One Mans Homebrew Dream - A Homebrew Console with Wifi

Let me start by saying i am one mad Homebrew fan, ive been a fan of emulation and homebrew since at least 1996 if not earlier, heres my Dream and hopes to see it come true.

First off i would like to see a powerful but fully homebrew based console that has built in Wifi and uses Memory Cards for storage, the console must have a cheap 3D and 2D Graphics chip and a processor of decent speed.

The Homebrew console should have a Online system similiar to that of Xbox Live where amateur coders from around the world can post their games online firstly as demos and then as low budget games for us all to buy and share.

I could go on for hours but would such a vision ever be viable for both the console and the Homebrew Live type service.

Got any views, please share them ?

thats my dream too

Even though this is an awsome dream.. I dont think it would work out to well for the company that makes it.

I mean yes, hombrewers could post all thier games and make some money... but isnt that hwta hoebrew is about... Doign it tfor fun and not money>??

I mean, this could be entirely possible IF someone could take apart an older pc, make a bios for it..

I mean, it could run the entire online type service through pthons cripting to start... Just like xbox medai center does/

I think it would be more possible if there was a promise to makeing money for whatever company made it.
Because you know.... less then a month after it was out someone would crak it to and the online service and have every game free thus makign the whole thing pointless.
I do like the idea though, but there are a lot of hadnhel sonsoles out that do this allready

err, go get yourself a GP2X then :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GP2X

(oops, no wifi :( still, its got everything else you want)

I really like this idea. Maybe a GP2x minus the screen and with an added wifi module, maybe the price would be lower.

Actually thinking about it they should make a GP2x without a screen and external controller similar to the wii's classic controller that is compatible with all GP2X games and emulators. :)

sounds like THE PERFECT UTOPIA if only this dream was a reality *sigh*.

I've got a idea

the DCemu Homebrew Console

Designed by the Wraggy, The other Admins and Coders at DCemu, and made by the good people at Gamepark Holdings lol

That almost sounds like a laptop running linux!

Uh, it's called the XGP. The next "GP2X". It's pretty much like a GP2X except smaller, cooler looking, and has Wi-Fi.

Why not simply build a small mini PC controlled by only a remote and/or joystick?

Totally possible and it could be a very impressive system while still maintaining a very small console size profile. With PC's you already have all the emulators and homebrew you could pretty much ask for. Multi OS's and tons of great commercial games. Plus still maintaining the ability to use application software when needed (web, e-mail, contact lists, etc...)

I admit the PC at this point is the only thing that has personally kept me from bothering to buy an Xbox360 or the like yet. I do have various other consoles, but rarely play them like I do my PC or PSP. In fact my PSP only came about because of that want for a device that I could take with on the road for my gaming fix. If my PDA would have had a better controller for the gamer in mind I might still have it and never bought my PSP. I miss the touch screen and some of the apps, but the PSP really opened the door for gaming and I can still watch movies and listen to music just like before.

It's all good.

Yeah, a universal homebrew machine would be great. It's theoretically not that hard to make one...

Would be great to have a centralized online homebrew sharing system. Not to mention the huge potential for new coders everywhere.

Apparently Xbox Live costs quite a bit to keep going, unless some company had the urge to throw away a few hundred million I couldnt see this happening.

hmmmm......(dreaming....)......

The closest thing to this dream is probably the Dremcast, unmodded it can do all of that stuff.

gp2x, just add wifi, 400 MHZ proccessor and a 2d/3d accelarator chip and there you go :D

It could have been the Indrema, but lack of money and third party support killed the thing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrema

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mastastealth

Uh, it's called the XGP. The next "GP2X". It's pretty much like a GP2X except smaller, cooler looking, and has Wi-Fi.

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The XGP is made by Gamepark and the GP2X is made by Gamepark Holdings. Gamepark Holdings made the GP2X for homebrew but the XGP was designed to play commercial games and not homebrew unlike the GP32 and GP2X

UMPC /origami...if only they have a decent gamepad and few gamebutton...they maybe good handle system for emulation...maybe in few year...

I just had this same dream yesterday and found this thread wondering if anyone else felt the same way!


My homebrew console would:

>have an opening inside for a laptop hdd

>wifi

>some type of popular media reader/writer on the front, probably SD or compact flash

>two usbs on the front (used for 2 gamepads or 1 keyboard & 1 mouse)

>case design that cools itself properly, not necessarily one that looks cool

>a choice of video output, output either to tv (rca) or monitor(vga or s-vid)

>audio out of L and R standard RCA

>NO cd-rom!!!

>USB plug that would hook TO the computer... this would allow the consoles hdd to act like a removable drive in windows (for formatting, defragging or just adding new games and apps)

[Instead of being really specific on the rest of the guts i will just say...]

>two processors works really well for separating sound functions with the graphical functions on the DS so i think i would go that route

>And for its power i would say look at the good things the psx, dreamcast and n64 had and combine them.

Atchelly the XGP does support homebrew, but according to Craig Rothwell (AKA Craigix) it is complete vapourware, and since the GP32 went bust they have no money to make it anyways, and there probably won't be many people wanting to invest.

My perfect system is one that the company doesn't screw up and one that doesn't cost lots of money over time for online(think xboxlive). An open to homebrew and developing company is the best kind of company.