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[C.A. Silbereisen]

Until somebody invents a way for people to freely distribute their games on consoles for anyone to play like in computers, I don't think that's fully happening.

Well one can hope, right?

Also, it's already starting to happen (the return of platformers I mean) with the various console download services and big devs like Nintendo and Capcom revisting the genre.

[Enshoku]

I for one am happy to see more inherently console-style indie games on, y'know, consoles.

Playing platformers on PC always seemed wrong to me anyway, in the same way that playing FPSs and strategy games on console seems wrong. Not that that's stopping me from doing these things, but I still see the PC as more of a temporary "exile" for 2D platformers until they return to consoles full force.  

Platformers never felt out of place for me, but the devil may cry and resident evil games felt cheapened, because both were designed at the core with a controller in mind, and the keyboard doesnt quite feel right.

[C.A. Silbereisen]

It's not really about the controls, you can use a controller with a PC too, it's just that platformers are a "traditional" console genre and I'd rather see them where they belong (in my opinion), it's all personal preference. 

[Melly]

Sinclair, lets make an indie game console.

[team_q]

Until somebody invents a way for people to freely distribute their games on consoles for anyone to play like in computers, I don't think that's fully happening.

There was a way, it was called XNA, but in market testing before it came out, they found out that game makers had no interest in paying a bit of money to distribute games for free. Microsoft flipped their game plan right around, now it is moderately successful.

[Melly]

Well, I did say freely distribute, that means not having to pay money to show off your freeware game you'd get no profit on, which is perfectly possible in the internet, but obviously something console manufacturers wouldn't be interested in.

[Dacke]

I have never gotten what consoles are all about. How about using real computers, but adding functionality to them instead?

For example: connect your computer to your TV. Use wireless hand-controls. Run games that support the functionality needed. The game should be able to be played without mouse/keyboard. You have to suppress sounds/warnings from the OS (or use an OS that isn't all up in your face, like Ubuntu).

Or possibly create a special console-OS that is made for playing console-style games. That way, everyone could get access to the needed hardware for cheap and the system would never have to become outdated.

[Melly]

I think it's been mentioned by someone here a project to create an ultra-cheap, lo-fi, open indie console anyone could make games to. I don't think it caught on.

[John Nesky]

The thing that is amazing about consoles is standarization. If I made a console game, I could rely on it working on all consoles. Everybody would have the same experience, nobody would have to troubleshoot it, and the "installation" is as easy as it can possibly be.  It makes life easier for players, and it also makes life easier for developers, which means they have more time to focus on making the game good.

Standardization requires authority, which is something that an indie console would have trouble achieving.

[Dacke]

I think it's been mentioned by someone here a project to create an ultra-cheap, lo-fi, open indie console anyone could make games to. I don't think it caught on.

I think the way to go would be to stay as hardware-agnostic as possible. Not making your own hardware.

There is a special linux-distribution that basically is a web-browser. The browser covers the screen and you can't close it. It works out-of-the-box on any old computer.

I think it would be fairly easy to create something similar for games. Instead of creating new special console hardware you could use old computers. Any old computer that can be connected to controls and a TV (or big screen) would work. Old computers are pretty much free today and are readily available almost everywhere.

If you built the OS on top of debian/ubuntu/something you would get hardware support for pretty much everything, too. The OS would work out-of-the-box on any crap you managed to put together, and games would automatically work as long as the computer met the minimum-requirements for each specific game.

Additionally, you would be able to program for it in C++, Java, Python, whatever.

Edit: Also, the built-in "Software Centre" in Ubuntu if mind-blowingly amazing. It automatically connects to software-servers and gives you a list of programs you can install. You can search, read descriptions, rate them (eventually) and one-click-install programs.

So you could easily get the same functionality on a console-OS as you get on online-marketplaces on regular consoles.

[Laremere]

I don't see why you'd have to limit yourself to old computers.  Many console controllers can easily connect to computers (such as Wii, or Xbox controllers), so I don't see why there would be any problem with controllers.  With a computer to tv connection, you basically have a working console.  The only thing really not standing in the way is that people don't do it...

[Dacke]

I don't see why you'd have to limit yourself to old computers.  Many console controllers can easily connect to computers (such as Wii, or Xbox controllers), so I don't see why there would be any problem with controllers.  With a computer to tv connection, you basically have a working console.  The only thing really not standing in the way is that people don't do it...

Well, there are two different things:
1) Use computers as consoles.
2) Create a standardized, affordable console that people can develop for. A system where you just pop in and play a game.

Depending on what we are discussing, I would give you the answer:
1) I completely agree with you. And this is what I'm most interested in, personally.
2) I'm saying that it would be easier to go the used-computer route instead of making your own hardware. It would even be doable.

[mjau]

There's also this .. unlikely to become wildly popular of course, but it's there

[TwilightVulpine]

There's also this .. unlikely to become wildly popular of course, but it's there

It seemed great some time ago. Now it's getting outdated and it's still not released yet.
It may push Linux games a little though.

[Mar]

There's also this .. unlikely to become wildly popular of course, but it's there

It seemed great some time ago. Now it's getting outdated and it's still not released yet.
It may push Linux games a little though.

want. i may not know ANYTHING about it, but a peguin is it's spokesperson

[C.A. Silbereisen]

Why I prefer consoles:

• Ease of use. No screwing around with hardware and settings, every game works.
• I'm a bit of an ADD person. When play on PC I often Alt-Tab out of the game I'm playing to check my email and stuff like that. Consoles help me concentrate on what I'm really trying to do.
• I grew up with almost exclusively console gaming, so I have more of a personal attachment to it.

[mjau]

It seemed great some time ago. Now it's getting outdated and it's still not released yet.

They entered mass production a few weeks ago.  Also, it may not be state of the art anymore, but i think it's still pretty cool.

It may push Linux games a little though.

For the desktop, you mean?  I doubt it..  ARM is a completely different architecture than x86, so it's not like you can just copy stuff over and it'll work.

[Gimym JIMBERT]

Indie console?

Plug and play
put the game and play

no fucking channel/interface, splash screen, you name it!

AND SUPPORT 12 LOCAL PLAYERS 

[moi]

An indie console would end up with just dozens of physics based games and shoot the monkey games, and we all know it.

[Gimym JIMBERT]

ecept for the occasional gem that woul blew you mind off, especially with 12 player in the same room (wireless of course)