i'm going to sit down and build this thing myself, it's just an idea, and if you would stop looking into problems that happen for ALL consoles and focus on what makes this one different I think you would see where i'm coming from.

• 
  

  "You do not understand about memory management and the problems with acessing hardware."

  The console part has a hard drive. The PC part has a hard drive. Do explain where I fucked up.

" Sony have developed their hardware inerfacing binaries for over 20 years, "'well sony did it and they dont use Direct X, so anyone can" just isn't a feasable argument. " 

• "
  

  "You are creating a console that developers will just think... well it's a pc, why is it partitioned into this seperate platform, why do we need this seperate platform?"

  Here's one thing that makes consoles different than a PC, and developer know it: Developers can sell console disks, and that the only way of acquired games aside from internet-side sales. On a PC, all you have to do is use a torrent and download yourself some illegal gaming. Console sales are much much higher than PC sales also, because of the simplicity of going to a store, buying a disk, popping it in and playing with your buddies on a couch somewhere. PCs have to install games, and you have to deal with DRM and a bunch of other crap.

" Onlive just isn't a different method, cloud computing is the future." 

" Developers creating games for a system that can be upgraded is dangerous, PC users get annoyed enough with how much they have to upgrade the PC's, the great thing about consoles are that you know what you will not have to upgrade and are secure in the console cycle to play ALL the latest releases. "

"
 This thread is just so simelar to some I have seen on the C++ developer forums:  Noob3452: "Hi everybody, I want to learn programming to make a MMORPG, ive got this fantastic idea about this WOW like MMORPG that you just level upto 60 then start flying around with lightning and stuff coming out of you. It ends up like Matrix fights all over the place :) Anybody fancy helping me, I have just started coding and made a pong game so I think I am ready for this game.. It should be pretty easy anyway"  That is what this thread is! "

" An interesting idea overall, OP. Alas, there are plenty of things that work against it. - Replaceable/Upgradeable parts will scare away console fanboys. The very thought of having to actually do anything with your machine triggers their gag reflex." 

" - Open source will mean you'd have to get plenty... plenty of people working on it, all for free. Additionally, this notion will scare away any game developers even looking in your general direction. "  

" - DRM will scare off PC players. Satellite transmitters for the purpose of countering piracy is a pretty cool idea, but my mind boggles at the production cost of anything that comes shipped with one."  

" - Either it will be a PC with a "Console mode" option, or it'll be a console with customizable parts. Neither of these will work too well for some pretty obvious reasons, lodged in particular in monopoly, and dev cost for something that is supposed to be open source. "

" . - Money, money, money, money and the hardware, development and upkeep problems the hybrid would mean.  "

I got this sweet new thing it's called the Gizmondo

I had a similar idea, but it didn't require any specialised hardware. In essence what you do is define a specific collection of low-mid range commercially available pieces of gear and write a gaming OS for THAT EXACT SET OF HARDWARE. Which is sort of what a console is...especially the Xbox.
 
It might be possible to do a certain amount (but not alot) of emulation and underclocking as well. If that were possible, the console would be something that many people already had in their homes.
 
If somebody makes it I will do it.
 
EDIT: Ahem, I mean I will USE IT.

" I'm not going to say no to it.  Hell, maybe this is what Apple has in store for us over the next few years, although Apple doesn't like people fiddling with the insides of their stuff. "

*Plugs PC into my HDTV. Did I do it right?

" Plugs PC into my HDTV. Did I do it right? "

hmm, i could see it working if developers were forced to make sure the game ran at 1080p at a reasonable framerate on the basic systems. The upgrades could be if you wanted something to look  better or run even smoother. Didnt read your post (sorry! short attention span) but read a few comments. So, i dont know if it was already said but, whatever.

Indie games? Are you basically thinking of a no-certification process?

" @Afroman269 said:

" Plugs PC into my HDTV. Did I do it right? "

no, you are supposed to use asterisks when you say you are doing something IRL. Like this:  *punches his dog*  Did I do it right?  :) "

An open source console wouldn't work, it's just a PC, and no one would agree on standards. 
 
Open source platforms that aren't as easy to just build yourself (like a handheld) are a good idea, good enough for a few to be on the market, or in development already, like the GP2X and the Pandora. 

Well, the only reason I mentioned Apple earlier is because they are the only major player who could reasonably create a console and have it sell.  As I also said, they don't like people fiddling with there stuff so "open" isn't a word they use often.  However, the apps store is more "open" than anything any of the big 3 offer, so there is wiggle room.  Who knows, maybe I should have said "Google" but who can see them making a console? 

" go back to PC land hippy "

" @trophyhunter said:

" go back to PC land hippy "

go back to nogames land failtroll