The Rogue gaming tablet PC
posted February 28th 2005 4:47PM
Think the PSP isn't quite pocketable enough for ya? Yeah, well, SL-Interphase is working on a tablet-style gaming PC
called the Rogue that comes with a built-in joystick, track ball, buttons, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and an 8.4-inch LCD
screen you can write on (it's a touch screen, so this probably isn't running on Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC
Edition OS). It's designed specifically for playing PC games (duh), though since tablet PCs aren't exactly known as 3D
graphics powerhouses, SL-Interphase claim they've developed some "new hardware to help the CPU do its job." They're
still trying to raise enough money to get the Rogue into production, but if and when this thing does come out, they're
aiming for a retail price of about $1,500. Of course one big question remains: is there anyone who wants to play games
this way?
[Thanks, Fady]
Ya - like I'd carry that on the bus and start playing. I thought devices where supposed to get more portable - this looks like a step in the wrong direction.
Ya - like I'd carry that on the bus and start playing. I thought devices where supposed to get more portable - this looks like a step in the wrong direction.
the answer to the big question is: nope...i'd never pay $1500 for a tablet pc that essentially only plays games, when you can get a laptop that will do a more than adequate job handling them, with more functionality for the same price if not cheaper. but there's a sucker born every minute, so i'm sure they'll sell at least a dozen of 'em. if they were smart, they'd save some of that yet raised VC to pay for the lawyer they'll need when they file for bankruptcy.
I'll admit I was interested in the abortive "EVE" project, to create a portable game console for PC games. But there is a huge flaw in such a scheme. (IMHO) The majority of compelling PC games require both a mouse and keyboard to be controled effectively.
This thing has NO KEYBOARD and NO MOUSE.
So you can spend $1500 on a machine that allows you to take your favorite PC games with you, but simultaneous makes them nigh unplayable.
Or you can spend less than $500 dollars (probably MUCH less) on any one of maybe 10 dedicated portable game consoles and, if you must, spend the balance ($1000 - $1400) on games, accessories, rent, a cheap used car, etc...
I'm waiting on Nokia's version to come out. The N-Rogue with cell phone capability.
Space 1999 called, they want their computer back.
No Sale.
I saw this at the 2004 E3 and I wouldn't call it vaporware. It's not the greatest idea, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it vaporware (but I also saw the Phantom and it's massive LOOK AT ME I REALLY DO EXIST "booth", so my perspective could be a bit skewed).
These guys seemed like they really believed in what they were doing, but much like the a tablet PC (which I'm currently using) it's functionality is not meant to be sold as a stand alone product. I think every system should have "tablet PC" capabilities, but they should be in the background and you shouldn't have to pay more for them. Premature capitalization...
Oh, and whatever you do, don't ask them about battery life.
If I can use it as a Tablet machine I want one.
I think ?
lol he'll sell about 3 units, its the next n-gage, "jack of all trades master of none" plus who the hell is going to use that as a portable gaming device look at the size of it! its HUGE here's the creator holding it http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/story_images/022805d1_roguewbox-1 8.4 inch lcd non-widescreen? way too bigfor a portable, besides a gaming laptop is better for more stationary semi-portable stuff and for portable theres psp and ds, absolutely stupid idea
ron, guess you didn't notice that same pic posted above?
That thing is ridiculous. How can it be serious?
hey my ngage is great i love it so dont bash it unless youve used it
hey my ngage is great i love it so dont bash it unless youve used it
*gah* tapped on (laptop) touchpad and cleared comment before I posted -__-
Sooo in short...
Too bulky, too expensive, and lacking the essential keyboard and mouse that virtually all major PC games rely on. Touch screen is no good for FPS, it'll be be hard to do RTSs with touchscreen... A laptop would be much more useful could probably play any games that that thing could manage, better.
i have 50 gmail invites who wants them
For 1500? I don't think so.
The idea of taking your PC games with you sounds nice, but not for the price.
Wait until this technology is available at around $500. Then we might be talking ;)
1500 is a wack price considering i paid 1400 for a brand new HP laptop that plays pc games just fine.
I do like the idea of a mini-PC with gamepad built in. I'd love a portable retro-gaming unit. (SNES, Genesis, NES, MAME, etc)
Don't think this is the unit for me, though.
This thing's dead before it arrives. The price alone is a showstopper for any sane individual. Beyond that, there's no news about OS or platform. There is simply no demand for this class of product with such a thin-to-non-existent roadmap.
As a design study for this class of machine, it's lovely to look at and ponder. As a commercially viable product that most of us would consider purchasing: not even close.
Carmi
http://writteninc.blogspot.com
"is there anyone who wants to play games this way?"
LAN parties can difficult to logistically coordinate. I wish the power of an XBOX was bundled into an LCD screen so that I could place the screen anywhere and be comfortable gaming...like say in a Lazyboy instead of at some crappy table.
Another problem is that it will probably be too heavy to be portable or worse too heavy to carried around. 8.4 inch screen? That's like twice the PSP with probably half the batt life.
I doubt this equipment (notice I didn't say console) will be ever produced for the mass market.
It would be very nice to play RTS games on, touch screen would be awesome in AoE. Also what about as a portable DVR? 8.4" screen would be nice, and it's got a built in DVD drive.
The problem here isn't the device, it's the insistence that it be marketed as a gaming system and not an all around entertainment system. Also they need to try showing something other then FPS games. Battery life is the only unknown and could be a huge deal breaker.
I think you guys really need to check out the website before replying. Check out the movies, you don't need a keyboard and mouse to play FPS games. You "mouse-look" with the thumb track on the right and navigate with the N-Way on the left. There is an article on Hardwarehell that says they tried it out at E3 and it worked very well. Let go of your keyboard!
The buttons are all programmable and can be programmed to individual keys or key combinations. This things has more buttons on the back underneath your fingers. Watch them play both FPS and RTS games, they seem to work great!
The specifications page says the OS will be a desktop operating system. The movies are clearly running Windows XP! They claim its a PC and will do anything your PC can do...far more than a dedicated gaming machine or cheesy cellphone masquerading as a gameboy! N-Gage is better? Please, Ghost Recon on that tiny microscopic panel is annoying. Also, the image above is the "Concept" model and much larger than the one in development.
Also, look at the upgrade path planned for this thing, you can swap out everything including the chipset! Try that on your laptop!
I wonder if that's EAGamer in the pic above...?
I wonder if that's EAGamer in the pic above...?