New console: Madbox Coming to compete with Xbox and PS

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A New Game Console Is On The Way To Compete With Xbox And PlayStation
Exact specs haven't been confirmed yet.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-game-console-is-on-the-way-to-compete-with-x/1100-6464117/

Slightly Mad Studios (ProjectCars 2 developers) CEO Ian Bell has revealed the company is developing a standalone console. Exact hardware and software specs haven't been announced yet, but Bell has provided a few details.
The first mention of the console came via Twitter, when Bell tweeted, "The Mad Box is coming." Bell told Variety that the Mad Box will probably release in about three years and support up to 120 frames-per-second for virtual reality play. "It will support most major VR headsets and those upcoming and the specs will be equivalent to a very fast PC two years from now," Bell wrote. "We're in early talks with manufacturers of components so we can't say much more right now other than we have the designs specced out in detail."

When it comes to games on the console, Bell wrote, "We think exclusives are 'exclusionary' but given that we'll be shipping a cross platform engine to all developers it will be their choice. As of now we have no plans to pay developers 'incentives' to exclude other hardware vendors." He further explained that Slightly Mad Studios thinks "the industry is a little too much of a monopoly or a micro oligopoly," and The Mad Box aims to bring some healthy competition to the console race, which for years has pretty much exclusively been a three-way battle between Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation, and Nintendo's hardware.

Bell added that early design builds for the Mad Box will be revealed in about four to six weeks. The Mad Box is planned to release worldwide and be competitively priced in comparison to other upcoming consoles. "We have multiple investors already offering the required funding for us to see the product to completion, but it's still early days and we're looking at the best offers right now," Bell wrote.

2018 saw numerous changes to a lot of gaming hardware, including consoles. Some were good, and others not so much. Check out our report cards for more detailed accounts.
 
Nice, I ordered some art by Craig Drake, which should be here in “four to six weeks” so they should both be a pleasant suprise.

This will more than likely be just a pc and take place/pick-up for Steam/Shield/Ouya

But seriously though, I’m intrigued to see what they may have. I have a feeling it won’t be cheap
 
A New Game Console Is On The Way To Compete With Xbox And PlayStation
Exact specs haven't been confirmed yet.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-new-game-console-is-on-the-way-to-compete-with-x/1100-6464117/

Slightly Mad Studios (ProjectCars 2 developers) CEO Ian Bell has revealed the company is developing a standalone console. Exact hardware and software specs haven't been announced yet, but Bell has provided a few details.
The first mention of the console came via Twitter, when Bell tweeted, "The Mad Box is coming." Bell told Variety that the Mad Box will probably release in about three years and support up to 120 frames-per-second for virtual reality play. "It will support most major VR headsets and those upcoming and the specs will be equivalent to a very fast PC two years from now," Bell wrote. "We're in early talks with manufacturers of components so we can't say much more right now other than we have the designs specced out in detail."

When it comes to games on the console, Bell wrote, "We think exclusives are 'exclusionary' but given that we'll be shipping a cross platform engine to all developers it will be their choice. As of now we have no plans to pay developers 'incentives' to exclude other hardware vendors." He further explained that Slightly Mad Studios thinks "the industry is a little too much of a monopoly or a micro oligopoly," and The Mad Box aims to bring some healthy competition to the console race, which for years has pretty much exclusively been a three-way battle between Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation, and Nintendo's hardware.

Bell added that early design builds for the Mad Box will be revealed in about four to six weeks. The Mad Box is planned to release worldwide and be competitively priced in comparison to other upcoming consoles. "We have multiple investors already offering the required funding for us to see the product to completion, but it's still early days and we're looking at the best offers right now," Bell wrote.

2018 saw numerous changes to a lot of gaming hardware, including consoles. Some were good, and others not so much. Check out our report cards for more detailed accounts.
Interesting.

This is a massive risk. Unlike companies like microsoft, google, amazon. Slighyly Mad doesn't have the money to take losses and treat this as a foot in tge door --like Microsoft did. That makes this very risky for consumers aswel.
 
Interesting.

This is a massive risk. Unlike companies like microsoft, google, amazon. Slighyly Mad doesn't have the money to take losses and treat this as a foot in tge door --like Microsoft did. That makes this very risky for consumers aswel.

I'd be all for buying a powerful new console but if I'm not sure the company is going to be around for more than a year I'm not going to risk spending hundreds of dollars on something that won't be supported for more than a year or two. Them saying they aren't going to be making exclusive games is problematic as well, yeah that's another huge expense but it's also something that draws people in and separates you from the competition.
 
Wow... that's a big step for a company that makes a few racing games. I really like PCars 2, but it might arguably isn't even be the best racing sim on the market. They aren't even the biggest player in the rather niche sim racing market.
 
I can already see MS XBOX division popping Champagne. Finally We may not be last place next gen!
 
If steam couldn't even pull this off- let ALONE Souldja Boy!- how does this guy think he's going to be able to provide a console that rivals fast PCs two years from now, AND stay price competitive with MS or Sony?

They have the resources for custom architecture and the like, and they will likely be around mid-level PCs...

This is doomed, and there are already 3 main players (Sorry Soulja) in this field. Big players.

Good luck, I guess.
 
The drama started a few days ago when they said PCars 3 would be a spiritual successor to Shift. The sim racing community was of course angry and confused. (I guess they mean more of a career mode).

https://www.gtplanet.net/project-cars-3-will-be-a-spiritual-successor-to-shift/

Not sure what they are doing over there, but it isn't exactly good. They should be focused on making a better came than Assetto Corsa. Supposedly the new version of that is really good (in early access).
 
Interesting.

This is a massive risk. Unlike companies like microsoft, google, amazon. Slighyly Mad doesn't have the money to take losses and treat this as a foot in tge door --like Microsoft did. That makes this very risky for consumers aswel.


My guess is that they may seek some crowdfunding
 
If steam couldn't even pull this off- let ALONE Souldja Boy!- how does this guy think he's going to be able to provide a console that rivals fast PCs two years from now, AND stay price competitive with MS or Sony?

They have the resources for custom architecture and the like, and they will likely be around mid-level PCs...

This is doomed, and there are already 3 main players (Sorry Soulja) in this field. Big players.

Good luck, I guess.

Steam? They didn't make a console. They made overpriced PCs.
 
It's nice to see Peter Molyneux is still in the Games industry.
 
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If steam couldn't even pull this off- let ALONE Souldja Boy!- how does this guy think he's going to be able to provide a console that rivals fast PCs two years from now, AND stay price competitive with MS or Sony?

They have the resources for custom architecture and the like, and they will likely be around mid-level PCs...

This is doomed, and there are already 3 main players (Sorry Soulja) in this field. Big players.

Good luck, I guess.

Have to agreed. This sounds like very wishful thinking given the other companies that have failed trying to do this.
 
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They have been second place every gen including this one.

Xbox in a nutshell
iu
 
Have to agreed. This sounds like very wishful thinking given the other companies that have failed trying to do this.
And yet plenty of companies have succeeded.

This products success or failure is dependant on the mindset of Sim Bin and their investors. If they are willing to grow Mad Box as a brand over time then it may very well be successful.

I don't think it needs exclusives in this day and age, but it will need compelling services, all the 3 rd party support, and something big to make it a worthy choice for consumers...like free online multiplayer.

Everybody is writing this thing off way too early. We don't even know who the investors are...what if they google, Amazon? Huge players.
 
And yet plenty of companies have succeeded.

This products success or failure is dependant on the mindset of Sim Bin and their investors. If they are willing to grow Mad Box as a brand over time then it may very well be successful.

I don't think it needs exclusives in this day and age, but it will need compelling services, all the 3 rd party support, and something big to make it a worthy choice for consumers...like free online multiplayer.

Everybody is writing this thing off way too early. We don't even know who the investors are...what if they google, Amazon? Huge players.

Three companies have succeeded. Not plenty. And it took huge money for Microsoft to succeed. If these guys had a partner like Google or Amazon it would have been announced in the initial statement. Or at least hinted at.
I do agree with you on the exclusives things though. They don’t that. Just great features.

But I’ll leave my skeptical hat on for now and assume nothing will come of this.
 
Three companies have succeeded. Not plenty. And it took huge money for Microsoft to succeed. If these guys had a partner like Google or Amazon it would have been announced in the initial statement. Or at least hinted at.
I do agree with you on the exclusives things though. They don’t that. Just great features.

But I’ll leave my skeptical hat on for now and assume nothing will come of this.
My thoughts as well. Still, if they want to rely on third parties completely then they have to stand out from the others in a big way by either trumping them on hardware or services, and since when has that happened by a new player?

MS and Sony have taken years and oodles of money and infrastructure to get where they are. Anything can happen, I guess, but I'm on team skeptic hat too...
 
And here’s a render....


https://www.roadtovr.com/slightly-mad-studios-ceo-mad-box-console-deliver-90-fps-vr-headsets/


mad-box-2.jpg



Slightly Mad Studios, the creators of the Project CARS franchise, announced earlier this week that they’re developing a VR-compatible gaming console called ‘Mad Box’. In a follow-up tweet, company CEO Ian Bell dubbed the project “the most powerful console ever built,” saying that Mad Box would deliver 60 fps VR rendering—decidedly a much lower number than VR enthusiasts are used to today. Now, Bell says the company has decided to up the frame rate to 90 fps.

“We’re going 90 per eye, 180 FPS internally,” Bell says in a tweet. “My CTO just called. We’re upping the specs already. It might cost a little bit more…”

By “180 FPS internally,” Bell is referring to the workload the hardware will need to perform in order to deliver the requisite 90 fps to the dual displays in standard PC VR headsets such as Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. While the phrasing is unorthodox and initially caused a fair bit of confusion when the console was first announced earlier this week, 90 fps is certainly a step in the right direction in terms of delivering the minimum of what VR users should expect to have a comfortable, immersive experience.

Bell says the console is tentatively slated to launch in about “3.5 years,” and that while it’s still too early for pricing, it’s aiming to be “competitive with upcoming console prices.”

More at the link...