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My advice on making a new video game platform!
4 months ago
General
For those who want to make a NEW video game console via a new platform? I have words of advice on WHAT I would recommend doing, FIRST.
Just remember; this ISN'T something to encourage materialism; this is to prove a point that people need to be SMARTER on developing game consoles.
#1: LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN HARDWARE, FIRST!
If you learn to make your own hardware chips that are suitable for computers, and make enough money off reasonably priced hardware for computers, with things such as ROM processors, GPUs, RAM chips, and the like? Make sure the hardware DOESN'T SUCK for what it does, overall...when you get that right? THEN you are one step closer to being able to sell the said video game console more cheaply, so folks can more easily afford it!
And to help make it more affordable, why not have the plastics and metals involved be 100% recycled?
#2: If possible, AVOID region lock.
If I wanted region lock for video game consoles, I could have done that within countries that are OFFICIALLY under a dictatorship. But in countries that AREN'T officially under a dictatorship, I highly advise against that. Otherwise, when it comes to nations where it's legal to modify consoles via soft-modding, people WILL find a way around that.
#3: To keep history alive, encourage the use of physical copies of video games, via video game cartridges!
I would also encourage all DLC being free, because it would attract gamers more easily.
Need more money? Try making money off nothing but ads and monthly fees to block them out! And if you can't run so many online game servers alone? Support the idea of third party dedicated servers, where those who run THOSE servers get HALF the money in exchange for helping the virtual video game community stay alive!
#4: Make sure the video games intended as launch titles are all GOOD video games, when it comes to what's licensed!
What better way to guarantee folks to be interested?
I would also advise some REALLY GOOD exclusives for the said console, if so.
In addition, to be on the safe side, I would advise re-releases of certain video games that are either HARD to run on most PCs at home and would otherwise require REALLY powerful gaming PC hardware, or look for some good video games that were originally really rare and hard to find, among underrated gems in the gaming industry!
That's basically it!
And now, onto a list of video game consoles that taught many of us what NOT to do!
= Apple Pippin -> The idea of a high quality gaming PC was a GREAT idea, but why it failed? It was a console from the 90's, and it failed for these reasons; it could NOT produce proper 3D graphics, it had NO good video games original to this platform, (or even any GOOD video games that are re-releases) and in comparison, the Sega Saturn was a FAR better deal! Proving that the Pippin, despite ANY good intentions, failed HORRIBLY! (And also showing an example that sometimes, great ideas are FAR TOO AHEAD OF THEIR TIME!
= Bandai Playdia -> Consoles marketed strictly as edutainment and quiz games DO NOT WORK WELL for the video game industry!
= Casio Loopy -> A video game marketed STRICTLY towards girly-girls is guaranteed to end up a commercial failure! I will give it praise for the said sticker printing feature, which eventually inspired Nintendo to do it as a new feature for "Pokemon Snap"; a Nintendo 64 video game!
= Gizmondo -> This console is PROOF that good ideas are often done VERY wrong! Despite it's clever, creative concept, with the option of AR gameplay, this console failed HORRIBLY due to bad hardware design, being very overpriced for what it did, and none of the video games felt like anything special. The basic idea? HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC!
= Mattel HyperScan -> Hardware that BARELY works, and none of the vidoe games are ANY good! It's SO bad, that the best thing to come out of it's release are the CONTROLLERS! Despite being a great basic idea, EVERYTHING (EXCEPT THE CONTROLLERS) WAS DONE VERY WRONG!
= Nokia N-Gage -> The console itself wasn't exactly THE WORST, but it certainly wasn't that good, either. There are reasons why it wasn't THAT successful. First of all, you had to turn off the console whenever you needed to swap out game cartridges, which was a bad idea. Secondly, many people thought the control scheme seemed awkward; even for a console that could double as a cell phone. Lastly, while there are AT LEAST a few good video games for it, this obviously couldn't have POSSIBLY beaten the Game Boy Advance, due to being HUGELY SUCCESSFUL! The GBA having sold around 81.51 million units, during it's commercial lifespan, and the N-Gage? It only sold around 3 million, during IT'S commercial lifespan. On the plus side, the N-Gage is STILL better than those greedily made social games and idle clickers that Apple & Google keep advertising, for their digital app stores!
= Super A'Can -> There were some decent video games exclusively made for this console! The only reason why it failed? It wasn't able to provide 3D graphics like the Sony PS1 could, and in addition, it was HORRIBLY overpriced for what it did, in general; making this a commercial failure, despite ANY good intentions!
Just remember; this ISN'T something to encourage materialism; this is to prove a point that people need to be SMARTER on developing game consoles.
#1: LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN HARDWARE, FIRST!
If you learn to make your own hardware chips that are suitable for computers, and make enough money off reasonably priced hardware for computers, with things such as ROM processors, GPUs, RAM chips, and the like? Make sure the hardware DOESN'T SUCK for what it does, overall...when you get that right? THEN you are one step closer to being able to sell the said video game console more cheaply, so folks can more easily afford it!
And to help make it more affordable, why not have the plastics and metals involved be 100% recycled?
#2: If possible, AVOID region lock.
If I wanted region lock for video game consoles, I could have done that within countries that are OFFICIALLY under a dictatorship. But in countries that AREN'T officially under a dictatorship, I highly advise against that. Otherwise, when it comes to nations where it's legal to modify consoles via soft-modding, people WILL find a way around that.
#3: To keep history alive, encourage the use of physical copies of video games, via video game cartridges!
I would also encourage all DLC being free, because it would attract gamers more easily.
Need more money? Try making money off nothing but ads and monthly fees to block them out! And if you can't run so many online game servers alone? Support the idea of third party dedicated servers, where those who run THOSE servers get HALF the money in exchange for helping the virtual video game community stay alive!
#4: Make sure the video games intended as launch titles are all GOOD video games, when it comes to what's licensed!
What better way to guarantee folks to be interested?
I would also advise some REALLY GOOD exclusives for the said console, if so.
In addition, to be on the safe side, I would advise re-releases of certain video games that are either HARD to run on most PCs at home and would otherwise require REALLY powerful gaming PC hardware, or look for some good video games that were originally really rare and hard to find, among underrated gems in the gaming industry!
That's basically it!
And now, onto a list of video game consoles that taught many of us what NOT to do!
= Apple Pippin -> The idea of a high quality gaming PC was a GREAT idea, but why it failed? It was a console from the 90's, and it failed for these reasons; it could NOT produce proper 3D graphics, it had NO good video games original to this platform, (or even any GOOD video games that are re-releases) and in comparison, the Sega Saturn was a FAR better deal! Proving that the Pippin, despite ANY good intentions, failed HORRIBLY! (And also showing an example that sometimes, great ideas are FAR TOO AHEAD OF THEIR TIME!
= Bandai Playdia -> Consoles marketed strictly as edutainment and quiz games DO NOT WORK WELL for the video game industry!
= Casio Loopy -> A video game marketed STRICTLY towards girly-girls is guaranteed to end up a commercial failure! I will give it praise for the said sticker printing feature, which eventually inspired Nintendo to do it as a new feature for "Pokemon Snap"; a Nintendo 64 video game!
= Gizmondo -> This console is PROOF that good ideas are often done VERY wrong! Despite it's clever, creative concept, with the option of AR gameplay, this console failed HORRIBLY due to bad hardware design, being very overpriced for what it did, and none of the video games felt like anything special. The basic idea? HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC!
= Mattel HyperScan -> Hardware that BARELY works, and none of the vidoe games are ANY good! It's SO bad, that the best thing to come out of it's release are the CONTROLLERS! Despite being a great basic idea, EVERYTHING (EXCEPT THE CONTROLLERS) WAS DONE VERY WRONG!
= Nokia N-Gage -> The console itself wasn't exactly THE WORST, but it certainly wasn't that good, either. There are reasons why it wasn't THAT successful. First of all, you had to turn off the console whenever you needed to swap out game cartridges, which was a bad idea. Secondly, many people thought the control scheme seemed awkward; even for a console that could double as a cell phone. Lastly, while there are AT LEAST a few good video games for it, this obviously couldn't have POSSIBLY beaten the Game Boy Advance, due to being HUGELY SUCCESSFUL! The GBA having sold around 81.51 million units, during it's commercial lifespan, and the N-Gage? It only sold around 3 million, during IT'S commercial lifespan. On the plus side, the N-Gage is STILL better than those greedily made social games and idle clickers that Apple & Google keep advertising, for their digital app stores!
= Super A'Can -> There were some decent video games exclusively made for this console! The only reason why it failed? It wasn't able to provide 3D graphics like the Sony PS1 could, and in addition, it was HORRIBLY overpriced for what it did, in general; making this a commercial failure, despite ANY good intentions!
