I guess the point is , why would I buy one of these instead of or in addition to an xbox360. Just being slightly cheaper won't really do it.
Most indie games don't really sell very well and the ones that do will be ported, Indie games generally also have the advantage of being very easy to port, especially if you use SDL for the graphics.
Plus anybody who's into really obscure Indie games probably has a PC already. The advantage AAA consoles have is that they can provide high end PC level graphics for much less money than a high end PC because the are subsidesed.
They might have more luck making something for the casual gaming market and consentrate on making an innovating controller that works well for exiting android touch screen games but can be used at a distance from the screen.
>why would I buy one of these instead of or in addition to an xbox360
They've just passed $1,000,000 on kickstarter, so it looks like around 10k people have decided to buy one.
>The advantage AAA consoles have is that they can provide high end PC level graphics for much less money than a high end PC because the are subsidized.
That's not really true except for the first year they come out. After that PC hardware outpaces them, and the only advantage is that it's easier to use and it sits in your living room. Look at the Wii, it wasn't anywhere near PC level hardware even when it came out. In fact the next gen of consoles won't really be faster than top of the line PCs even when they debut.
The developer is arguing that the advantage consoles have is TV access (easy TV access). So she's looking to combine the TV access of a console with the ease of development of a PC. And it looks like there is a sizable number of people who agree with her.
Look at the sales so far. 10k units presold in a few hours, the X-box 360 only sold 300k units its first month in North America, and that was with a huge advertising campaign and an actual product on store shelves.
They also don't need to beat x-box, I'd wager that almost anyone who would buy this will buy it in addition to X-box.
From the results, clearly there's a market here.
>Indie games generally also have the advantage of being very easy to port, especially if you use SDL for the graphics.
Why wait for the game to be ported when this thing is only $99.
>Just being slightly cheaper
It's half the price of the cheapest 360, and there's no xbox live subscription fee. The average game price will be much cheaper as well.
The other thing I think you're missing, is that most of the I know run out of games to play. If this thing is just provided 10% extra content over what they have now, they'd spend $99.
Most indie games don't really sell very well and the ones that do will be ported, Indie games generally also have the advantage of being very easy to port, especially if you use SDL for the graphics.
Plus anybody who's into really obscure Indie games probably has a PC already. The advantage AAA consoles have is that they can provide high end PC level graphics for much less money than a high end PC because the are subsidesed.
They might have more luck making something for the casual gaming market and consentrate on making an innovating controller that works well for exiting android touch screen games but can be used at a distance from the screen.