I've been looking at a lot of Android-based microconsoles lately and I've wondered what is it gonna take for these things to really take off? They have reasonably powerful hardware at a price that can't be beat by the console or PC gaming machines, and games on an open-source platform that anyone can program for.
In my mind the first console to prove that these microconsoles could be successful was the Sega Dreamcast. It used a SuperH RISC processor and a second-generation PowerVR gpu, hardware that are forerunners to modern ARM processors and tablet GPUs. That thing offered a lot of performance for little heat and power draw in a $200 package.
I think the market is strong for a $200, high-performance console, especially for poorfags. What's wrong with Android that holds it back from being a successful console alternative and what can anyone do about it? Is there something about ARM/RISC/Android that makes it difficult to program for and deters big studios from working harder with them?
really shitty games
basically people only use the consoles for remote play or emulators
>>55323561
What's stopping developers from making better games? Is the shovelware market that much more profitable? Because I think that ship has sailed by now; I think people are a lot more discerning with their purchases now with so much crap on Android.
The only chips even remotely powerful enough are the NVidia Tegras, and even then not really. If NVidia could make a Tegra that
could deliver 1080p60 on say medium-high settings then it could work. Also, android does not support the Direct X API
>>55323729
Here's the dilemma:
People who make games want to make them for the widest audience possible, so that they can maximize profits. It's not a matter of shovelware really, it's a matter of people not wanting to buy a console so that they can play the same games their phones can.
I have a Oneplus One and I can both play and emulate pretty much anything I want to between my phone, my laptop, and my homebrewed Wii. Many people who these things are targeting may find themselves in the same position.
>>55324219
>It's not a matter of shovelware really, it's a matter of people not wanting to buy a console so that they can play the same games their phones can.
So that's it then? It's the phones and tablets that are dragging the concept down? I figured it would make the system more versatile, but this fragmentation of the market is what seems to be going on.
What if we treated the thing as a dedicated console that also happened to play Android games? So we have the large library of Android games out there plus dedicated games that take advantage of the hardware? How come Nvidia or anyone else haven't taken this idea? Ouya distinguished itself as using a modified version of Android that played games that only worked on it. That was the problem however, as it locked itself out of the rest of the Android library and had such a small base of customers that it didn't make sense to develop games for it.
>>55325933
There are some already. Like I'm pretty sure either Portal or Portal 2 are exclusively available for the Nvidia Shield platforms.
The thing is, everyone has stuff that can play Portal or Portal 2 already.
For these consoles to be popular, they'd need absolutely 100% exclusive games that are actually desirable. It would need at least one or two AAA games at launch.
That's the problem. There's no reason for a development studio to take a risk on some random Android console (which, by the way, are incredibly easy to pirate games and apps on for).
>>55325933
>What if we treated the thing as a dedicated console that also happened to play Android games?
you lose out on all of the touch-screen only games and get not very many that also support controllers. many touch-screen games can't be reworked for controller support without a lot of extra development.
>How come Nvidia or anyone else haven't taken this idea?
what are you talking about? you picked a picture of a shield for the OP, do you not know what it is?
>>55326131
>Android console (which, by the way, are incredibly easy to pirate games and apps on for).
That's probably the deal breaker right there, I didn't know it was relatively easy to pirate Android apps. Any particular reason for that? Is it because it's a Linux-based OS and nothing is hidden from view?
>>55326165
>you lose out on all of the touch-screen only games and get not very many that also support controllers.
True, but not too big of a problem with a touchpad on the controller or whatever like the Ouya and Shield have. Studios particularly interested in supporting a particular microconsole could also release an update to work with the controller if necessary too.
>what are you talking about? you picked a picture of a shield for the OP, do you not know what it is?
I know about the Shield, but I don't own one and I didn't know if it used a proprietary launcher like the Ouya does. As far as I can tell, it just runs Android Lolipop and you run apps off it like the Nvidia streaming service and whatever. While that's the idea I like best, to my knowledge, there aren't any games specifically designed for the Shield and the streaming service isn't that popular, so you get the lack of reasons why someone should buy it.
>>55326460
>there aren't any games specifically designed for the Shield
depends on what you mean by "designed for". Nvidia ports a lot of games to the Shield, like Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 2, Metal Gear Rising, all of the Half-Life games and Portal, Resident Evil 5, and some others. but otherwise it just runs Marshmallow so you can play anything like Sonic 1/2/CD, Tomb Raider 1/2, GTA, Jackbox Party Pack, etc. that is targeted toward Android but not optimized for the Tegra K1/X1.
One of the things that makes a good portable is a good catalog of games. If most of what you can play are either ports or emulators, some people who don't exclusively look for portability will skip it. Sony did some of this and they were never successful in that market against nintendo, despite having better hardware. There were niche platforms like the gp2x, the wiz or canoo, but these wouldn't be able to drag people who just wanted a new console. The NDS was successful even with people who never left the house due to its huge library of exclusive titles worth playing.
