The nD

[quidmonkey]

How would you like a portable with the following specs:


320x240 backlit screen capable of showing 16-bit colors
32 MB RAM, 2 GB internal storage
400MHz ARM Cpu
Rechargeable Battery
USB & Wi-Fi
Open-Source and completely free for anyone to develop on. Developers take 90% of profits from their game.

Here's the best part, it's only $20!

Welcome to the nD (http://the-nd.com/):

wDOoAw_YajU

I cannot tell you how much I want one of these. The specs put it well within the same territory of a 3DS or PSP. They're still in the prototyping stage, but are planning for an initial release late-2011 into 2012. Or, as the website (http://the-nd.com/) puts it: "Before the Wii U launches."

[RandoM51]

I want a unicorn, let's see who gets what they want first.

[Hawkzombie]

That was the stupidest commercial I've ever seen.

"You will believe they can do more than they actually do"

Really?

So basically, this is a handheld Phantom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_%28console%29).

http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215206490_6Sp8C-L-2.jpg
http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215239293_xHJHf-L-2.jpg

[rein]

Why you guys gotta poopoo on quidmonkey's dream to play Dragon Stabber -A game where you stab dragons?

I think this will really depend on what emulation they can get running. Doom looks like it is already going to be there but they are going to need more than it. Still neat idea but it has failed before. I would have rather seen something a bit more powerful at twice the price. At least powerful enough to run SNES and Genesis emulators.

[Hawkzombie]

I'd love to see an image of the unit that isn't a 3D modeled prototype. Or a video showing some of the games in action. Instead of .GIFs.

[Mr. Murphy]

"Through the power of MARKETING we can harness your imagination to sell you products for more than their true value".

In other words, we're scamming you.

[J Arcane]

This is a hoax.

It's from the same nutter behind Bob's Game.

It ain't happenin'.

[Ravenlock]

Sadly coming down on the side of the skeptics here, but that said - if somebody DID develop a truly inexpensive handheld that was pretty much good for just homebrew and emulation, shit yes I'd be all over it.

You can do that stuff on the PSP/DS, but you have to dance around Sony and Nintendo always trying to disable the functionality via firmware updates. A cheap handheld dedicated to it would be way better.

I've always been intrigued by the GP2X (http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/e5ef/) for just that purpose, but the cost of entry is a little too high for me to jump on.

[J Arcane]

There are cheaper options. The GP2X Wiz (http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/retro-gaming/bfc7/) is only $100, and the A320 can be found for around there.

[MagGnome]

"Through the power of MARKETING we can harness your imagination to sell you products for more than their true value".

In other words, we're scamming you.

Yeah, what was that about? He said straight up that they were ripping people off. What the heck?

[rein]

I thought he was speaking about other companies when he mentioned marketing even though he did say we. I was giving him the benefit of doubt though.

[Hawkzombie]

If you look at the site, the paypal button to donate is hard-set at 1 million dollars. It also lists global domination as the reason when you click-through.

It's either a joke, or someone is just very very stupid :p

[Suave Peanut]

It's actually set to a trillion dollars. So, slightly worse.

[KamaItachi]

This is a hoax.

It's from the same nutter behind Bob's Game.

It ain't happenin'.

Man, I wonder how he manages to keep that chip balanced so perfectly on his shoulder, way up on that cross.

[Mike Kelehan]

You can't launch this year if you don't even have a PROTOTYPE yet. This is a decent idea that will never happen.

[evilgoodwin]

This is the nD.

My only friend. The nD.

[KamaItachi]

You can't launch this year if you don't even have a PROTOTYPE yet. This is a decent idea that will never happen.

My guess is that it'll launch within a month or so of the Wii U. In Bob's mind this will be an effort to suck the wind out of Nintendo's launch. In reality it will mean that whatever publicity they can garner will be drowned out by the release of a new Nintendo console.

[Mr. Murphy]

My guess is that it'll launch within a month or so of the Wii U. In Bob's mind this will be an effort to suck the wind out of Nintendo's launch. In reality it will mean that whatever publicity they can garner will be drowned out by the release of a new Nintendo console.

I'm pretty sure it's a satire. I wouldn't expect it to ever be released.

[MagGnome]

It's a pretty pathetic satire, given that it's actually a very cool idea.

Oh well...

[Mr. Murphy]

It's a pretty pathetic satire, given that it's actually a very cool idea.

Oh well...

Yeah, it's a great idea, and I hope I'm being overly cynical, but between the "sell you shit way above value" line and the billion-dollar link on the website, I think it's an attempt to make a point about the pricing structure vs. cost of handhelds, or a comment on what gamers really want vs. what they get.

Best case scenario it's a video cooked up by someone with nothing more than an idea, trying to drum up attention and investors, because they obviously don't have a working model or else they would have showed it. If that's the case, it's possible that this could actually happen, I suppose. More likely that the seventeen year old who made the commercial will get taken advantage of, or some other company will steal the idea, make it first, sure him, and then we never see either one due to Phantom-like business practices. Shit, now I am being overly cynical.

It'd be bitching to have an open source portable emulator machine for 20-30$, just... something about the whole setup doesn't scream "solid business structure" to me.

[Hawkzombie]

So...why don't we get a few guys together and try and create one? I know a guy who programs similar devices, and he's been dying to do something far more complex and intuitive. A handheld might be right up his alley.

We set the specs, see how to get it for cheap, and sell it at cost. *shrugs* My guess is it won't be 20 bucks, but I know we could do it for under 100, and having it be open source would make people flock to it.

Maybe THAT was the point of the site? Get others to do it for them? :p

[quidmonkey]

I want a unicorn, let's see who gets what they want first.

I'll take that bet. If the nD gets released, you owe me one. If it does not, I will grant you your wish (http://www.amazon.com/Douglas-Cuddle-Toys-1684-Sunbeam/dp/B0007SND2M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309707957&sr=8-2).

Why is this so farfetched?

The comparison to the Phantom is a poor one. Phantom was all media fanfare, this is a grassroots movement. You didn't even know of the nD's existence until I posted it.

The maker of Bob's game may have no friends, but this is a logical extension of his cause: if you can't score a dev kit, why not make your own?

The parts are dirt cheap - they really are. $20 may be lowballing it, but this is possible. I'd love to see some CoG peeps get behind this rather than bash it.

[Suave Peanut]

Why is this so farfetched?

For me it was the part where the only donation they'll accept is one trillion dollars for global domination.

[quidmonkey]

For me it was the part where the only donation they'll accept is one trillion dollars for global domination.

Ahh. :)

You'll also notice the Investors (http://the-nd.com/news/investors/) page.

[J Arcane]

I think people are severely underestimating the costs and difficulties and necessary manufacturing ability needed for this kind of mobile hardware design, while massively over stating Bob's credibility.

[biosc1]

Ahh. :)

You'll also notice the Investors (http://the-nd.com/news/investors/) page.

Would you be interested in some prime real estate I have for sale in Florida? It's a little soggy, but the alligators make great watch dogs.

[MagGnome]

I think people are severely underestimating the costs and difficulties and necessary manufacturing ability needed for this kind of mobile hardware design, while massively over stating Bob's credibility.

Exactly. If something similar to this could be made for $20, then someone would have done so already. Devices in that price range hardly have anything close to a screen resembling the ones found in high-end phones and handhelds. They don't even have screens resembling the one found on the Gameboy Advance. Maybe the original Gameboy, if you're lucky.

You may be able to buy most of the parts for around that price (if you're buying in huge quantities like Sony, Nintendo, Samsung, et al. do), but there's also assembly, labor, shipping, etc. It's not as simple as going to Newegg and saying "OMG build me 1 million of these".

[Hawkzombie]

It's not as simple as going to Newegg and saying "OMG build me 1 million of these".

I love this line a lot.