Micro Consoles

[+Asmodai MVC]

I'm not really sure where this goes and maybe my fascination with this is unique and it will go nowhere but I can't help but feel like something big is going to happen in this area... just around the corner.

 

If you're not sure what I'm talking about it's devices like:

nVidia Shield Android TV

Amazon Fire TV

Apple TV

PlayStation TV

Ouya

 

I'm NOT including things like Roku or Google Chromecast which are streaming devices only.

 

Clearly the last two in the list above were complete failures.  PlayStation TV because it was an afterthought using hardware from the failed (in the market) Vita.  Ouya because it was a crowdfunded piece of hardware with no real app ecosystem.  I still think in theory Sony could release a PlayStation TV 2.0 that's actually designed from the ground up to be such a thing and do quite well with it... or even take a Nintendo Switch like approach with it and make essentially the Vita 2.0.  There was a patent leak not too long ago that indicated they may have been working on a Vita 2.0 but it was filed in 2015 and I suspect has been abandoned due to the poor return on the Vita.

 

Apple made their own Graphics API to compete with OpenGL (Metal) and has gamepad support for their current Apple TV so there are indications they may try to go farther into the gaming realm but where they're going isn't entirely clear.  Assuming they some time soon release an updated Apple TV with 4k movie support it will be interesting to see if the gaming capability will be expanded, dropped, or what.

 

nVidia Shield Android TV is the currently leader in microconsoles in terms of specs.  It's essentially a souped up Nintendo Switch that drops the mobility in favor of performance (it doesn't have to worry about battery life or as much about heat).  If I were to get one now this is what I would get but I don't feel that nVidia has the pull with the general public to push this thing into the mainstream.

 

Amazon is the most interesting to me.  Not only do they have a game oriented version of the Fire TV but they've been buying up developers and even cloud based game engine technology.  To me they feel like the ones that are just hovering at the edge of making this market big.  I'm very interested in what form the next Fire TV will take and how all their gaming investments will come together.  The latest news here is them hiring Louis Castle who worked on the Command and Conquer games.

 

Microsoft is sort of an indirect participant here.  They had a big marketing push in cloud compute for the Xbox One but it never really materialized.  I can't see them releasing a micro console specifically but I think if micro consoles DO become big cloud compuete will be a big factor in it and just like Amazon is doing with their cloud game engine (Lumberyard) i think Microsofts Azure cloud technology will almost certainly be a big component of cloud gaming.

 

Nintendo is sort of here with the Switch.   I don't put it fully here because I see it more as a portable but the argument could be made that when docked it's essentially a micro Console... in fact spec wise it's basically just an underclocked (for heat/battery life reasons) nVidia Shield Android TV.

 

Google I don't really see launching anything here on their own.  nVidia Shield Android TV already runs Android as does Amazon Fire TV (though forked).  I think that's probably as far as Google wants to get involved.

 

I'm curious if Roku may at some point get involved.  Roku is the current market leader in streaming devices, beating Google Chromecast, Amazon, and Apple TV.  The microconsoles today are laregly just streaming boxes with gaming added on so it wouldn't be a huge step for Roku to branch into gaming as well.  So far I haven't seen any signs of that though but it should be interesting to see how things go moving forward.

[dragontology]

They're all half-measures. Apple, Google, and Amazon are relying on other developers to make or port games into their ecosystem with no real incentive to do so, so you get a mixed bag. There are a couple big ticket games like Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy, but the ports are not very good in many cases and the price is higher than some are willing to pay ($5-8 for GTA and $15-20 for Final Fantasy).

 

Google has had not one but three forays into the scene you're describing. First there was the Nexus Q which never got off the ground. Then there was Google TV. Now there is Android TV, which the nVidia Shield is a part of. Google launched the Nexus Player with Asus in 2013, and it has a dedicated controller, or it can use Bluetooth controllers, I think.

 

I think a Raspberry Pi comes within striking distance of at least what the Apple TV offers. It may not be as powerful, but it can do more. It's probably more comparable to a Nexus Player. Supposedly, although not exactly legally, you can fix one up with emulators and a frontend to turn it into a little emulation station. I'm sure it can do NES, Super NES, Sega Master System, and Sega Genesis. Nintendo 64 might be a possibility as well. With a 128GB memory card in it, the sky is really the limit for what you can get out of something like that. And that's all the best games for about $100 spent. I mean, the $35 Pi, a $6-10 case, an HDMI cable, a $15-20 USB game controller that can support all the consoles you're playing with it, and a $35 128GB memory card. So that's right about $100. And then whatever time it takes to set up once. I don't know what all goes into that, but I assume once you set it up once, you can just duplicate the card. Obviously you can't sell it, but, I mean, if you make one and your friend likes it, they can buy all the parts and you can duplicate the memory card for them. And as long as it looks like Nintendo isn't interested in selling any more NES Classic consoles, I wouldn't blame someone for going DIY.

[+Asmodai MVC]

On 3/17/2017 at 8:37 PM, dragontology said:

They're all half-measures. Apple, Google, and Amazon are relying on other developers to make or port games into their ecosystem with no real incentive to do so, so you get a mixed bag.

That's not true for Amazon.  Amazon is slowly building it's own internal game studios.  In 2014 for example they acquired Double Helix (makers of Mortal Kombat) and hired Clint Hocking (Far Cry 2) and Kim Swift (Portal).  Last year they hired former EA Chief Creative Director Rich Hilleman.  This year they announced they're opening a new San Diago game studio headed by former SOE (Everquest) CEO John Smedley and as I noted in my original post they hired Louis Castle of Command and Conquer fame.  I'm sure that's not even a complete accounting but based on that I don't see how you could say they're relying on other developers.

 

Apple I admitted was a half-measure but they have made SOME moves in the direction of gaming.  It will be interesting to see if they just drop the gaming stuff from the next Apple TV or possibly expand up on it.  I'd say there's about an equal chance of either at this point.  I see no indication that Apple will create internal game studios but they DO have the iOS store which has a lot of games, many exclusive to Apple so they don't necessarily need to.

 

On 3/17/2017 at 8:37 PM, dragontology said:

Google has had not one but three forays into the scene you're describing. First there was the Nexus Q which never got off the ground. Then there was Google TV. Now there is Android TV, which the nVidia Shield is a part of. Google launched the Nexus Player with Asus in 2013, and it has a dedicated controller, or it can use Bluetooth controllers, I think.

Google as I noted I don't really see trying to make games and such themselves.  I think they DO want Android to be on gaming platforms by others though so I think they're happy with the nVidia arrangment and while Google may not be happy about it Amazon noted above is running a forked Android as well.  nVidia I also doubt will be making games directly but they work closely with game developers due to the GeForce line being the top selling graphics cards on PCs and via programs like GameWorks so if sales ever took off they'd likely be able to secure strong developer support.

 

On 3/17/2017 at 8:37 PM, dragontology said:

I think a Raspberry Pi comes within striking distance of at least what the Apple TV offers. It may not be as powerful, but it can do more. It's probably more comparable to a Nexus Player. Supposedly, although not exactly legally, you can fix one up with emulators and a frontend to turn it into a little emulation station. I'm sure it can do NES, Super NES, Sega Master System, and Sega Genesis. Nintendo 64 might be a possibility as well. With a 128GB memory card in it, the sky is really the limit for what you can get out of something like that. And that's all the best games for about $100 spent. I mean, the $35 Pi, a $6-10 case, an HDMI cable, a $15-20 USB game controller that can support all the consoles you're playing with it, and a $35 128GB memory card. So that's right about $100. And then whatever time it takes to set up once. I don't know what all goes into that, but I assume once you set it up once, you can just duplicate the card. Obviously you can't sell it, but, I mean, if you make one and your friend likes it, they can buy all the parts and you can duplicate the memory card for them. And as long as it looks like Nintendo isn't interested in selling any more NES Classic consoles, I wouldn't blame someone for going DIY.

The Raspberry Pi is never going to be anything but a hobbists toy (granted a neat one though).  I find it odd you point to the lack of full backing for things like nVidia Android TV, Apple TV, and Fire TV and then point to Raspberry Pi which has even worse official LEGAL support for gaming.  There is no chance Rasberry Pi is going to go mainstream and attract major game developer support and certainly not get any first party game studios of it's own.  Raspberry Pi is going to remain a neat toy for tech savvy people with no real avenue to go mainstream.