No matter the game, if we want them to run at 60fps and 1080p, the entire graphic part would have to be remade if we want to avoid making a game that looks like pixel vomit... Word:nod: Thats what I was talking 'bout...
Obviously. I can set Kega to output at my monitors 1280x1024, but it doesn't add reflections, shadows, shading, extra layers of parallax scrolling, etc.
I've just sat and read through all 13 pages of this thread. Very interesting. If everyone could agree on a design, OS, software and how it would all work...why sell a console? Why not set up a shop which sells plastic cases, system stickers, decals, cables and software and THE PLANS to build such a machine. In the fashion of a DIY kit. People could collect and buy the components themselves (even second hand parts or bits from old machines) then you just sell them a how-to kit which includes a plastic branded predrilled case for them to put the components in, possibly a controller and access to an encrypted Bios flash/OS sold on USB pen drives or something. Heck you could even call console ASSEMbler...the name would fit. There's enough good heads around here to come up with a good OS and hardware design, A plan costs nothing to make and 1 or 2 were manufactured and word spread, I think people would flock to be part of something they can do themselves with relative ease and with great results.
mmmh i dream of a HD king of fighters chapter made on the basis of the good old KOF2000 or KOF2002 gameplay... with beautiful giant sprites, reflections etc.... BUT ALL 2D! let's stop dreaming i can't ven tell what are snk /playmore doing now.... i expected them to release a rush of xbox live games.... but nothing like that so far!
Exactly, that is what I have been thinking/dreaming of, and then I mentioned the specs of it. And here goes the specs anyway without any kind of bollocks. 2D graphics card = Matrox G400 MAX 3D (optional) = an "old" dos 3DFX card. CPU = 1GHZ processor of "older" type X86 processor. RAM = 128 + MB (as a minimum) OS = FreeDOS or Linux USB ports = 4/8 ports ? Any other gamepad/joystick port , optional ? TV out should be mandatory. CD/DVD drive should be mandatory too. Harddrive = what ever GB you want it to be. diskettedrive = optional ? What do you think about that ?
if you get back to my old posts in this topic you can take a look at a mini-itx motherboard that would give better results at cheap price, and with no problems of getting ancient pc cards like the good old matrox you taked about. stuck on top of that one a modified linux distro so that users can't damage anything and you're there. (almost)
There's no reason to decide on an OS, everyone can do their own thing, just make the games bootable from a thumb drive or something. Any more arguing over the specs of a fictitious console is just really stupid. Yeah it'd be cool if someone here could actually make a FM Towns Marty out of modern PC, but I don't see that happening, and if it did, it wouldn't take away the fact that they have no exclusive games. So instead of arguing, since there's nothing you don't already have to make these modern 2D games, get to work and think about distribution when you actually have something distributable.
an example of what i meant is here: http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4842001 also, Calpis, we were arguing? if so i didn't notice at all!
Using those old parts would just make everything more difficult, not only becos is almost impossible to find those new but due to that scarcity the price would be higher than more modern options. Honestly I think that the perfect hardcore/oldschool gamer console would be a portable roughly the size of a DS, with a PSP screen or a VGA one, a 1.8 inch 30GB HDD, all powered by a mobile ITX. You could load every game from 1984 to 1996 in that thing, the complete 8bit and 16bit generations. The price would be almost double a PSP, but hey, this is not meant to be mainstream...
Driver issues ? What , are you talking about ? the only real issue could be the quite famous Commander Keen problem. The Matrox cards are famous for having an awesome 2D power, and you can still get the latest old dos drivers to the cards online. And finding a Matrox driver in Linux would maybe be impossible, but a generic driver would work fine with it. And there are other GUIs to DOS other than Windows 3.11 And if I remember correct then then they are either open source or freeware. Second of all, I think you could in reality make an unofficial Keen patch to the Matrox cards. Karsten look up the Matrox cards on wikipedia or any where else. But anyway I am just pointing out, ancient is not really "ancient". And the Matrox had a killer refresh rate , before any other card could compete with them. a friend I had used a Matrox and that card rocked bigtime. So I know it did have a killer refresh rate. a modified linux distro ? let us please have the option to use another OS. and the DIY option is a great thing so I am a bit against a MINI ITX in some ways but not in all ways. Since the we would/could choose what we wanted to have and what not.The only thing I can´t remember was, if the Matrox G400 MAX could run with 32 bit colours in Windows (well it could do the 24 bit that I know), but maybe it could... but as I said. I can´t remember but damn it was a great card anyway Shadowlayer: not a FUCKING handheld we are thinking off, but a console that is NOT a handheld one. But anyway let us get going with this topic.
Voodoo cards were awsome >_< I recommend the Voodoo 3 2000 16meg, that thing was able to even run GTA III for the PC when it came out with no problems and I think that game recommended a 64meg card? Even better though would be a Geforce 3 Ti type card.
Just becos its a handheld doesnt means it cant work as a console too. Look at the Nomad, or the PSP slim for that matter...
That is true, and I was thinking about the size of the console again. And I have had some thoughts about it, and the size could be of a VHS machine(on of the big ones), and then there would be rooms in the box to put ram HD, USB etc. And maybe the joystick ports would be on the on the front. And maybe the paint would resemble the old NES ? yeah I know I am dreaming, but still it would be sweet. Maybe even ugly looking ? I don´t know, but daydreaming about such stuff is a great exercise
guess you had a bad day anyway you can have great performance with less dated graphic cards, that won't have stock problems. also i think by memory that G400 were only AGP cards and most modern motherboards are PCI express only. also having something like 256mb of video ram and better driver support is helpful too. just my point, wolvie.
karsten, well anyway we need a powerful 2D graphics card whether it is a Matrox or anything else. And my motherboard is NOT pci express, and not all modern motherboards are pci express only. But I don´t get it PCI express is maybe faster than anything else, but maybe my facts are wrong. But anyway some people wants a blowjob, other wants an intercourse, I really don´t care. Since all I want is a working 2D console made out of PC parts. And PCI and PCI express are two ways out of the same hole. PCI express is just the fastest, and are you sure all modern motherboards are PCI express only ? if it is so, then in my next pc I want to have a PCI and PCI express.
You don't need a powerful 2D card. Single sided polygons are all you need. And all mobos nowadays have PCI-E and PCI. Usually 1 or 2 PCI-E x16 for graphics, 1 PCI-E x1 for new soundcards\network cards and 3+ PCI cards for everything else.
