i'm not going to make any real comments here as i've assured Jerico that this'll be his domain to answer questions.
I would like to say that most of you believe that FMTau Labs itself is hardware developing this product and financing this project etc...
where you get this misconception from i do not know.
We are simply handleing everything to do with the console, general Marketing will be done here until the Hardware Development Country unveils later this year.
Basically all we're doing is making sure the hardware will have some software, the support of the industry (professional developers), support from a Publisher, internet service provider support for the networking and special online zones, etc... you get the idea.
Although i've designed and given the idea for the Hardware i believe there is a team of around 40 people including a PhD Scientist who is responsible for alot of the technology currently residing in most people machines right now.
though to be honest what do you guys care if we went bust? you would still have a machine and online support for it would probably grow as well if not for the machine then purely for DarkBasicProfessional on the strength that some companies felt it could've been used in a project like this.
Eitherway this is all at a Win-Win situation for everyone, none of our developers will go without being paid ... FMTau stands to make profit even if the hardware itself fails thanks to a current deal with our publisher that would mean they'll go onto the budget market range - these companies are happy because thier paid, we're happy because thier titles are out there, and our publisher is happy because of their profit margin.
The way i can see it you can either stop arguing about something that NONE of you can do anything about or should really be conserned about anyways and actually get onto more important topics, like perhaps "When is the SDK going to be available?", "Will the machine be using HLSL or Cg Shaders?", "What will be the licensing contracts?", "How will this Internet Zone thing work?", "What exactly does the controler currently have or have planned?", "Will my current DarkBasic Pro titles be compatible to be compiled for this machine?", etc...
get of the subject of hardware, costs etc... something which we at FMTau ourself do not get much is any say over even.
And Dan yes the projects are the same, the way i see it this is just the evolution of your idea and it will not go unrewarded friend.
That said it will be good to find out what you finally come up with because it will always be good to have a
plan b as it were.
Even though this project is going ahead, it doesn't mean that the DB-Box is not wanted or now some rivel. Infact it'll be good to sell an "Official" PC version of the console will certainly be good
hopefully we can now get of this stupid subject of the possibility and such and actually perhaps allow people to make thier own minds up and get onto REAL issues that would bother developers.
At the end of the day you will still be programming in DarkBASIC Professional so even
IF and that is a big if this project doesn't go ahead, you can still retail your games on the PC ... so really it is still a Win-Win for your guys as well, i don't understand why such reservations ... if it was suggested you use this new language only compatible on the console itself, but no you all know DBP all of the code will work exactly the same on the PC version for the Console version that will be the entire bloody point so really what would it matter?
and you're all forgetting the possibility that what if the project is released and shunned? i didn't which is why i'm getting as much industry support as possible from some the othe biggest names in development today to either develop a game or endorse this project.
i have left NOTHING to chance here, this is going ahead one way or another ... and all i want are blasted developers for it. We're not some company like the Phantoms which is making big grand things about hardware setups or how the thing will work, everything i've mentioned is entirely possible for ANY company to do right now wit the right Licenseing deals.
We're not saying that this console will break all graphical grounds, because it isn't designed to.
We're not saying that this console will revolutionise Online gameing as although it has the ability of Dialup, Broadband and MultiUnit connection that isn't a specific design.
We're not saying this is out there to compete against the big players Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft ... I mean for gods sake our development schedual has been arranged specifically so that we have a FREE market from competition to actually try to get a good customer base. We will be competeting against them eventually, but right now we just want a customer base rather than trying to show up the big wigs... if we don't seem like a threat then we are even more dangerous when our claws come out in 18months time.
We're not saying that we'll be using some brand spanking new type of CPU or GPU or APU or Media Type, etc... infact emphasis is on hardware which users can purchase for thier hope computers as well.
We have said there will be a special AOL online area, but right now AOL has special areas for over 40 multinational companies including the almost dead Amiga for crying out loud ... so i'd hardly say that is pushing the boundries.
Name something to me which is planned in this project which you can honestly can't be done without a tiny bit of determination?
if you don't want to develop or even feel this idea will ever lift off the ground then that is fair enough, you are entitled to your own opinions. However please keep grandose comment to yourself, if you want to be involved then ask questions about the machines itself rather than business practises which are no consern of anyone except FMTau Labs. You don't tell DBS howto market themselves, you don't have any right to tell us how to do our jobs either...
Within the Epic battle of the fates the Shadow and the Angel will meet. With it will harbinger the very fight of good vs evil!
