Design A Console

[impetus]

OK, we've seen either the preliminary or final designs for all three next gen consoles now, and talked about which look the coolest visually.

Let's see how you guys would design one

[melancholy]

Hmm...interesting idea...

[impetus]

and Melancholy will not be sleeping tonight

[mankrip]

Sorry, mine's a secret.

[Code-Red]

God damnit, why did you have to post such an original thread.....time to come out of retirement.

[ian]

mines the size of a floppy disk and takes flash memory carts which hold up to 10 gig

the drive will read and write for save games on the disk the game comes on

it will be able to hook to a pc to copy ps2/3 and xbox 360 to a blank cart through easy to use software

it will be lighter than a match and 1 inch high

perfect system

[Covar]

[not just souLLy now]

ok i'm in on this one too if everyone else is...

[mink03]

4 w0rdz de lan o tron

[DaMadFiddler]

<- [is sketching out ideas, and trying to figure out how to work around the problem of his scanner being parallel and his computer only having USB ]

[DaMadFiddler]

[laughs] the more I refine it, the more it ends up looking (physically, at least) like a Dreamcast .

I'll try to get drawings up at some point, but try to picture this if you will:

A solid black Dreamcast, with all the curves straightened into flat angles (try mixing the DC with the MasterSystem design). No drive bay on top--rather, a front-loading slot cosmetically very similar to the Revolution mockup, which is moved somewhat right-of-center. On the lefthand side is a power button, with a neon blue glowing POWER symbol on it.

At the bottom of the "flat" part of the front (think where the controller ports are on DC) is an SD card slot to act as the memory card. On the side of the unit, normally out of sight when viewed front-on, is a CompactFlash slot which comes default with a 4GB MicroDrive in it. At the bottom edge of the "front", under the disc slot, are two USB ports.

The small "slope" from the front to the flat top is a highly reflective black plastic...the kind many companies put over the front of stereo receivers, where they look solid when the machine is off but you can see lights or icons on them when they light up. This will have a red marquee bar under it, which can display circled number icons to show what controllers are in use, or which can be used for other purposes by the software (a firmware media player might use it to display "Currently Playing" info, some games might choose to put additional info there, etc. ... it also flashes a "Welcome" message, perhaps just the system name, at boot-up).

The rear contains a few things. First is a hard power switch, directly above a standard PC power cable slot. On the other end of the backside are a VGA port, RCA-style component video outputs, an S-video jack (the device also comes with one of those S-video > Composite adaptors that come standard with TV capture cards), stereo RCA audio outputs, and an optical out for digital surround. More towards the middle are a 56k modem jack and an Ethernet port; the system also as an 802.11 b/g network interface built in.



The controller I'm going to have to show because of the ergonomic shape I've chosen, but it's (very) roughly a cross between the DC pad and an Xbox controller. Controllers come in varying colors (one black controller comes standard with the system), and up to four can connect to a console via Bluetooth. They are assigned a controller number based on the order in which they are turned on.

Layout is very similar to Xbox; two analog controls in the familiar locations, a Genesis-style Dpad between them, a six-button layout on the right side, and analog triggers on top. Start and Select buttons are mounted slightly above the Dpad, and the left analog control is a partial-ball rather than a stick (same kind as the Saturn 3D controller had). The controller has a gyroscopic sensor inside, and a throttle wheel on the bottom edge.

There is a POWER button in bottom middle, and at the top middle is a 64x128 pixel, 256-color LCD screen. The controller runs on AAs, and comes standard with a pair of 2000mAH NiMH rechargeables.




The system itself has a fair amount of functionality coded into firmware. It has an onboard media player, which can handle CDs, DVDs, VideoCDs, SaCDs, and can play back digital content either streaming over the network, from the SD card slot, or from its included MicroDrive. It has a basic Internet-play function built in, somewhat along the lines of Live. Its native game discs are recorded in such a way that they cannot be easily duplicated (a la GameCube), but the system will let you run homebrew from CD-Rs (but not DVD-Rs) or from the SD card slot. Homebrew applications and media files can all be saved to the Microdrive, which is also where system preferences, customized profile info, and Internet rankings are stored.

The system can connect with up to four standard control pads at a time, as well as two wireless zappers (along GunCon lines), a wireless keyboard (which has a trackball built into it), and a wireless 640x480 touchscreen tablet (all of which will be sold separately). It is not upgradeable, but it will accept larger MicroDrives/CompactFlash cards for its primary storage, and the BIOS can be flash-upgraded. To protect valuable gamesaves and prevent flash-upgrade disasters, the system has a small, 10-minute APS system built in to maintain power long enough to complete a save operation and shut the system down automatically, in case of blackout or accidental unplugging.

All games will be presented in progressive scan, have both VGA and TV output, and be offered with both 4:3 and 16:9 display options. It will be encouraged for game developers to follow an established structure for game soundtracks, so that the system can provide the user the option of downloading soundtracks from compliant games onto the MicroDrive for later enjoyment. Developers may also choose to include downloadable minigames in their titles, which can be stored on the system and played without need for the original game disc. Finally, there should be a section of the network frontend where users can download and run homebrew games that have been submitted to (and approved by) a central server by hobbyist developers.



There is no point in listing system specifications, as what sounds awesome today will sound practical/common tomorrow and woefully underpowered the next day. However, a 64-bit rendition of the Pentium M processor seems an appealing choice, and it would be good to adhere more or less to PC conventions for audio and video subsystems to make coding/porting less of a headache.



Like I said, some of this is a little hard to get a clear picture of without the proper concept sketches. I'll try to get them uploaded relatively soon. Unfortunately, a unit like this would probably not be cheap (though I can't see it being much--if any--more expensive than the Xbox 360 to develop). And major corporations are not likely to give the kind of offical support to the homebrew community I'd like to see.

[Disheveled DrFreeze]

wow, cool thread

if i have some spare time left i might get some ideas running, but since i suck at photoshop it will probably result in a few paint scetches

[melancholy]

and Melancholy will not be sleeping tonight

Sorry, but no. See, I tried to get into the midnight run of Star Wars a few days ago, but they were sold out (which kinda surprised me in this small town). So instead we stayed up past midnight watching the entire trilogy instead (the originals, not the blasphamy Special Editions).

[not just souLLy now]

my idea, wireless pads, the colour is just for this and would probably be chrome or black... its not far from a saturn pad but with an analogue stick better buttons and the back of the pad is a bit more similar to a dualshock. took about 30 mins whilst waiting for dinner.

[Cid Highwind]

I really like the idea that DaMaddFiddler also used which is the screen in the controller, just like the DC with a proper VMU. This way info can be presented there just like done in REC:Veronica to keep the tv screen clean from health bars and such.

[Hawq]

4GB MicroDrive in it. At the bottom edge of the "front", under the disc slot, are two USB ports.

Super Spectrum!

[Sir Savant]

Imo Design one. This would be ill as hell.

DMF, you have the best idea so far.

[Vchat20]

yup. damadfiddler should be hired on by sega to design their new console

[melancholy]

Why is it so big in the front? It looks like one of those 100 CD changers. I like the classic controller idea, but the console needs work. Love the blue color, though.

[hrb2k3]

i was expecting more photoshop pics in this thread.