mrpayroll

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...ss/7643094.htm

Posted on Tue, Jan. 06, 2004

CALIFORNIA COMPANY TAKES AIM AT SONY PLAYSTATION 2, MICROSOFT XBOX
By Dean Takahashi
Mercury News

The personal computer has been losing ground to video game consoles for years. But an alliance of several companies hopes to reverse that trend by creating a computer that can play PC games on a television as conveniently as a console.

Ontario, Calif.-based Apex Digital, the No. 1 maker of DVD players for the U.S. market, is expected to introduce Thursday the ApeXtreme PC game console, which will play more than 2,000 PC games on a TV set.

The PC has long been hamstrung as a game machine because of its inability to easily play games on a TV set and slow loading.

The ApeXtreme aims to correct those deficiencies. The machine will debut in the spring and sell for a $399 suggested retail price, with a version selling for $299. That makes it far more expensive than the $179 Xbox and Play-Station 2 consoles. But the console's producers say the machine will be able to do a lot more things, like playing MP3 music files and displaying videos and slide shows.

Sony's new PSX, a similar multifunction entertainment box that plays PS 2 games, is selling in Japan for about $800.

The ApeXtreme will include PC components from Taipei, Taiwan, chip maker Via Technologies as well as software from Digital Interactive Systems, a Long Beach start-up.

``We believe the timing is right because the technology is there and the price is there,'' said Richard Brown, associate vice president of international marketing at Via Technologies, which provided several chips for the box and designed much of the hardware.

The personal computer has always been a nice gaming solution at the high end of the market. But with prices for a game-worthy computer reaching $2,000 or more, it misses most of the mainstream players.

Apex's console has features that make it less expensive than a standard PC. It will run a version of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system for consumer applications. Via will provide its low-cost 1.2-gigahertz C3 microprocessor, a chip set and graphics for the machine. Digital Interactive adds its DISCover ``drop and play'' software that allows the machine to immediately begin playing any game that is inserted into the machine's DVD drive. Gone are the hassles of installing a game on a PC.

Loren Kaiser, vice president of operations at Digital Interactive, said the DISCover software makes PC gaming more convenient, allowing someone to eject a game in the middle of playing without crashing the computer.

The PC will still have a tough time beating the consoles, which are selling in the tens of millions. Consoles like the Xbox are easier to load, rarely crash, and are designed for viewing on a TV set. But PC makers may be able to update their hardware every six months.

ABS Computer and Alienware, both makers of PC gaming machines, also are planning to launch living-room PC gaming machines that use DISCover software.


If this works as advertised, this could be huge. How many people out there would rather play their computer games on a large screen tv in the comfort of their vibrating recliner chair? ME!

Chris

Groucho

It's not that hard to hook up a computer to your television.

Isn't this the same concept behind "The Phantom"?

nickdawgy

lol, I prefer my PC for PC games, thank you

mrpayroll

Groucho, what the hell happened to you? Did you piss off the mods or did you get a sex change?

Chris

Groucho

A little of both.

Breakfast with Girls

Not only can you have a crappy DVD player, but now you can have a crappy game console, too! Whee!

balancer

I already have a PS2!

Josh H

Not everyone want's to keep their computer in their living room (or drag the computer back and forth), or has a big enough TV in their computer room to warrant using it instead of a monitor.

But still, this is a lame idea. The console will probably suck as bad as their DVD players.

PixyJunket

Quoted for posterity.

kvrdave

I doubt I would get it, but I don't think it is a bad idea.

Tuan Jim

What in the world is this? Thought the PSX was an updated PS1.

Also, this would only really work for HDTVS wouldn't it? You can't get more than 640x480 on a normal TV -- may as well just use a console.

cheapskate

The hopes of THE PHANTOM were hinged on Burton winning Survivor... LONG LIVE APEX!

Josh H

No the PSX is a fancy PS2 with progressive scan dvd play back, dvd burner and Tivo basically.

ben12

What's the story behind this? I've never heard of the Phantom or its Survivor connections.

mr.snowmizer

A true plug and play device for PC games (on TV, to boot) is hardly a bad idea. The lack of plug and play is probably the biggest factor limiting the size of the PC market.

The long-time analogy has been, "What would the auto industry's sales look like if everybody had to have technical knowledge of what exactly goes on under the hood to get a car started instead of just turning a key?"

The PC industry, with today's operating systems, is obviously much closer to that goal than in the DOS days, but there's still plenty of room for improvement.

cheapskate

Check out this article... then take a look at this thread.

Then buy stock in THE PHANTOM!!!

(I dare you)

Groucho

After thinking about this for a while, I can forsee several problems with trying to make a "plug and play" console that plays PC games:

1. PC games are compressed on the discs and need to be installed. You can't just pop in a disc and play like in the console world. This will require a hard drive and installation of games by the user. And an 8gb drive like in the Xbox isn't going to cut it.

2. PC games can be tweaked to meet your system's setup. For the Apex, those settings need to be determined in advance, and somehow automatically communicated to the game. Because new games come out all the time, regular updates would have to be provided to the user through the internet.

3. PC games are generally optimized for a 800x600 display or better. A lot of details will be hard to see (or lost altogther) on 480i displays.

4. Because the minimum specs of PC games go up very rapidly, this console will have a limited shelf life. No way it would approach the 4-5 years of the current consoles.

Can it be done? Yes. But it's going to be a pain in the ass for users...too much trouble for the casual audience they are courting.

mrpayroll

Check out my webpage http://www.mrpayroll.net/4436/HDD%20DVD%20Recorders.htm It's a comparison between Hard Disk Drive DVD Recorders, which I believe to finally be the VCR killer.

The Sony PSX is basically what Josh said. It has either a 160GB or 250GB hard drive w a dvd burner and a Playstation 2 game console, together in one console. The Tivo like abilities haven't been made clear in the media, it may or may not have Tivo when they finally release it here.

I was initially very high on the PSX, since I didn't have a Playstation 2 or dvd burner (other than my external dvd burner for my computer), but then I found out it only had USB 1.1 and no DV input. Plus they took out some features 2 weeks before it was released in Japan, though they mostly can be added later thru firmware update.

If Sony announces the PSX this week at the CES in Las Vegas and they add in the capabilities that I mentioned above, then I might reconsider my buying decision.

Chris

darkside

Fixed it.

PixyJunket

I buy Full Frame DVDs and I don't own an Apex.

illennium

So what?

sniper308

I've reported you to the mod for speaking Blasphemy You will promptly be banned and flogged, or maybe its the other way around

PixyJunket

Not owning an Apex is blasphemy?

ClarkKentKY

I always wondered how APEX was going to go out of business. Now i know.

ZakVTA

Apex.
It will be interesting to see how many of these actually sell. Groucho made all the points that I was thinking of when I read this.