[geeks] Dos and similar games

[Geoffrey S. Mendelson]

On Thu, Aug 03, 2006 at 11:09:27PM -0400, Caleb Shay wrote:
> Magic Carpet!  Especially if you had wireless networking.  This game
> has been begging for a rerelease for far too long.  Including the
> stereogram video option is a must.

Sounds good to me. Wireless networking is a question. Since January 2004,
the proof of concept units have supported it. I wanted to leave it out
as it was not a option most people would want, due to the cost and
battery drain. It will probably be in the second generation units
and may be an option on the first.
> 
> Worms.  Ditto on the networking.  Not the new fancy-schmancy 3D ones,
> the classic Amiga ones.  Turn based.  2D sprites.  Entertaining.
> Works well single player and multi-player.  Good for a quick game on a
> break or an extended one on long trips.

ok.

> Wing Commander/Privateer.  I think these would lend themselves very
> well to a handheld formfactor, especially the newer handhelds with the
> inputs to the sides of the screen (PSP style) rather than under
> (GameBoy style).  Don't ask me why, it just feels more natural.  I
> remember playing the first ones on my 286 without a mouse, just
> keyboard, and they were totally playable and fun.

I'll look into it.

> MAME and removable media that I can put roms on.  Of course, this is
> kind of a given.

MAME is not a problem, LEGALLY getting the ROMS is another issue.
Removable media is also not a problem. I prefer CF to the other options
so you can put mini hard drives. It will have both a USB client and host
ports, so you can mount it on your PC an copy it over to the internal
memory, or stick in your own USB memory stick.


> An SDL port and a development environment.  Then I could build all my
> old favorites relatively easily. 

No problem at all, we planned an SDL. Since it runs X86 linux natively,
you can even do development under linux or Windows using QEMU. In fact,
I'm doing that now to get ready for a demo. I set things up on a linux
machine and test them using QEMU under windows. I could do the same
thing on the linux machine, but it's headless.

>  Doom.  Quake.  Descent.  Not sure
> how well they would be controllable on this thing, I've always had a
> hard time playing them without a keyboard/mouse, but maybe somebody
> will finally figure out a way to make an FPS playable with joypad
> style controls. 

They run fine. Well Doom and Quake. Both the DOS/Windows versions and
native linux ones with enhanced graphic capability.

As for control, we have patent pending technology for that.

> Which reminds me.  Why hasn't anybody ever put a
> marble sized trackball near the buttons on a handheld?  It just seems
> to make so much sense.  Sony came close with the analog control on the
> PSP, but they put it on the left hand side.  With the majority of the
> world being right handed, wouldn't you put the analog control that
> needs fine muscle control on the right side?

For some reason, no one does. :-)

> 
> Capcom/SNK fighting games.  I'm a sucker for the Street Fighter II era fighters.

They work great under MAME. Again licensing issues, but we would deal with that
for you.
> 
> >
> > Which games would turn you off?
> 
> Barbie Fashion Designer.  Big Game Hunter.
> 
> Yes, they were two of the largest selling games of all time, but I
> don't think they have a lot of overlap with the handheld gaming
> market.  Of course, I could be wrong, I'm not in marketing.

If they ran on DOS or Windows, there is a 90% chance we could support
them. Anthing that does not need a keyboard or a real high res 3d screen
and video card. 

Geoff.
-- 
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