Confirmed for investor interest, 400mhz CPU in the prototype.

Welp, he's apparently already got prototype(s) working and around 10 or so games have been pledged for it so far. He's said a video's coming in the next week or some with some actual footage of an actual nD running.
EDIT:
Bonus! GIF showing how bob's game looks on it.

From what I've read I think it's a joke. And you've got to remember Bad press is still press 

Check out some of his posts on the forum. There are also ~4 games already being made, 2 or 3 looking fun.

By exists, I meant he's actually attempting it. Personally, it's got an awesome amount of potential if he can do it. I'm pretty sure a ton of games have already been ported to SDL, such as Cave Story for linux and Angband, which'd make it a pretty good choice. In any case, we'll finally be able to play the damn game, if he's managed to not alienate everyone. If it's buyable at any point then I'll buy a few and learn SDL to make some games. If not, oh well, not much more disappointment at this point. I'm fairly pumped.
http://the-nd.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=4&pid=231#pid231 < Some more info if you're interested.
"we considered AAA batteries, but it makes the design too thick. SoCs really are that cheap because of smartphones, especially in bulk, it can be done.
 wifi is difficult but we can do it. it's simply too useful/necessary of a feature- we want every kid on the playground playing in a multiplayer match.
 even if we can't manufacture large batches initially, we can subsidize the cost by bundling with relatively high-value first party titles i.e. "bob's game" amongst others.

 as for specs, development takes time, and giving a head start is a must to have titles ready for launch. the other console manufacturers ship out development systems that are wrong architecture/bare PCB/just a modded PC case. we will definitely be shipping out development systems when they are ready.
 developers will find a way to implement what they need. it is "faster than the one with two screens," so it's unlikely that specs will be a major limitation for the scope of most indie projects. the resolution is definite at 320x240 for at least several years, and we will only scale 2x in the future.
 as for the other questions, i won't nail down any absolute numbers, because it will be easier to work around the hardware rather than scramble to find supply when it comes time to batch.

 the OS support for the time being is embedded linux, similar to other systems, except we'll be optimising this extensively to minimize overhead. i'm not an OS developer, but we have a few specialists on board who can advise re: threading, mmu, etc. i know we're sandboxing the applications and they will have support for savedata, and there will be plenty of memory.

 we'd like developers to imagine targeting something roughly like DOS mode at 320x240 with a fast CPU. a lot can be done!

 the various versions will use the same architecture and hardware, i'm referring to case design. we are producing both candybar and clamshell models at the moment. a premium version with a larger screen would remain at the same resolution i.e. **i XL"

"remember, a DS (from the most recent gen) is 66mhz and has 4MB of ram.
 the nD is faster than that, intended solely for new, more powerful 16-bit/2D games."

[Info:]

Yes, it apparently actually exists.
Robert Pelloni's made a site for it, investor links, sdk, etc. The SDK is just SDL with a 320x240 resolution, so it's not going to be hard to make games for it if it actually exists.

Info:
SDK on their wiki
Their homepage
UI:


Mission Statement:

once upon a time, simple digital watches cost hundreds of dollars.
 shortly thereafter, technology reached a point where they could be produced cheaply enough to be given away in cereal boxes.
 the Intel corporation stopped producing these watches, and moved on to do greater things.
technology moves forward.

 in the past few years, the rise of smartphones has caused a sudden, drastic improvement in mobile technology, sharply driving down the cost of production.
 for instance, a handheld game console such as the DS- containing a 66mhz ARM processor- cost $180 in 2004.
 today, smartphones containing a 1200mhz ARM processor (18x faster!), can be had for the same price.
 do handheld games really need all that power? what happens to the older technology?

 convenient, inexpensive digital distribution has emerged as the clear winner over the risks and costs of traditional game software manufacturing and retail methods.
 the industry leaders of the past have relied on this physical distribution and retail method in order to control their place in the market.
 there are only so many spaces on the store shelves, after all.

 much like the record industry, the true artists and creators in the traditional video game industry do not receive proper compensation for their work.
 rather, large profits are absorbed by a publishing company in order to make up for losses and development costs of other games.
 this has led to game studios unable to take risks- only developing sequels to proven franchises, or titles targeted to specific demographics: so-called "shovelware."
 the argument for a strictly controlled retail market is that it protects high-value software- but where is the value?
 the retail prices continue to rise: $40 for a single handheld game title, which may or may not be of any quality at all- and most aren't.
times are changing.

 as computers have become vastly more powerful, cheaper, and widespread, development has become far more accessible.
 there are more developers with more ideas and more ability to create their vision, and the old methods only serve to stifle this creativity.
 over the past decade, thousands of aspiring developers lovingly hand-crafted their unique visions, only to hit a wall when it came time to publish their work.
 websites such as newgrounds and kongregate emerged, collecting thousands of these projects- a sort of dumping ground for dreams.

 the industry has spoken clearly: they will not work with small developers.
 this is hypocritical of an industry that started in garages, lovingly creating their visions out of passion- not from a technical document, not from statistics.

 several years ago, a new system emerged- the "App Store" method of digital distribution.
 iPhone and Android devices harnessed this vast pool of neglected developers, eager to release their games by whatever means necessary- even on a platform not meant for games.
 almost overnight, thousands of unique, interesting, quirky titles entered the market, some becoming more successful than any traditionally produced title.

 unfortunately, for the traditional publishing entities, this new method is not sustainable.
 the profits from a successful title go directly to the authors, not towards paying the overhead of a skyscraper full of lawyers and executives.
 in this system, the success of a game relies on its quality- not its marketing, not by its movie tie-in, and not by its strategic vertical placement on the store shelf.
 it is unpredictable and uncontrollable, full of human ingenuity, creativity, personality and style, and even error.
we believe this is the way electronic entertainment should be.

 furthermore, we believe that there is a place for a dedicated handheld game console. especially an inexpensive one.
 we don't think that large, fragile phones or expensive high-end devices are appropriate for kids, one of the largest demographics for video games.
 as developers ourselves, we want a device where players can enjoy total immersion with proper video game controls- without being interrupted by phone calls.
 we think a handheld game system doesn't need to have cutting edge graphics- we liked the cartoon look of 2D graphics and pixel-perfect game mechanics as kids, and kids prefer this style today.

 the nD is the solution to this. the shelf space is infinite. the possibilities are endless.
 a system created by indie developers for indie developers- designed from the ground up to be as fair as possible to all involved- gamers and developers alike.
 cheap to produce, sold roughly at cost, and distributed through all possible means to reach the widest audience possible.
 of course, large studios can develop for it too, and will surely find the rates attractive- if they can still create interesting content.

 there are many more surprises on the way.


 this is the nD -
the indie handheld console.

There are some neat links in that statement, so check em out on the site.

That Catholic church strategy game idea sounds awesome. Any game about managing a religion would be awesome. As for real games, though, I've never found one I like. They tend to be generic and preachy. Even before I was an atheist I didn't like them. Hardly any interesting concepts, unless you count Assassin's Creed.

I'll play a bit if I can.

Good luck!! This is definitely the most interesting thing I've seen come out of this compo.

I think you should submit the alpha build anyway. You could maybe even put "alpha" in the name of your contest submission. It's not like everything that goes into these things is a finished product.

Yeah, definitely put it out there for the compo's end. I'd hate to see you not get recognized for what you do have.

You might wanna stick the image at the top of the topic under Current State. People might think it's a mockup.

...Be new and not a rehash of an old storyline and engine, with new graphics and small differences.
...Have a good, well thought story.
...Not be an FPS unless it was an actually interesting one.
Also, a perfect world would have a coop sequel to Mother 3.

I guess it wasn't the Indie Game: The Movie crew that was filming at the Mojang offices after all:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2pp/minecraft-the-story-of-mojang

Not sure why they need $150,000 to make a documentary about Minecraft, though. Especially considering that they seem to have been able to gather enough material for a 20 minute short without any funding (that I'm aware of). I can't help but feel that setting the goal so high is a quick cash grab at Minecraft's popularity.

Really? There's nothing to really talk about that was so spectacular that caused him to make millions on a game about punching sheep. He made a game around the idea of another game, it was fun, he expanded, it grew, survival/alpha/beta, and people posted their creations and word spread. Sounds boring to watch a film about.

Magnificent music. Looking forward to the game.

I just wanted to show you my support. People are having fun playing it even without any goal so i can't wait for the next updates.

I want moarr !

This. The game's already awesome, and the glitches aren't awful unless someone (*coughmokesmoecough*) exploits them a lot. Take your time, Hempuli. Don't make a rushed, awful final version just to meet a deadline.

Are you still working on this?

Believe it or not someone else had a similar idea.

[VERSION 1.53 GET!]

I think I'll make it so that scientists don't heal/heal less when they're inside a machine. That's more logical, too.

I was away most of this day, so the new update doesn't have much to it. New things:

• A player list (reveal by holding E!)
• The oddball! This means that rounds can be won now (this'll probably break easily, though)

VERSION 1.53 GET!

:O
Cool.

"One day when I was playing alone, I saw a mysterious player with no name just on the edge of my view. I tried to follow him, but he was faster than me and as I got to the other side of the map, he had disappeared. I asked a bit on the forums and some people said that they had seen the same, sometimes with the name 'Derekbrine'."

Ha, I first thought of this.

I am going crazy with secret red messages:
-snip-

Well, that's weird.
EDIT: Also, what happened to that other image?

Research should be affected by living scientists, making them a kind of resource, only you can constantly massacre them.

Weird, the auto-updater didn't work for me.

The background scrolling could be a bit more subtle, it's somewhat annoying now.

Same. I like the clouds, though.