Is this an elaborated hoax or is it true? :x
http://the-nd.com/
can´t bother to dig deeper yet, but thought to share anyways.
...anything 320x240 automatically gets all my votes though...
I like it.
I hope it's for real,
They reckon it's so cheap you could develop a game and sell the device
with your game on it :)
I have no doubt it's real all right. Hopefully they wont fall into the same traps than Pandora did...
However, they dont state when it will be available (and by the look of things they are trying to get funding to actually build the device).
Apparently the processor hasn't been chosen yet :blink: So it could ARM or MIPS
Wait, this is by the guy that made Bob's Game. He was the one that wanted Nintendo to publish his game on the DS but Nintendo wouldn't budge. He ended up tearing up his room and getting police involved. While I wouldn't say he is crazy, this is one of those things where it sound too good to be true.
Neat concept and I like the idea, but need to give this a little time to actually get done.
He has said that end of the year would be a realistic estimate for the first batch
I REALLY hope this makes it to production.
I love the marketing style in the other vid -"IT HAS BUTTONS" =D
Yep, that marketing style is quite new on this level, it was really well done, I´m impressed by this.
Got into the forums and read on about things, it seems real.
I hope it makes too... I enjoy the donate button value.
QuoteI enjoy the donate button value.
Yes indeed :) I wonder if anyone will mis-read it, press donate, and find that they've just donated $1 trillion dollars :)
This is awesome! Really hope they make it.
I've recently seen quite a few 16-bit style handhelds in toy stores, selling at 20 EUR, after taxes, customs, store margins and whatever, so $10 is probably achievable, however mad it sounds.
Hmm. Comes pre-loaded with Bob's Game only? If they do that its going to fail. :doubt:
They need bundled games - games that will be immediately playable to kids and appealing to parents of kids who loved 16-bit consoles & computers.
From the currently listed games I see Doom and Giana's Return. A few more like that at the least and there is some hope. Most importantly, ready & willing console emulators must be working for it. With easy to use emulator support it could potentially trounce the mainstream competition (http://www.amazon.com/Officially-Licensed-Portable-Cartridge-Playstation-3/dp/B002SLZRWA/ref=pd_cp_e_1).
OK, so I read elsewhere on the website that it will be bundled with several popular games and tokens for others. It just might work. Definitely needs emulators though.
Looks cool, cheap'n'cheerful! =D
I´m not really worried about it being pre-loaded.
The emulator is important for the devs I guess.
What I believe is a hit here, is the price and a fair online store.
If it ends up costing less then 50$ and with an online store ready,
I will be very happy.
I got into their forums so I can watch things closely.
I really think the price basis and a low end (open) system is a wonderful idea! Not to count the dev target at the indies...
Quote from: erico on 2011-Jun-18I´m not really worried about it being pre-loaded.
Personally that wouldn't be an issue for me either but we're indie devs. Naturally we would love a platform like this. :)
The big picture is that it has to be a commercial success. With other cheap gaming handhelds, the ones that have proven to sell on the market, there are always a set of pre-loaded games that are playable immediately. That is what sells the devices. People expect immediate gratification from something cheap, even if in this case it is potentially so much more.
Quote from: erico on 2011-Jun-18The emulator is important for the devs I guess.
I guess but its not an nD emulator that is so important, its
gaming console emulators.
If people could upload & play NES, SNES, Genesis games on an nD it would be sensational at the price they are asking for the device.
Gaming console emulators would be killer apps. The nD will need killer apps because it won't have big company marketing behind it.
Quote from: Ragaril on 2011-Jun-18
People expect immediate gratification from something cheap, even if in this case it is potentially so much more.
I guess you are right, but that case being it being sold on a supermarket for example, general public.
Now I believe the strongest market they have is among indies and indie´s friends, mouth to mouth stuff.
Least is what the ´style´ of the page and project currently looks like to me.
For sure some emulator would deadly help!
Since most is open, they will be there if the console hits the day.
At the end it would be great for all of us.
It seems they have their SDK released...it´s said to be a simple SDL
http://the-nd.com/wiki/SDK
Would it be hard for glbasic to work with it?
The more appropriate question would be - is it worth it ?
Hopefully it will be... But until the actual hardware is out you can't do a thing...
Right. I wait until the first 1000 devices are out before moving at all.
Maybe even more then 1k,
I was technically wondering although I know nothing on the subject.
By what I read so far over the forum, it seems some platforms are harder to get into then others.
I have "learned" that, whatever needs C / C++ to develop for, has more compatibility with glbasic.
Win 7 mobile has less or impossible because of the strange C it requires.
It's because my whole Engine is written in C++ can can hardly be transfered to anything else. I know of a thing that can port C++ to JavaScript and will give that a go. The advantage would be, that it might even be able to use OpenGL.
I don't fear porting to small devices with a decend SDK. The port to Palm Pre was very easy. GHP Wiz was quite OK (only the jitter of the mouse was a problem). Andoird was not too bad, but it's very hard to find the tiny detail issues left.
How about porting to the Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus))? =D
That would be a nightmare :)
The main problem is we wont know, until some units are sold, whether the machine will actually come out...
Quote from: Hatonastick on 2011-Jul-21
How about porting to the Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus))? =D
Cool! A hand-held numerical processor!
And it's powered by the human body?!
Could make a pong type clone maybe, or a 'connect four' style game.
Abacus - there's an app for that - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/abacus/id284406088?mt=8
Some people will flog anything! :P
Psst - got some autographed books (by me) if you want 'em :) They are quite rare!
The main problem with the nD is that the chappie in charge (as has been mentioned before), Robert "Bob" Pelloni isn't exactly the most reliable of people...
QuoteRobert "Bob" Pelloni isn't exactly the most reliable of people...
Links? Further info?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pelloni
His track record is for being rather eccentric at best and unreliable at worst. However, saying that, if he can find a decent set of hardware developers, there is no reason why the nD shouldn't arrive...
Quote from: Ian Price on 2011-Jul-21
Abacus - there's an app for that - http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/abacus/id284406088?mt=8
Some people will flog anything! :P
Don't the iDevices have an App for pretty much everything by now? :) I wish I could develop for them, but also I'm glad I can't. Must be hard work getting noticed in the deluge!
Quotehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pelloni
An interesting read. We've all been in similar situations :P
He's only unreliable until he provides product... ;)
Quote from: Slydog on 2011-Jul-21
Quote from: Hatonastick on 2011-Jul-21
How about porting to the Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacus))? =D
Cool! A hand-held numerical processor!
And it's powered by the human body?!
Could make a pong type clone maybe, or a 'connect four' style game.
I especially love the pong clone idea. :good: Brilliant!
Not a great deal of obvious progress with this, but the SDK has now been released.
Been out a while :)
I know - July, but nothing has been mentioned here about it and there's no real mention about the hardware on the site. The forums there are empty too. Has this thing dies on it's ass? Shame if it has, but tbh the software line-up so far is pretty poor.
I think we're all waiting to see if it actually appears or not :) Their forums have a few posts, but there is still no concrete release date or hardware... Whether it will get released or not is still unknown...
I would certainly like to convert BallZ to it - 3D preferably, or 2D if not...
yep, I thought not to mention the sdk before as no final handheld profile is available.
By what I read over there, it seems anything plausible only about half next year... :o
by my little knowledge(zero) on hardware assemblage, like gph or pandora, it can become a real pain and a time consuming process.
I think it´s not the wisest choice to put up viral propaganda before anything concrete... you see the load of bull the noteslate guys are getting throughout the year...
to come up with great ideas I guess anyone can, to pull it off, that is a deed.
The eletronics universe has some powers still unknown to the average people...aye who actually commands it.
I remember one of the greatest hits on the amiga ,specially the a4000 ones, were processor shortages,
no processor, no machine, no sales. It didn´t matter people wanting to buy it.
I guess that is one reason apple put a brand name on their ipad processors,
I wonder what kind of deal goes into that.
but it seems to me those taiwan companies have a really powerfull last call on anything that carries a processor inside.
You can make a nice 50$ handheld, but you would you have cash to buy tons of parts upfront? what if it has a well success? what if the company decides not to sell you processors anymore? what happens with your product?
now imagine the power drive companies like sony put on their pspone stuff? No wonder gph is not producing new hardwares...
Well, the fellow who is doing nD hasn't really proven himself as the most stable person before...
Considering that people who did Pandora (and were to be considered "normal" few years ago) turned into absolutist madmen, I wouldn't be surprised if the same fate awaits nD staff.
I guess there is a little Shakespearian tragedy in every homebrew hardware development, and I still wish them all the luck in the world.
TBH, nD actually has decent strategy by going dirt cheap on hardware, but then they shoot themselves (himself?) in the foot with all that appstore megalomania....
Quote from: doimus on 2011-Oct-30
I guess there is a little Shakespearian tragedy in every homebrew hardware development, and I still wish them all the luck in the world.
:D :D
Pandora seems to be going back nice these days, the page is quiet, but I have been following evils dragon´s progress through the forum. It seems to be back on it´s feet after the CC company decided not to deliver boards anymore...they took new investments and are now about to start development in germany. He seems like a quite trustable chap to me and he sure is a nice spoke´s person. I wish them the best too. (the only thing I´m not too found of pandora is its body design, but that is just me)
there must be something really trick on the art of making indie handhelds. we all know people can come up with full computers the size of a gum´s pack and it can get really cheap. But how come no one is pulling that rabbit of the hat?
So far, the Nd´s team having an sdk going is quite a good thing actually. You want developers into it before anything gets released. His appstore plans seems ok to me as far as I read it. Also, with such an sdk going, I also believe it makes easier for Gernot to check its overalls and analyse how difficult it would be to add it to glbasic. Of course any work into it would have to wait for the real console launch.
the cheap open console is a great idea (almost gameboy??), I just hope it really turns out good and fast.
There may be a 3D system in it as well, although by the looks of things it'll be basic...
I don't doubt for a second it's easy doing any of this, and I really wish the handheld the best of luck and really hope to eventually own one of these machines. :)
Yes would be good, especially if they do get around to selling it in shops...